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MY ANCESTORS-MY PEOPLE-MY HERITAGE
MY ANCESTORS-MY PEOPLE-MY HERITAGE
Welcome to this forum. It is here to help spread the truth and history of my people the CHICKAMAUGA CHEROKEE'S,Cherokee's and other Indian peoples.
NATIVE AMERICAN ADVOCATE
Cherokee names -- Anonymous, 09:12:50 07/14/02 Sun

Yonagvsgi on the Native American Spirituality discussion board www.belienet.com is very knowledgeable about Cherokee stuff - hope this helps.


[ Edit | View ]

PENATEKA (PRONUCIATION) -- Anonymous, 12:32:23 05/25/02 Sat

CAN SOMEONE LET ME KNOW HOW THIS WORD IS PRONOUNCED?
THANKS IN ADVANCE


[ Edit | View ]

Cherokee Names -- Anonymous, 20:42:32 03/22/02 Fri

Do any of the following names resemble anything in the Cherokee language?

Beanigbea
Benigma
Benigby
Ma ng ma
Ma ny ma
Demagna
Demasna

These were all official record spellings of my G-g-g grandmother's given name. Her last name was Perry. She was born in Jackson County, GA in 1805 at a time that it was Cherokee country. She married a white man in 1828 and died in 1875. She is buried in a baptist Churchyard that used to be a Cherokee town. They lived close to an Indian Ball Field all her life.


[ Edit | View ]

TRIBAL NAMES -- Anonymous, 07:37:39 11/15/01 Thu

Many tribal names mean "People," "Us," "human beings," or similar words. The names below are for those groups whose name means something other than "People," "Us," "human beings," or similar words. Some tribes names were acquired from Europeans usinging a second tribe's name for the first tribe. The "New Name" was used so much, it gained an "official" status or became the common name. In many cases, tribal name origins are lost in the mists of history. Some definitions below are based on conjecture by historians. In some cases, some tribal members would agree with the names below, while other members will not. In essense, this is a list of commonly used definitions.




abnaki: those living at the sunrise (easterners)
achomawi: river
acolapissa: those who listen and see
ahtena: ice people
akwesasne: land where the partridge drums
alabama: i clear the thicket
apache: enemy (zuni word)
apalachicola: people of the other side
apalachee: people of the other side
arikara: horns or elk people, or corn eaters
assiniboin: ones who cook using stones (ojibwa word)
atakapa: man eater
atikamekw white fish
atsina: white clay people
atsugewi: hat creek indians
avoyel: people of the rocks
bayogoula: people of the bayou
bidai: brushwood (caddo word)
brule: burned thighs
caddo: true chiefs
cayuga: place locusts were taken out,
people at the mucky land
cayuse: stones or rocks (French-Canadian word)
chakchiuma: red crawfish people
chehalis: sand
cherokee: cave people (choctaw word),
people of different speech (creek word)
chetco: close to the mouth of the stream
cheyenne: red talkers (dakota word)
chickahominy: hominy people
chickamauga: dwelling place of the chief (creek word)
chipwyan: pointed skins (cree word)
chitimacha: they have cooking vessels
chontal: stranger (nahuatl word)
choula: fox
chowanoc: people at the south
chumash: people who make the shell bead money
clallam: strong people
clatsop: dried salmon
cocopah: river people
comanche: anyone who wants to fight me all the time (ute word)
cowichan: basking in the sun that warms your back or warm land
crow: crow, sparrowhawk, bird people
dakota: allie
erie: log tail or cat people (iroquois word)
fox: red earth people
git' lissums: people of the Lissums
gitksan: people of the northern Skena
gros ventre: big bellies, one who cooks with a stone,
he cooks by roasting (see atsina)
hach winik: true people
han: those who live along the river
havasupai: people of the blue green water
hiute: bowmen
honniasont: wearing something around the neck
hopi: peaceful ones or well-mannered people
houma: red
huchnom: mountain people
hunkpapa: campers at the opening of the circle
hupa: trinity river
huron: ruffian, head of a boar (french words)
hwal'bay (hualapai): people of the tall pines
ihanktonwan: dwellers at the end
ihanktonwana: little dwellers at the end
iowa: sleepy ones (dakota word)
iroquois: real adders (snake) or we of the extended lodge
jatibonicu: people of the great sacred high waters
jatibonuco: great people of the sacred high waters
jicaque: ancient person (nahuatl word)
jicarilla: little basket weaver (spanish word)
kainai: many chiefs
kakwchak porcupine people
kan-hatki: white earth
kanienkahaka: people of the place of flint
kanza: people of the south wind
karok: upstream
kato: lake
kawchottine: people of the great hares
ketsei: going in wet sand
kickapoo: he stands about
kiowa: principal people
klallam: strong people
klamath: people of the lake
kotsoteka: buffalo eaters
kutcha-kutchin: those who live on the flats
kwuda: people coming out
lakota friend or ally (same with dakota & nakota)
latgawa: those living in the uplands
lenni lenape: genuine men
lillooet: wild onion
lipan: warriors of the mountains
machapunga: bad dust
mahican: wolf
makah: cape people
maliseet: broken talkers
massachuset: at the hills
mdewankantonwan: dwellers of the spirit lake
menominee: wild rice men
miami: people on the peninsula, cry of the crane, pigeon
michigamea: great water
miniconjou: planters by water
missouri: great muddy, people with wooden canoes
moapa: mosquito creek people
moatokni: southerners
modoc: southerners
mohave: three mountains
mohawk: the possessors of the flint, coward or
man eater (abenaki words)
mohegan: wolf
moneton: big water people
munsee: at the place where the stones are gathered together
nahane: people of the west
narragansett: people of the small point
nanticoke: people of the tidewaters
natsit-kutchin: those who live off the flats
navajo: cultivated field in an arroyo (tewa word)
nipmuck: freshwater fishing place
nisga'a: people of the Nass River
nokoni: those who turn back
nooksack: mountain men
nootka: along the coast
oglala: scatters their own
ojibwa: to roast till puckered up
okelousa: blackwater
okmulgee: where water boils up
omaha: upstream people or people going against the current
oneida: a boulder standing up, people of the standing stone
onondaga: people on top of the hills
opata: hostile people (pima word)
ottawa: to trade
otto: lechers
pahodja: dusty nones
pakiutlema: people of the gap
pamunkey: rising upland
pantch-pinunkansh: men altogether red
papagos: desert people, bean people
papinashuash the ones who like to laugh
pascagoula: bread people
passamaquoddy: plenty of pollock
paugusset: where the narrows open out
pawnee: horn people, men of men, look like wolves
penateka: honey eaters
pennacook: down hill
penobscot: it forks on the white rocks or the descending
ledge place, at the stone place
pensacola: hair people
people of the lakes: tribes near the great lakes
peoria: carrying a pack on his back
pequot: fox people or destroyers
piegan: scabby robes
piekuakamit the ones from the flat lake
piikani: poor robe
pilthlako: big swamp
pima: river people, (papago word for "I don't know")
pojoaque: drinking place
potawatomi: people of the place of the fire, keepers of
the fire, (fire nation, fire people)
powhatan: falls in a current of water
pshwanwapam: stony ground
puyallup: shadow
quahadi: antelope
quapaw: downstream people
quinnipiac: long water country
sac: people of the yellow earth or people of the outlet
salish: flatheads
sans arc: without bows
schaghticoke: at the river forks
sekani: dwellers on the rocks
seminole: separatist, runaway or breakaway, peninsula people
seneca: place of stone, people of the standing rock,
great hill people
shawnee: south or southerners
sihasapa sioux: blackfeet
siksika: blackfeet or black foot
sioux: snake (french version of other tribe's name)
sisitonwan: dwellers of the fish ground
skokomish: river people
taino: we the good people
takelma: those living along the river
tanima: liver eaters
tangipahoa: corn gatherers
tantawats: southern men
tatsanottine: people of the copper water
tawakoni: river bend among red hills
tejas: friendly
tenawa: down stream
tennuth-ketchin: middle people
teton: dwellers of the prairie
tewa: moccasins
thlingchadinne: dog-flank people
tinde: people of the mountains
titonwan: dwellers of the plains
tonawanda: confluent stream
tonkawa: they all stay together or most human of people
tsattine: lives among the beavers
tsetsaut: people of the interior (niska word)
tsimshian: people of the river
tsuu t'ina: great number of people
tubatulabal: pinenut eaters (shoshone word)
tuscarora: hemp gatherers, the shirt wearing people
two kettle: two boilings
unalachtgo: tidewater people
vunta-ketchin: those who live among the lakes
wahpekute: shooters amoung the leaves
wahpetonwan: dwellers amoung the leaves
wailaki: north language (wintun word)
wakokai: blue heron breeding place
walapai: pine tree people
wallawalla: little river
wampanoag: eastern people
wappo: brave
waptailmin: people of the narrow river
wasco: cup, those who have the cup
wichita: big arbor (choctaw word), raccoon eyes
winnebago: filthy water people
wiwohka: roaring water
wyandot: people of the peninsula, islanders
yakama: runaway, pregnant people, people of the narrows
yamparika: rooteaters or yapeaters
yavapai: people of the sun, crooked mouth people
yoncalla: those living at ayankeld
yuchi: situated yonder
yuki: stranger (wintun word)
yurok: downstream (karok word)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alternative Tribal Names
Many tribes have more than one name. Some tribes have a name they give to the world, and another name which was meant to be used only amoungst themselves. Some tribes became know by the names other tribes called them. For example, Cherokee is name given to them by others. Eventually, so many Europeans/Americans and other tribes called them this, they started calling themselves Cherokee, too. There are many variations on how Europeans spelled tribal names. Lewis & Clark refer to the IOWA (pronounced Eye-oh-way) Indians with spellings that varied from page to page. I have not included every possible phonetic spelling, just some of the major ones.

