…If You Lived With the Cherokee

By

Mr. Graham’s Fourth Grade

NWES

2010-2011

Introduction

Native Americans were the first group of people to live in what is now known as the United States. There were about 250 different tribes. Each tribe had its own language, customs and way of life.

This presentation will tell about the Cherokee people who lived long ago from 1740 to 1838. In that time period, the Cherokee lived, hunted, farmed, fought and traded in the area known as the Great Smoky Mountains in the southeastern United States.

This picture expresses the idea that the Cherokee people and culture are a big part of the history of this country.

Who are the Cherokee?

The Cherokee people call themselves Aniyunwiya, which means Principal People.They migrated to the Great Smoky Mountains over one thousand years ago. They loved this land and said that it was the center of the world. Their happy lives in the mountains changed when the Europeans came and began to trade and force them off of their land. The Cherokee are proud of their

culture and heritage.

What would you look like?

If you lived with Cherokee this is what you would look like. The Cherokee skin color is light tan to dark tan .The girls’ hair is black and straight and long . The Cherokee are slim. Men and boys shaved their hair and left a small patch on the head.

Leny Lopez

This is how a Cherokee might

look.

What would you wear?If you lived with theCherokee, this is whatyou would wear. Men and boys wore breechcloth,which was a band of skinthat hung from a belt at thewaist. They wore moccasinson their feet. They worebear, panther, and beaverskins.Letisha Hairston

This is what the Cherokee kids look like.

Who was in your family?

If you live with the Cherokee this is who would be in your large family. Your large family is called a clan. There were seven clans and you would be part of your mother’s clan. Your relatives were your mother’s family.

Isaiah TurnerThis picture shows the seven Cherokee clans.

How did people get married?If you lived with the

Cherokee this is how you

would get married. First

your families exchanged

special gifts and then after

the wedding the man moved

into the woman's house

with her family. It was

forbidden to marry someone

from your own clan. To get

divorced, a Cherokee woman had

to put her husband’s things outside

the door of their house.

Mya Weldy

This picture shows how Cherokee people get married.

How did you get your name? If you lived with theCherokee this is how yougot your name. Whenbabies are four to seven daysold they got their name in aspecial ceremony. Youcould change your nameseveral different times. You couldchange your name to somethingyour good at. Examples of names are Swimmer, if you are good at it. If you are happy, your name would be called, “she who brings happiness”.

Katelyn Hamm

Some Cherokee men got their names because of something they did well.

What did your house look like?If you lived with the Cherokee,this is what your house wouldlook like. Your summer homewould be made entirely of logs,and your summer home’s doorwould be deer skin. Your winterhome was made out of mud.Your winter home’s roof would bemade of thatched reeds shapedlike a cone. Beaver, otter, orbuffalo skins were your warmblankets.

Jackson Teague

This is a picture of a winter house, summer house, and a fire with a pothook in a Cherokee village.

What was a Cherokee village like?If you lived with the Cherokee this is what your village would be like. Your village would have 200 to 400 or more people living in it. The council house can hold about 400 Cherokee. And from your arbor you could watch dances, games and ceremonies. And the Cherokee put post up so enemies or wild animals can get in the village. And that is what i learned from the part what was a Cherokee village like? By Peter and Connie Roop.

Sasha Alexander

This is what a Cherokee village might look like.

Who were your village leaders ? If you lived with the

Cherokee, this is who your village leaders would be. Each village had two chiefs, one for peace and one for war. The head man helped the chief make decisions .A woman could not be chief, but she had the same rights as a man. The priest often talked for hours about the correct spiritual ways to live.

Alex Martinez-Noah

The Cherokee would have two village leaders one for war and one for peace.

How would you work?

If you lived with the Cherokee this is how you would work. No matter how old you where you would work. You would take care of the tobacco. You would help make your summer and winter homes. Moms would cook, make clay pots and take care of the children.

Nicholas Bell

This is a picture of two people working to gather food.

What tools would you use?

If you lived with the Cherokee, this is what tools you would use. I learned that the Cherokee used stones and bones until the settlers came. I also learned the girls sharpened stones to make a hoe to use in their gardens. I discovered that the boys made bows and arrows out of bones and stone.

D’neizah Harris

These are the tools that the Cherokee Indians used.

