The Cherokee Tribe

Created by: Cher Lovestrand

Where They Lived, Past and Present

• Before 1838- a large area that includes present day Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia and West Virginia.

• After 1838- The Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, OK• The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Tahlequah, OK • The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, in Cherokee, North Carolina

Shelter

• Cherokee families typically had two dwellings: rectangular summer houses with cane and clay walls and bark or thatch roofs, and cone-shaped winter houses with pole frames and brushwork covered by mud or clay.

Clothing

Men• Traditional- Leggings and

breechcloth• Today- Ribbon shirts

Women• Traditional- Blouses made

from deer hide or cloth and wraparound skirts

• Today- tear dress

The Cherokee wore clothing and moccasins made from animal skins before the Europeans introduced cloth to the tribe.

Food

• The “Three Sisters” were corn, beans, and squash• Deer and turkey• Non-poisonous plants and roots that came from the

forest • Berries, potatoes, pumpkin, fish

Weapons and Tools

• Fishermen used spears and fishing poles.• Hunters used bows and arrows or blowguns to shoot game.• Warriors fought with bows and arrows, tomahawks, and

spears.• Flint knives and scrapers were used to skin animal hides.• Wooden hoes were used to farm.

Art

• Double wall basketry• Clay pottery• Gourd items• River Cane

Music

• The water drum- A pot or kettle with a skin stretched over the top of it. Some water is placed inside before playing.

• The River Cane flute- A foot long flute with 6 holes. • Trumpets- Often made from buffalo horns or long neck gourds. Conch

shells were used in very early times.• Rattles- Turtle shells are used for ceremonial rattles. Men had a single

rattle to be held in the hand , and women wore turtle shell shackles on their legs. Ceremonial hand rattles were sometimes made from gourds, as well.

Sequoyah

•Sequoyah introduced the Cherokee people to a syllabary that he created. •Syllabary is a form of writing that uses symbols to represent sounds.

SpeakingCherokee

• Hello= “o-si-yo” (sounds like: oh-see-yoh)• Goodbye= “do-na-da-go-hv-I” (sounds like:

doe nah dah go huh ee)• Please= “u-do-hi-yu-I” (sounds like: ooh doe

he you ee) • Thank you= “wa-do” (sounds like: wah-doe)