One additional point, some tribes have been refered to by a name which is not their real name, nor do they officially acknowledge that name. However, because it has been misused so often, I have listed the incorrect name. I have listed it so readers could understand the original reference.




abenaki (western): alnonba, abnaki
adai: nateo
adamstown: upper mattaponi
alabama: alibamu
aleut: alutiiq, unangan
anadarko: nadaco
anishinabeg: chippewa, ojibwa
apache: n de,dine,tinde,inde,shis inde,
apache mohave: yavapai
appomattoc: apamatuks
arapahoe: inunaina, atsina
arikara: northern pawnee
assiniboin: hohe
athapaskan: dene
atsina: haaninin
aztec: nahua, nahuatl
bannock: panaiti
bear river indians: niekeni
bellabella: heiltsuqu, heiltsuk
bellacoola: nuxalk
blackfoot: nitsi-tapi, peigan, piegan, pikuni (northern), sarcee, siksika,
sisaka (southern), sihasapa, stoney
blood: kainai, kainaiwa
brule sioux: si can gu
caddo: adai, eyeish, hasinai, hainai, kadohodacho,
kadohadacho confederacy, natchitoches
calusa: calos, carlos, muspa
campo: kumeyaay
Carrier: wet'suwet'en
catawba: esaw, ushery
cayuga: kweniogwen, iroquois
cayuse: wailetpu, te-taw-ken
chakchiuma: shaktci homma
chemehuevi: tantawats
chetco: tolowa
cherokee: tsa-la-gi, keetoowah, ani-yun-wiya,
anikituhwagi
cheyenne: dzi tsi stas, sowonia (southern),
o mi sis (northern)
chippewa: anishinabeg, ojibwa
chitimacha: pantch-pinunkansh
choctaw: chakchiuma, chatot
chumash: santa barbara indians
clackamas: guithlakimas
clallam: s'klallam, nusklaim,tlalem
cocopah: xawitt kunyavaei
coeur d'alene: skitswish
comanche: detsanayuka, kotsoteka, nermernuh, noconi, nokoni, numunuu,
padouca (sioux word), penateka, pennande, quahadi,
yamparika
comox: catloltx
copane: kopano, quevenes
cora: nayarit
coushatta: koasati, acoste
cowichan: khowutzun
cree: kenistenoag,iyiniwok
creek: muskogee, abihika, abeika, hitchiti
crow: absaroke
cuthead: pabaksa
delaware: lenni lenape, lenape, abnaki, alnanbai, wampanoag,
munsee, unami, unalachitgo, powhatan-renápe
dieguenos: comeya, tipai, ipai, kumeyaay
eskimo: inuit, inupiat, inuvialuit, yupik
fox: mesquaki
ganawese: conoys, piscataways
gros ventre: atsina (prairie), hidatsa (missouri), ah-ah-nee-nin, minnetaree
hainai: ioni
havasupai: suppai
hopi: hopitu,hopitu shinumu, moqui, hapeka
hualapai: hwal'bay, walapai
hupa: natinnohhoi
huron: wendat, wyandot
ingalik athapaskans: deg het'an
iowa: pahodja
iroquois: haudenosaunee,hodenosaunee,ongwanosionni,
hotinonshonni
jemez: tuwa
jicarilla apache: tinde
kamia: tipai
kansa: hutanga, kansas, kanza, kaw,
kato: tlokeang
keres: pueblo, acoma, cochiti, isleta, laguna, san felipe,
santa ana, santo domingo, zia
kickapoo: kiwigapawa
kiowa: kwuda,tepda,tepkinago, gaigwu
kiowa apache: nadiisha dena
klamath: eukshikni maklaks, auksni
klickitat: qwulhhwaipum
kootenai: kuronoqa, kutenai
koso: panamint
kutchin: gwich'in
kutenai: asanka,
lillooet: lil'wat, st'át'imc
lipan: naizhan
lower sioux: mdewakanton, wahpekute
lumbee: cheraw
maicopa: pipatsji
makah: kwenetchechat
mandan: metutahanke (after 1837), numakaki (before 1837)
manhattan: rechgawawank
manso: maise, mansa, manse, manxo, gorreta, gorrite, tanpachoa
maricopa: xalchidom pii-pash, pipatsje, pee-posh
miami: twightwis, twa-h-twa-h, Wa-ya-ta-no-ke, oumameg or omaumeg (chippewa), pkiwi-leni (shawnee)
micmac: mi'kmaq
missouri: niutachi
moapa: moapariats
modoc: moatokni, okkowish
mohave: mojave, tzinamaa, ahamakav
mohawk: kanienkahaka, kaniengehage, abenaki, iroquois
molala: latiwe
mono: monache
moratoc: nottoway
mosopelea: ofom
munsee: minasinink
nanticoke: unalachtgo
navajo: diné, dineh, tenuai, navaho
nez perce: neemeepoo, kamuinu, nimipu, tsutpeli,
sahaptin, chopunnish (e)
nisga'a: git' lissums
nootka: nuu-chah-nulth
northern ojibwa: saulteaux
ogallala: okandanda
ojibwa: chippewa, anishinabeg, missisauga, saginaw
okanagon: isonkuaili
oneida: iroquois
onondaga: iroquois
osage: wakon, wazhazhe, pahatsi, utsehta
ottawa: adawe
otto: chewaerae
oulaouaes: necariages
paiute: numa
panamint: timbisha
papagos: tohono o'odham, ak-chin, tohono au'autam
passamaquoddy: peskedemakddi
patchogue: unkechaug
pawnee: pariki, chahiksichahiks, ckirihki kuruuriki, awah.i
pecos: pueblos from jemez
pend d'oreilles: kalispel
penobscot: pannawanbskek, penaubsket
petun: khionontateronon, tionontati
peigan: piegan, blood, kainai, pikuni, pigunni
pima: onk akimel au-authm, tohono o'odham, a-atam,
akimul au'autam, akimel O'oodham
piro: tortuga,
pit river: achomawi, atsugewi
poosepatuck: unkechaug
quapaw: quapah, akansea, ouaguapas
quileute: quil-leh-ute
quinault: qui-nai-elts
sac and fox: sauk, meshkwakihug, fox, british band
sahwnee: shawadasay
salish: okinagan, flathead
sans arc: itazipco
santee: sisseton
saponi: monasukapanough
sarcee: tsuu t'ina
seminole: ikaniuksalgi, alachua, mikasuki
seneca: iroquois
serrano: cowangachem, mohineyam
shawnee: savannah
shoshone: shoshoni, snake
sioux: brule, dakota, hunkpapa, isanyati, itazipco,
lakota, mnikowoju, nakota, ocheti shakowin,
oglala, oohenunpa, sicangu, sihasapa, teton,
titunwan
sissipahaw: haw
skagit: humaluh
skoskomish: twana
squinamish: swinomish
slotas: red river metis
songish: lkungen
southern paiute: numa
st.francis: abenaki
st.regis mohawk: akwesasne, kaniengehage
stockbridge: mahican
stoney bearspaw, chiniki, and wesley/goodstoney)
susquehanna: susquehannock, conestoga
taidnapam: upper cowlitz
tejas: hasinai, cenis
tenino: melilema
teton: brule, hunkpapa, itazipco, mnikowoju, oglala,
oohenunpa, sicangu, sihasapa, titunwan
tewa: pueblo, nambe, pojoaque, san ildefonso, san juan,
santa clara, tesuque
thompson: nlaka'pamux
tigua: pueblo, tiwa, tortuga
tillamook: killamuck
timucua: utina,acuera
timbisha: panamint
tiwa: pueblo, tortuga
tobacco: khionontateronon, tionontati
toltec: chiaimeca mochanecatoca
tonkawa: titskan watitch, titskanwatitch, tonkaweya
tubatulabal: bahkanapul, kern river
tunica: yoron
tuscarora: skarure, iroquois
tututni: tolowa
twana: tuadhu
two kettle: oohenonpa
umpqua: etnemitane
upper chehalis: kwaiailk
upper sioux: sisseton, wahpeton
ute: noochi,notch, nuciu
wampanoag: pokanoket
warm springs: tilkuni
wasco: galasquo
watlala: katlagakya
whilkut: redwood indians
winnebago: winipig
wichita: kitikiti'sh, kidikittashe, Wia chitch (choctaw word)
wishram: ilaxluit, tlakluit
wyandot: huron, talamatans
yakama: yakima, tiin-ma, waptailmin, pakiutlema
yazoo: chakchiuma
yoncalla: tchayankeld
yuchi: chisa
yuma: quechan, euqchan
zuni: ashiwi,taa ashiwani