What did you eat ? If you lived with the Cherokee,this is what would eat. They atelots of veggies like corn, beans,squash, pumpkins, mushrooms,and wild potatoes. They ate deermeat, crayfish, buffalo, squirrels,birds, and frogs. You could addhoney or maple sap to sweetenyour food. Corn was their favoritefood to use to make bread, soups,and stews. For dessert, theywould have berries.

Stephanie Villegas

This picture shows some of the foods the Cherokees ate.

How did you hunt and fish?

If you lived with the Cherokee this is how you hunt and fish. If you want to hunt large animals you had to use bow and arrow. They use blow guns to hunt small animals. They use bone hooks and box tramps to caught fish. Fishing is an important skill for men and boy.

Dennis Morales

These are some things the Cherokee used to hunt and fish.

Were there special hunting ceremonies?

If you lived with the Cherokee,

you would have taken part in

special hunting ceremonies.

Before they hunted, they did

animal dances, and after an

animal was killed, the hunter

prayed for it. There were different

animal dances for different

animals. The Cherokee believed

that bears had once been human.

Joella Villegas

This picture shows Cherokee people at a special hunting ceremony.

How did you get around the forest?

If you lived with the Cherokee, this is how would you get around the forest. Many trails were made by deer and other animals. Many trails led to tribes, too. The Cherokee and other tribes used the Great Warriors Path for quick raids against their enemies. Thousands of Cherokee feet made the trails smooth . The higher mountains were very rugged and there were few trails .

BRENDA NAJERA- ANGEL

The Cherokee blew darts if they saw enemies in the forest .

Who were your enemies? If you lived with the Cherokee, you

would have enemies. Your greatest enemies were the Choctaw and the Creek. Once you had taken your enemies by surprise, you would kill only as many of the enemy as they killed of your clan. The Cherokee people fought in many wars while Europeans fought for control of America. They also fought with General Andrew Jackson in 1812 to defeat the Creek. The Cherokee never had to fight the Creek again.

Errik Roten

This is a picture of the Cherokee fighting their enemies.

Did the Cherokee scalp their enemies?

If you lived with the Cherokee,you would scalp your enemies.The Cherokee learned how toscalp their enemies from theEuropeans. Even then theyrarely scalped an enemy. To earna feather, a boy would have to bebrave in battle. He would do acourageous or dangerous deedin front of others to see how bravehe was.

Jessica AvilaThis picture shows a Cherokee holding a scalp.

Did you go to school?

If you lived with the

Cherokee, you would

not go to school in a

building. Your parents and

relatives would teach you.

You learned Cherokee

history through stories. You

were learning all the time.

Sean Minton

This is a picture of a father teaching his children.

Did you learn to read and write?

If you lived with theCherokee this is howyou would learn to readwrite. Sequoyah andAhyoka were the first toinvent an alphabet in1821. The Cherokeesyllabary had eighty five characters. Many Cherokee learned to read and write in only a few days.

Sadie Otriz

This is a picture of a girl learning to read and write.

What would you celebrate?

If you lived with the Cherokee,this is what would you celebrate. The Cherokee celebrated important seasonal events. In the fall, they celebrated Atohuna, theFriendship Ceremony, whenthey forget grudges and builtfriendships. The men dressed in costumes and dancedaround the fire acting like clowns. The children tried to guess which father was theirs.

Jenny Yang

This picture shows men dancing around the fire during a celebration.

What happened if you got sick?If you lived with the Cherokees, this is what would happen if yougot sick. The Cherokees believedthat sickness was caused byanimals seeking revenge for theharm people did to them. Theyalso believed the plants werefriends of people and would fightthe sickness. If you got sick, yourmom or grandmother would carefor you. The Cherokees had 400plants they used for medicine.

Evelyn Pineda

This is a picture of a mom helping a sick person.

What games would play?If you lived with the Cherokee,these are the games you played.One of the games was calledhawk-fighting, and it was a boy’sfavorite game. Chunkey wasanother game boys liked. Theyplayed with stones and a spearand tried to hit the stone to makeit move. Listening to stories wasevery kid’s favorite activity. Therewere scary stories, funny ones,and serious ones. Many of thestories made you a better personand a better warrior.

Manesha Barragan

This is a game Cherokee children might have played.

Were there any team sports?

If you lived with the Cherokee, you would have played in team sports. Stickball was a major Cherokee sport. Stickball was a really brutal game, and it was called “the little brother of war.” Women and girls played stickball, too.

Moises Ocampo

Stickball was played by the Cherokee. Now we call the game lacrosse.