The CherokeeBy Yoav H., Eitan, and Maya

Geographical Location

The states that the Cherokee called home included Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

The Cherokee LifestyleThe women cooked, harvested and mended clothes. Men fished and hunted. No parts of the animals were wasted. For example, ox horns could be made into knives.

Ripe corn

CultureThe Cherokee held a “Green Corn” ceremony every year, the most important of several turning-of the-season festivals. At the start of a new year, the leaders of the tribes would extinguish the sacred fire that burned in the center of their village and light a new one. All crimes would then be forgiven, except for murder.

Cherokee Homes

Houses were made of saplings woven together. Each town contained about fifty huts.

Cherokee Art Forms and Random Facts

The Cherokee called themselves Ani Yunwiya, meaning “real people.” They played stick ball, a highly aggressive game resembling modern-day lacrosse. Their art forms included war masks that were used to mock the enemy during battles.

A booger mask A drawing of men playing stickball

The Arrival of the Spanish

In 1715 , the Spanish came to America , bringing with them their deadly diseases. Half of the Cherokee died of small pox and other maladies. Later, in the 1800s, the Spanish missionaries were attempting to convert the Cherokee to Catholicism, and the Cherokees’ culture began to fade.

Cherokee men raising a cross A Spanish mission

The Daughter of the Sun

One of the myths the Cherokee told of was called The Daughter Of The Sun.

Sun hated the people on Earth, because they screwed up their faces when they saw her. She thought they thought she was ugly, but in truth, she was so bright that they had to shield their eyes.

More on The Daughter of the Sun Myth:http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheDaughterOfTheSun-

Cherokee.html

Thank You!

Wa-do! (“thank you” in Cherokee)