[ Edit | View ]

Indian Moons, Days & Other Calendar Stuff -- Anonymous, 07:34:38 11/15/01 Thu

Indian Moons, Days & Other Calendar Stuff


As you will note below, some listings include one entry per month. In these cases, usually, the name in that language may be more properly a name for the month, instead of the "moon" since there are more than 12 moons per year. Over a long enough period of time, the moons will shift through the seasons.

There are occasional multiple names for one moon or month. This could be caused by the overlapping of some moons in a month, different groups in the tribe using different names, or from different translations of the same common name. Also, some groups within a tribe might have a name for a moon or month, while other groups within the same tribe may have no name for the same moon or month.


MOON NAMES
ALGONQUIN:
JANUARY- SQUOCHEE KESOS- SUN HAS NOT STRENGTH TO THAW
FEBRUARY- WAPICUUMMILCUM- ICE IN RIVER IS GONE
MARCH- NAMOSSACK KESOS- CATCHING FISH
APRIL - SUQUANNI KESOS- WHEN THEY SET INDIAN CORN
MAY- MOONESQUANIMOCK KESOS- WHEN WOMEN WEED CORN
JUNE- TWOWA KESOS- WHEN THEY HILL INDIAN CORN
JULY- MATTERLLAWAW KESOS- SQUASH ARE RIPE & INDIAN BEANS BEGIN TO BE EDIBLE
AUGUST- MICHEENEE KESOS- WHEN INDIAN CORN'S EDIBLE
SEPTEMBER- POHQUITAQUNK KESOS- MIDDLE BETWEEN HARVEST AND EATING INDIAN CORN
OCTOBER- PEPEWARR- WHITE FROST ON GRASS & GROUND
NOVEMBER- QUINNE KESOS- SAME AS PEPEWARR
DECEMBER- PAPSAPQUOHO


ANISHNAABE (CHIPPEWA, OJIBWE):
JANUARY - Gichi-manidoo-giizis GREAT SPRIT MOON
FEBRUARY - Namebini-giizis SUCKER MOON
MARCH - Bebookwaadaagame-giizis(oog) SNOW CRUST MOON
APRIL - Iskigamizige-giizis(oog) BROKEN SNOWSHOW MOON
MAY - Waabigwani-giizis BLOSSOM MOON
JUNE - Ode'imini-giizis STRAWBERRY MOON
JULY - Aabita-niibino-giizis RASPBERRY MOON
AUGUST - Miini-giizis BERRY MOON
SEPTEMBER - Manoominike-giizis RICE MOON
OCTOBER - Binaakwe-giizis FALLING LEAVES MOON
NOVEMBER - Gashkadino-giizis(oog) FREEZING MOON
DECEMBER - Manidoo-gizisoons SMALL SPIRITS MOON




APACHE:
JANUARY - TIME OF FLYING ANTS
APRIL - MOON OF THE BIG LEAVES
MAY - SEASON WHEN THE LEAVES ARE GREEN
JULY - MOON OF THE HORSE/TIME OF RIPENESS
OCTOBER - TIME WHEN THE CORN IS TAKEN IN


NORTHERN ARAPAHO:
JANUARY - WHEN THE SNOW BLOWS LIKE SPIRITS IN THE WIND
FEBRUARY - FROST SPARKLING IN THE SUN
MARCH - BUFFALO DROPPING THEIR CALVES
APRIL - ICE BREAKING IN THE RIVER
MAY - WHEN THE PONIES SHED THEIR SHAGGY HAIR
JUNE - WHEN THE HOT WEATHER BEGINS
JULY - WHEN THE BUFFALO BELLOWS
LATE JULY - WHEN THE CHOKEBERRIES BEGIN TO RIPEN
AUGUST - GEESE SHEDDING THEIR FEATHERS
SEPTEMBER - DRYING GRASS
OCTOBER - FALLING LEAVES
NOVEMBER - WHEN THE RIVERS START TO FREEZE
DECEMBER - POPPING TREES


ASSINIBOINE:
JANUARY - Wicogandu Center Moon
FEBRUARY - Amhanska Long Dry Mon
MARCH - Wicinstayazan Sore Eye Moon
APRIL - Tabehatawi Frog Moon
MAY - Indiwiga Idle Moon
JUNE - Wahequosmewi Full leaf Moon
JULY - Wasasa Red Berries Moon
AUGUST - Capasapsaba Black Cherries Moon
SEPTEMBER - Wahpegiwi Yellow Leaf Moon
OCTOBER - Anukope Joins Both Sides Moon
Tasnaheja-hagikta Striped Gopher looks Back Moon
NOVENBER - Cuhotgawi Frost Moon
DECEMBER - Wicogandu-sungagu Center Moon's Younger Brother


CHEROKEE (MONTHS with help from Tu'ti):
JANUARY - UNOLVTANA - COLD MOON
FEBRUARY - KAGALI - BONY MOON
MARCH - ANVHYI - STRAWBERRY OR WINDY MOON
APRIL - KAWOHNI - FLOWER MOON
MAY - ANSGVTI - PLANTING MOON
JUNE - DEHALUYI - GREEN CORN MOON
JULY - KUYEGWONA - RIPE CORN MOON
AUGUST - GALOHNI - END OF THE FRUIT OR DRYING UP MOON
SEPTEMBER - DULISDI - NUT OR BLACK BUTTERFLY MOON
OCTOBER - DUNINHDI - HARVEST MOON
NOVEMBER - NVDADEGWA - TRADING MOON
DECEMBER - VSKIHYI - SNOW MOON


EASTERN CHEROKEE MOONS (thanks to Robert Graybear):
nvda kanawoga - COLD MOON
nvda kola - BONE MOON (so little food, people gnaw on bones and eat bone marrow soup)
nvda unole - WIND MOON (when strong winds strip away the dead wood and foliage and prepare the land for renewal)
nvda atsilusgi - FLOWER MOON (when plants come to life and bloom again and the Earth is renewed)
nvda gahlvsga - PLANTING MOON (strict translation "the putting it in a hole moon")
nvda seluitseiyusdi - GREEN CORN MOON (when the corn is up and showing itself as an identifiable crop)
nvda utsi'dsata' - CORN IN TASSEL MOON (when the corn is displaying a tassel)
nvda seluuwa`nûñ`sa - RIPE CORN MOON
nvda udatanvagisdi ulisdv - END OF FRUIT MOON
nvda udatanûñ - NUT MOON
nvda tsiyahloha - HARVEST MOON
nvda ganohalidoha - HUNTING MOON
nvda gutiha - SNOW MOON (when the first snows fall in the mountains)


CHEYENNE:
JANUARY - MOON OF THE STRONG COLD
APRIL - MOON WHEN THE GEESE LAY EGGS
MAY - MOON WHEN THE HORSES GET FAT
SEPTEMBER DRYING GRASS MOON
OCTOBER - MOON WHEN THE WATER BEGINS TO FREEZE ON THE EDGE OF THE STREAMS
NOVEMBER - DEER RUTTING MOON
DECEMBER - MOON WHEN THE WOLVES RUN TOGETHER


CREE:
JANUARY - WHEN THE OLD FELLOW SPREADS THE BRUSH (GISHEPAPIWATEKIMUMPIZUN)
FEBRUARY - OLD MONTH (CEPIZUN)
MARCH - EAGLE MONTH (MIGISUPIZUM)
APRIL - GRAY GOOSE MONTH (KISKIPIZUN)
MAY - FROG MONTH (ALIGIPIZUN)
JUNE - THE MONTH LEAVES COME OUT (SAGIPUKAWIPIZUN)
JULY - THE MOON WHEN DUCKS BEGIN TO MOULT (OPASKWUWIPIZUN)
AUGUST - THE MOON YOUNG DUCKS BEGIN TO FLY (OPUNHOPIZUN)
SEPTEMBER - WAVY OR SNOW GOOSE MONTH (WEWEOPIZUN)
OCTOBER - THE MOON THE BIRDS FLY SOUTH (OPINAHAMOWIPIZUN)
NOVEMBER - THE MOON THE RIVERS BEGIN TO FREEZE (KASKATINOPIZUN)
DECEMBER - WHEN THE YOUNG FELLOW SPREADS THE BRUSH (PAPIWATIGINASHISPIZUN)


CREEK:
MAY - MULBERRY MOON
JULY - LITTLE RIPENING MOON
AUGUST - BIG RIPENING MOON
SEPTEMBER - LITTLE CHESTNUT MOON
NOVEMBER - MOON WHEN THE WATER IS BLACK WITH LEAVES
DECEMBER - BIG WINTER MOON

CREEK: (alternative)
STARTS IN AUGUST
MUCH HEAT OR BIG RIPENING
LITTLE CHESTNUT
BIG CHESTNUT
IHOLI-FROST
BIG WINTER
LITTLE WINTER
WIND
LITTLE SPRING
BIG SPRING
MULBERRY
BLACKBERRY
LITTLE HEAT OR LITTLE RIPENING


HOPI: (from their web site)
JANUARY - PAAMUYA - Joyful Moon
FEBRUARY - POWAMUYA - Purification Moon
MARCH - OSOMUYAW - Whispering Wind Moon
APRIL - KWIYAMUYAW - Windbreaks Moon
MAY - HAKITONMUYAW - Waiting Moon
JUNE - WUKOUYIS - Major Planting Moon
JULY - KELMUYA - Fledgling Raptor Moon
AUGUST - PAAMUYA - Joyful Moon
SEPTEMBER - NASANMUYAW - Full Harvest Moon
OCTOBER - ANGAQMUYAW - Long Hair Moon
NOVEMBER - KELMUYA - Fledgling Raptor Moon
DECEMBER - KYAAMUYA - Respect Moon


Inuit (Eskimo):
JANUARY - Avunniviayuk
FEBRUARY - Avunnivik
MARCH - Amaolikkervik
APRIL - Kriblalikvik
MAY - Tigmiyikvik
JUNE - Nuertorvik
JULY - Padlersersivik
AUGUST - Krugyuat tingiviat
SEPTEMBER - Aklikarniarvik
OCTOBER - Tugluvik
NOVEMBER - Itartoryuk
DECEMBER - Kaitvitjuitk


KERESAN:
JANUARY - Nadzi-kisraiti
FEBRUARY - y'amuuni daawaatra
MARCH - Shch'ami daawaatra
APRIL - Bashch'atsishe daawaatra
MAY - Shawiitsishe daawaatra
JUNE - Sauhua daawaatra
JULY - Sina kisraiti
AUGUST - y'aamuni daawaatra
SEPTEMBER - Kinati daawaatra
OCTOBER - -
NOVEMBER - -
DECEMBER - Nachuweenu daawaatra


KIOWA:
EARLY FEBRUARY - LITTLE BUD MOON (KAGUAT P'A SAN)
EARLY MARCH - BUD MOON (KAGUAT P'A)
EARLY APRIL - LEAF MOON (AIDEN P'A)
LATE APRIL - SUMMER AGANTI: I'LL MAKE IT HOT SOON (PAI AGANTI)
LATE MAY - SUMMER TEPGAN: GEESE GO NORTH (PAI TEGPAN P'A)
JUNE - SUMMER MOON (PAI GANHINA P'A)
LATE JULY - LITTLE MOON OF DEER HORNS DROPPING OFF (TAGUNOTAL P'A SAN)
AUGUST - YELLOW LEAVES MOON (AIDENGUAK'O P'A)
SEPTEMBER - MOON WHEN THE LEAVES FALL OFF
EARLY OCTOBER - TEN-COLDS MOON (GAKINAT'O P'A)
LATE OCTOBER - WAIT UNTIL I COME (AGANTI)
LATE NOVEMBER - GEESE-GOING MOON (TEPGAN P'A)
LATE DECEMBER - REAL GOOSE MOON (GANHINA P'A)


MANDAN-HIDATSA:
APRIL - MOON OF THE BREAKING UP OF THE ICE
NOVEMBER - MOON WHEN THE RIVER FREEZES


MOHAWK:
JANUARY - Tsothohrhko:wa the big cold
FEBRUARY - Enniska lateness
MARCH - Ennisko:wa much lateness
APRIL - Onerahtokha budding time
MAY - Onerahtohko:wa time of big leaf
JUNE - Ohiari:ha ripening time
JULY - Ohiarihko:wa time of much ripening
AUGUST - Seskehko:wa time of freshness
SEPTEMBER - Seskhoko:wa time of much freshness
OCTOBER - Kentenha time of poverty
NOVEMBER - Kentenhko:wa time of much poverty
DECEMBER - Tsothohrha time of cold


MUSCOKEE (CREEK):
January - Rv'fo Cusee Winter's Younger Brother
February - Hotvlee-hv'see Wind Month
March - Tasahcucee Little Spring Month
April - Tasahcee-rakko Big Spring Month
May - Kee-hvsee Mulberry Month
June - Kvco-hvsee Blackberry Month
July - Hiyucee Little Harvest
August - Hiyo-rakko Big Harvest
September - Otowoskucee Little Chestnut Month
October - Otowoskv-rakko Big Chestnut Month
November - Echolee Frost Month
December - Rvfo-rakko Big Winter


OMAHA:
JANUARY - MOON WHEN SNOW DRIFTS INTO TIPIS
FEBRUARY - MOON WHEN GEESE COME HOME
MARCH - LITTLE FROG MOON
JUNE - MOON WHEN THE BUFFALO BULLS HUNT THE COWS
JULY - MOON WHEN THE BUFFALO BELLOW
SEPTEMBER - MOON WHEN THE DEER PAW THE EARTH


OSAGE:
MAY - MOON WHEN THE LITTLE FLOWERS DIE
AUGUST - YELLOW FLOWER MOON


PASSAMAQUODDY:
JANUARY - Opolahsomuwehs whirling wind month
FEBRUARY - Piyatokonis when the spruce tips fall
MARCH - Siqon spring moon
APRIL - Ponatom spring moon
MAY - Siqonomeq Alewive moon
JUNE - Nipon summer moon
JULY - Accihte ripening moon
AUGUST - Apsqe feather shedding moon
SEPTEMBER - Toqakiw autumn moon
OCTOBER - Amilkahtin harvest moon
NOVEMBER - Kelotonuhket freezing moon
DECEMBER - Punam frost fish moon


PIMA:
JANUARY - Gi'ihothag mashath the weight loss month (when animals lose their fat)
FEBRUARY - Kohmagi mashath the gray month (when trees are bare and vegetation is scarce)
MARCH - Chehthagi mashath the green month
APRIL - Oam Mashath the yellow month
S-gevk mashath the strong month (when the trees begin to bloom)
MAY - Ko'ok mashath
JUNE - -
JULY - -
AUGUST - -
SEPTEMBER - -
OCTOBER - -
NOVEMBER - -
DECEMBER - -


PONCA:
JANUARY - SNOW THAWS MOON
MARCH - WATER STANDS IN THE PONDS MONTH
JUNE - HOT WEATHER BEGINS MOON
JULY - MIDDLE OF SUMMER MOON
AUGUST - CORN IS IN THE SILK MOON
OCTOBER - MOON WHEN THEY STORE FOOD IN CACHES


POTAWATOMI:
JANUARY - mkokisis month of the bear
FEBRUARY - Mnokesis month of rabbit conception
MARCH - cicakkises month of the crane
APRIL - -
MAY - Te'minkeses month of the strawberry
JUNE - Msheke'kesis month of the turtle
JULY - We'shkitdaminkese month of the young corn
AUGUST - e'mnomukkises month of the middle
SEPTEMBER - -
OCTOBER - e'sksegtukkisis month of the first frost
NOVEMBER - Pne'kesis month of the turkey & feast
DECEMBER - -


SIOUX:
JANUARY - MOON OF STRONG COLD/FROST IN THE TEEPEE/WOLVES RUN TOGETHER
FEBRUARY - RACCOON MOON/DARK RED CALVES
MARCH - MOON WHEN BUFFALO COWS DROP THEIR CALVES/OF THE SNOWBLIND/SORE EYE MOON
APRIL - MOON OF GREENING GRASS/RED GRASS APPEARING
MAY - MOON WHEN THE PONIES SHED
JUNE - MOON OF MAKING FAT/MOON WHEN GREEN GRASS IS UP/STRAWBERRY MOON
JULY - MOON WHEN THE WILD CHERRIES ARE RIPE/RED CHERRIES/RED BLOOMING LILIES
AUGUST - MOON WHEN THE GEESE SHED THEIR FEATHERS/CHERRIES TURN BLACK
SEPTEMBER - MOON OF DRYING GRASS/WHEN CALVES GROW HAIR OR BLACK CALF/WHEN THE PLUMS ARE SCARLET
OCTOBER - MOON OF FALLING LEAVES/CHANGING SEASON
NOVEMBER - MOON OF THE FALLING LEAVES
DECEMBER - MOON OF POPPING TREES/WHEN DEER SHED THEIR HORNS/BUFFALO COW'S FETUS IS GETTING LARGE


TEWA PUEBLO:
FEBRUARY - MOON OF THE CEDAR DUST WIND
MARCH - MOON WHEN THE LEAVES BREAK FORTH
JUNE - MOON WHEN THE LEAVES ARE DARK GREEN
SEPTEMBER - MOON WHEN THE CORN IS TAKEN IN
NOVEMBER - MOON WHEN ALL IS GATHERED IN


WINNEBAGO:
FEBRUARY - FISH-RUNNING MOON
APRIL - PLANTING CORN MOON
MAY - HOEING-CORN MOON
JULY - CORN-POPPING MOON
NOVEMBER - LITTLE BEAR'S MOON
DECEMBER - BIG BEAR'S MOON


WISHRAM:
JANUARY - HER COLD MOON
FEBRUARY - SHOULDER TO SHOULDER AROUND THE FIRE MOON
MARCH - LONG DAYS MOON
APRIL - THE 8TH MOON
MAY - THE 9TH MOON
JUNE - FISH SPOILS EASILY MOON
JULY - SALMON GO UP THE RIVERS IN A GROUP MOON
AUGUST - BLACKBERRY PATCHES MOON
SEPTEMBER - HER ACORNS MOON
OCTOBER - TRAVEL IN CANOES MOON
NOVEMBER - SNOWY MOUNTAINS IN THE MORNING MOON
DECEMBER - HER WINTER HOUSES MOON


YUCHI:
JANUARY: FROZEN GROUND SALATCPI
FEBRUARY: WIND HODADZO
MARCH: LITTLE SUMMER WADASINE
APRIL: BIG SUMMER WADAA
MAY: MULBERRY RIPENING DECONENDZO
JUNE: BLACKBERRY RIPENING CPACONENDZO
JULY: MIDDLE OF SUMMER WAGAKYA
AUGUST: DOG DAYS TSENEAGA
SEPTEMBER: HAY CUTTING TSOGALINETSEE
OCTOBER: CORN RIPENING TSOTOHOSTANE
DECEMBER: MIDDLE OF WINTER HOCTADAKYA


ZUNI:
JANUARY - Dayamcho yachunne - MOON WHEN LIMBS OF TREES ARE BROKEN BY SNOW
February - Onon u'la'ukwamme - no snow in trails moon
March - Li'dekwakkya ts'ana - little sand storm moon
April - Li'dekwakkya lana - great sand storm moon
May - Yachun kwa'shi'amme - no name
June - Ik'ohbu yachunne - turning moon
July - Dayamcho yachunne - moon when limbs of are trees broken by fruit
August - Onan u'la'ukwamme
September - Li'dekwakkwya ts'ana
- Miyashshe:nak'ya - when everything ripens & corn is harvested
OCTOBER - Li'dekwakkwya lana - BIG WIND MOON
November - Yachun kwa'shi'amme
December - Ik'ohbu yachunne - turning moon or the sun has traveled south to
his home to rest before he starts back on his journey north


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


DIEGUENO:
STARTS NOVEMBER,6 NAMES, REPEAT W/SLIGHT VARIATION
ILYA-KWETL COLD
HEHA-NIMSUP SNOW
HATAI COLD
HEHA-PSU RAIN
HATYA-MATINYA RAIN
IHY-ANIDJA GROWTH
KWURH
NAMASAP
TAI
PSWI
MATANAI
ANAHA


HUCHNOM:
STARTS IN WINTER, TWO NAMES PER MOON
MIPA'OHOT OLD MAN FINGER,THUMB-MARCH
MIPA-KOYE LONG FINGER
MIPA'-OLSEL
YOHT-UMOL MAY
OLPALMOL TREE LEAVES
IM-POMOL
YOHT-WANMOL
IM-TOMOL
IM-PUSMOL
YOHT-POMOL DRY
YOHT-USMOL
OLOM-TOMOL MOUNTAINS BURNED OVER
ON-TUTWIN
ON-WOI-MOL EARTH SMOKY (AUGUST-SEPTEMBER)
LEHPWANMOL OR LEHPWENE BEGINNING OF AUTUMN
HUWOL-HUNTUSMOL ACORNS READY TO DROP
HUWOL-CHUKMOL ACORNS FALL
MUNL-NANTMOL ICE ON STREAMS
YEM-TAMOL FIRE _____?
HUNW-TANKMOL FISH FROZEN


KLAMATH:
STARTS IN AUGUST,COUNTED ON FINGERS
T-HOPO THUMB, BERRIES DRIED
SPELUISH INDEX-FINGER, DANCING
TAT-HELAM MIDDLE-FINGER, LEAVES FULL
KAPCHELAM RING-FINGER, SNOW
KAPCHA LITTLE FINGER, HEAVY SNOW
T-HOPO THUMB, LAKES FROZEN
SPELUISH INDEX-FINGER, RAIN & DANCING
TAT-HELAM MIDDLE-FINGER, SUCKER FISHING
KAPCHELAM RING-FINGER, "IPOS" GATHERING
KAPCHA LITTLE-FINGER, SUCKERS DRIED
T-HOPO THUMB, "WOKAS" HARVEST
SPELUISH INDEX-FINGER, RETURN FROM HARVEST


JUANENO:
STARTS AT WINTER SOLSTICE (ONLY 10 NAMES)
A'APKOMIL (WINTER SOLSTICE)
PERET
YARMAR
ALASOWIL
TOKOBOAICH
SINTEKAR (SUMMER SOLSTICE)
KUKWAT
LALAVAICH
AWITSKOMEL
A'AWIT


FOOTHILL MAIDU:
STARTS IN MARCH
KONO ?
WIN-UTI BLACK OAKS TASSEL
TEM-DIYOKO FAWNS
NEM-DIYOKO BIG MOUTH
KAUI-TSON GROUND BURN
ESLAKUM MIDDLE
MAT-MENI ACORN BREAD
BAPABOKA ?
BO-LYE TRAIL ______?
SAP ?
INTO ?
OMI-HINTSULI SQUINT ROCK


MOUNTAIN MAIDU:
STARTS IN MARCH
BOM-TETNO TRAIL SIT ALONG
KONO ?
KULOKBEPINE OLD WOMAN ____?
NO NAME JUNE
NO NAME JULY
NO NAME AUGUST
SE-MENI SEED
TEM-TSAMPAUTO SMALL TREE FREEZE
TETEM-TSAMPAUTA LARGE TREE FREEZE
KANAIPINO UNDER BURN
BOM-HINTSULI TRAIL SQUINT
BO-EKMEN TRAIL BREAKS OPEN


VALLEY MAIDU:
STARTS IN MARCH
SHAWI OR SHA-KONO FLOWERS
LAILA GRASS
KON-MOKO SEEDS,FISH,GEESE
NENG-KAUKAT BIG SUMMER
TUMI SMOKEY
TEM-SIMI ACORNS RIPEN
KUM-MENIM SHE-MENI ACORNS GATHERED
SHAHWODO ACORNS CACHED
YAPAKTO WINTER DIVIDED
OMHINCHOLI ICE LASTS ALL DAY
YEPONI OR BOM-PENE: CEREMONIAL INITIATE OR 2 TRAILS
KAKA-KANO PATTERING SHOWERS



MAYA: (they had a different calendar system)
Pop Mat
Uo Frog
Zip Stag
Zotz Bat
Tzec Skull
Xul End
Yaxkin Tender sun (green)
Mol Reunion
Chen Well
Yax Green
Zac White
Ceh Deer
Mac Cover
Kankin Mature sun (yellow)
Muan Owl
Pax Music
Kayab Turtle
Cumhu Dark God
Uayeb Specters



NATCHEZ:
STARTS IN MARCH
DEER MOON
STRAWBERRY MOON
LITTLE CORN MOON
WATERMELON MOON
PEACHES MOON
MULBERRIES MOON
MAIZE MOON
TURKEY MOON
BISON MOON
BEAR MOON
COLD MEAL MOON
CHESTNUTS MOON
NUTS MOON


AZTEC: (they had a different calendar system)
Izcalli Resurrection
Atlcahualco Departure of the waters
Tlacaxipehualiztli Slaughtering of dogs
Tozoztontli Little Vigil
Hueytozoztli Grand Vigil
Toxcatl Dry Thing
Etzalcualiztli Meal of Corn and Bean
Tecuilhuitontli Little Feast of Lords
Hueytecuilhuitl Grand Feast of Lords
Miccailhuitontli Little Feast of The Dead
Hueymiccailhuitl Grand Feast of The Dead
Ochpaniztli Sweeping
Pachtontli Small Hay
Hueypachtli Large Hay
Quecholli Flamingo
Panquetzaliztli Raising of the Banners
Atemoztli Lowering of water
Titl Shrinking
Nemontemi Empty Days


POMO:
STARTS APPROXIMATELY IN JANUARY
BASHELAMATAU-LA BUCKEYES RIPE
SACHAU-DA COLD WINDS
KADAMCHIDO-DA GROWTH BEGINS
CHIDODAPUK FLOWERS
UMCHACHICH-DA SEEDS RIPEN
BUTICH-DA BULBS MATURE (THE "BRODIACA")
BAKAICHICH-DA MANZANITA RIPENS
LUCHICH-DA ACORNS APPEAR
SHACHLUYIAU-DA SOAPROOT DUG FOR FISH POISON
KALEMKAYO TREES FELLED BY FIRE AT BUTT
KASI-SA COLD BEGINS
STALPKEL-DA LEAVES YELLOW AND FALL


YUROK:
START IN LATE DECEMBER
KOHTSEWETS
NA'AIWETS
NAHKSEWETS
TSONA'AIWETS
MEROYO
KOHTSAWETS
TSERWERSERK
KNEWOLETEU
KERERMERK OR PIA'AGO RED BERRIES GATHERED
WETLOWA OR LE'LO'O
NOHSO TIME OF ACORN GATHERING
HOHKEMO
KA'AMO COLD TIME



SEASON NAMES
CREE
EARLY SPRING: SIGUN
LATE SPRING: MILUSKAMIN
EARLY SUMMER: NIPIN
LATE SUMMER: MEGWANIPIU
EARLY FALL: TUKWAGUN
LATE FALL: MIGISKAU
EARLY WINTER: PICHIPIPUN
LATE WINTER: MEGWAPIPUN


POWHATAN (THEY HAD A FIFTH SEASON FOR THE "EARING OF THE CORN": NEPINOUGH)
WINTER: POPANOW
SPRING: CATTAPEUK
SUMMER: COHATTAYOUGH
FALL: TAQUITOCK


YUCHI
WINTER: WICTA
SPRING: HINA WADELE
SUMMER: WADE
FALL: YACADILE



DAY NAMES
CHEROKEE:
SUNDAY - UNADODAGWASGVI
MONDAY - UNADODAGWOHNVI
TUESDAY - TALINE IGA
WEDNESDAY- JOINE IGA
THURSDAY- NVHGINE IGA
FRIDAY - JUNHGILOSDI
SATURDAY- UNADODAGWIDENA


CHICKASAW:
SUNDAY - NITAK HULLO
MONDAY - MUNTI
TUESDAY - CHOSTI
WEDNESDAY - WINSTI
THURSDAY - SOISTI
FRIDAY - NAM ULHCHIFA NITAK
SATURDAY - NITAK HULLO NUKFISH


Chippewa: (Ojibwe)
SUNDAY - ANA'MI'E-GIJI'GAD
MONDAY - NITAM-GIJIGAD
TUESDAY - NIJO-GIJIGAD
WEDNESDAY - ABITOOSE-GIJIGAD
THURSDAY - NIWING-GIJIGAD
FRIDAY - NANING-GIJIGAD
SATURDAY - NINGOOT'WASSO-GIJIGAD


[ Edit | View ]

THE CHEROKEE OUTLET -- Anonymous, 07:30:21 11/15/01 Thu

THE OUTLET
Within the treaties of 1828 and 1835, the Federal Government granted seven million acres of land to the Cherokee Nation. In addition to this gift of land, the United States guaranteed to the Cherokee Nation a perpetual outlet west. This outlet was to measure 58 miles wide and extend 220 miles along the northern border of the future state.This land was intended for use as a tribal hunting ground.

During the Civil War some members of the Cherokee Nation fought for the Union and others for the Confederacy. The federal government used their divided support for the Confederacy to void the treaty with the Cherokee Nation.The terms of the new treaty forced the Cherokee to give up part of the land in the eastern end of the Outlet the federal government used this area to relocate "friendly tribes," separating the Cherokee from their western Outlet. With the start of the cattle drives following the Civil War the Cherokee used their western land to make a profit. The cattlemen wanted to fatten their cattle on the rich grasses before taking them to railheads in Kansas so they leased the land from the Cherokee.

Land hungry settlers viewed the cattlemen's use of the area as a waste of fertile farmland and pressured the government to purchase the Cherokee land from the Cherokee. Congress eventually paid the $8,505,736 or about $1.40 per acre, and announced the opening of the Outlet to homesteaders.

President Grover Cleveland designated Septeinber 16, 1893, as the date of the "run." On that day, an estimated 100,000 people rushed in from the borders to stake a claim. They came by horse, train, wagon, and even on foot, all trying to claim the best farmland or town lot. Many of the hopeful settlers remained landless, shunning the rough terrain in the western part of the Outlet. By the end of the day, farms were being established, and the cities of Enid, Perry, Alva, and Woodward had risen out of what had been virgin prairie the day before.


THE HOMESTEADER
The first task of the homesteader was the construction of a suitable home. The typical post-run farm dwelling was usually a "soddie," constructed from bricks of prairie sod, or a dugout built into the side of a hill. The inhabitants of these structures were plagued by leaking roofs and often had unwelcome visitors in the form of snakes, lizards and insects.

The farmer next turned his attention to the planting of crops. The Run had taken place too late in the season for a cash crop to be planted, so the new arrivals grew vegetables to see them through the winter. The following seasons brought hard times in the form of drought and depression. It was not until 1897 that good crops brought farmers a degree of prosperity.

Not all of the people came for farm land, many came to establish businesses or ply trades in the towns that sprang into existence following the Run. These new towns saw an influx of a variety Of people. Along with the merchants, tradesmen, and professionals came saloon-keepers, gamblers, and prostitutes.


TODAY
In a little over 100 years this vast prairie domain was changed from an Indian hunting ground to an area of prosperous farms and growing cities.


[ Edit | View ]

ENGLISH---CHEROKEE WORDS -- Anonymous, 07:27:19 11/15/01 Thu

English Cherokee
Adam A-da-wi
Agnes E-gi-ni
Albert E-li-qua-ti
Arch A-tsi
Bill Wi-li
Brown Wa-di-ge-i
Buck Ga-la-gi-na
Bushyhead U-no-da-ti
Charlie Tsa-li
Chiltoskey Tsi-la-do-o-s-gi
Clayton Ga-do-qua-li-ta
Crow Go-gv
Dean Di-ni
Dena Di-na
Driver Di-ye-li-gi
Eva E-wi
Feather U-gi-da-tli
George Tsa-tsi
Goingback U-tsv-dv
Jumper Di-la-ta-de-gi
June De-ha-lu-yi
Leroy Li-quo
Long Ga-nv-hi-dv
Mark Ma-ga
Martha Ma-di
Martin Tsu-tsu
Mary Me-li
Partridge Gu-que
Ray Que-li
Richard U-we-na-i
Running Water E-gv A-ma
Sally Sa-li
Screamer A-ni-yv-la
Sequoyah Si-quo-ya
Shonta Sa-ni-ta
Swimmer A-yv-i-ni
Washington Wo-si-da-ni
West Wu-de-li-gv-i
William Wi-li
Wright Wa-qua-ti



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[ Edit | View ]

CHEROKEE FESTIVALS -- Anonymous, 07:25:21 11/15/01 Thu

There were 6 festivals held each year during a new moon (when the new crescent is first visible). There was a 7th dance held every 7th year to honor the new Uku at his installment ceremony. These are only brief descriptions of these ancient festivals. There were also a number of other dances performed for special purposes throughout the year.
New Moon of Spring | Green Corn Ceremony | Ripe Corn Ceremony | Great New Moon Ceremony | "Friends Made" Ceremony | Bounding Bush Ceremony | Uku Dance






The First New Moon of Spring Ceremony took place when the grass began to grow and the trees send out their pale new leaves, around the first new moon of March. This festival initiated the planting season and incorporated predictions concerning crop success or failure. It lasted seven days and included dancing and the re-lighting of the sacred fire by the fire maker. The ceremony included sacrificing a deer tongue in the fire. All the home fires were extinguished and rekindled from the sacred fire's coals.





In August came the Green Corn Ceremony (Selutsunigististi). It was performed when the new corn was ripe enough to eat. This ceremony was to give thanks for a good corn crop. It included feasts, sacred fires, dances, ball games, and meetings to settle differences.
New corn was not to be eaten until after the ceremony took place. Messengers were sent to notify the towns of the nation about when the celebration would take place. Along the way they gathered seven ears of corn, each from a field of a different clan. After the messengers returned, the chief and his seven councilors fasted for six days. The ceremony began on the seventh. Again, the sacred fire was extinguished and rekindled. As with the First New Moon Ceremony, a deer tongue was sacrificed in the sacred fire. Kernels from the seven ears of corn that had been gathered from the clans were also sacrificed. A powder made from tobacco was sprinkled over the fire. Afterward, the Chief offered a prayer, dedicating the corn to the Creator. Food that was made from the new corn was brought to the townhouse and everyone was fed. The Chief and his councilors could only eat corn from the previous year's crop for another seven days.





The Ripe Corn Ceremony (Donagohuni) was held in late September. It was the only ancient ceremony that survived into the 20th century. It celebrated the maturing of the corn crop and was held outdoors in the square ground. In the center of the ground a leafy tree was set. The celebration lasted four days and was also marked by feasting. During the ceremony a special dance was performed by the Chief's right-hand man, as he danced he carried a green bough. A man's dance was also performed in which each man carried a green bough. While it was taking place women were excluded from the square.





The third ceremony in the cycle was the Great New Moon Ceremony (Nuwatiegwa). It took place in October when the new moon appeared. Since autumn was the season when Cherokee stories say the world was created, it represented the new year celebration. Each family brought some produce from their field to share, such as corn, beans and pumpkins. Ceremonies included dancing, purification by immersing seven times in water, called "going to water". The purification ceremony included predictions of health for the coming year by the "priest" using the Ulvsuti crystal.





Seven days after the New Moon Ceremony was held, the Reconciliation or "Friends Made" Ceremony (Atohuna). The ceremony dealt with relationships between two people of the same or opposite sex. These relationships were bonds of "eternal friendship in which each person vowed to regard the other as himself as long as they both lived." It was a ceremony that was a pledge of universal, fraternal or paternal love. It also entailed reconciliation between those who had quarreled during the previous year. It symbolized the uniting of the people with the Creator and purification of body and mind. The New Moon Ceremony was said to have been the most profoundly religious of all the ceremonies. As with other observances, it also involved the rekindling of the sacred fire.





The sixth ceremony in the cycle was the Bounding Bush Ceremony (Elawatalegi). The time for this festival varied, as the time for it was determined at Great New Moon Festival. This festival marks the end of the festivals for the year. Few details are now known about this ceremony. Apparently, it was non-religious in nature and was celebrated by feasting and dancing. In the dance, men and women alternated in pairs. Two male leaders carried hoops with four spokes, each with a white feather at the end. The remainder of the dance is described as follows: other pairs in the center and at the end of the dancing column also carried hoops. All of the remaining couples carried white pine boughs in their right hands. The dance movement was circular, and in the center was a man with a small box. He danced around within the circle, singing as he did so, and as he passed by the dancers, each dropped a piece of tobacco in the box. The dance ended at midnight and was repeated on three successive nights. On the fourth night there was a feast before the dancing. Dancing resumed at midnight. This time people dropped pine needles into the box. At the end of the dance, near daylight, the dancers formed a circle around the sacred fire: One by one, they advanced three times toward the fire, the third time tossing both tobacco and pine needles into the flames.





Every seventh year the Uku Dance (Peace Chief's Dance) replaced the Great New Moon ceremony. In this dance the Chief, or Uku, led the nation in a ceremony of thanks giving and rejoicing. At the conclusion of the four day observance, the Chief was reinvested with his religious and civil powers by his right-hand man. Uku was one of several titles conferred upon him. During 'Friends Made' ceremony, for example, his title meant 'one who renews heart and body. Before the chief performed his dance, he ritually bathed under the guidance of a trained Dida:hnvwi:sgi. He wore special regalia for the occassion and performed a dance around a specially prepared circle in the enter of the square ground. As he danced, he moved slowly around the circle, inclining his head to each spectator. Each spectator stands with heads bent to show reverence. (Indians never kneel)


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Cultural Tidbits -- Anonymous, 07:23:11 11/15/01 Thu

Cultural Tidbits
Herbs common to the Cherokee country, and their uses

In the last two installments, our Cultural Tidbits briefly explained the proper ways to gather medicinal herbs. Starting this week, we share a few of the herbs common to the Cherokee country, and their uses. Remember, these plants are very valuable as medicines because of the great chemical powers they contain. At the same time, these chemicals can be potentially dangerous if used in the wrong way. Cherokee herbalists have great experience, and have gone through extensive training and observation. Novice herbal practitioners are advised to seek out and develop a close relationship with Cherokee herbalists or their elders to learn how to use these medicines properly.

Blackberry

One of the herbs known the longest time for soothing stomach problems is the backberry. Using a strong tea from the roots is helpful is reducing and soothing swollen tissues and joints. An infusion from the leaves is also used as a tonic for stimulating the entire system. A decoction from the roots, sweetened with sugar or honey, makes a syrup used for an expectorant. It is also healing for sore throats and gums. The leaves can also be chewed fresh to soothe bleeding gums. The Cherokee historically use the tea for curing diarrhea.

Gum (Black Gum)

Cherokee healers use a mild tea made from small pieces of the bark and twigs to relieve chest pains.

Hummingbird Blossoms (Buck Brush)

This herb is used by Cherokee healers by making a weak decoction of the roots for a diuretic that stimulates kidney function.

Cat Tail (Cattail)

This plant is not a healing agent, but is used for preventative medicine. It is an easily digestable food helpful for recovering from illness, as it is bland. Most all parts of the plant, except for the mature leaves and the seed head, are edible. Due to wide-spread growing areas, it is a reliable food source all across America. The root has a very high starch content, and can be gathered at any time. Preparation is very similar to potatoes, and can be mashed, boiled, or even mixed with other foods. The male plant provides a pollen that is a wonderful source for protein. You can add it as a supplement to other kinds of flour when making breads.

Pull Out a Sticker (Greenbriar)

A decoction of the small roots of this plant is useful as a blood purifier. It is also a mild diuretic. Some healers make a salve from the leaves and bark, mixed with hog lard, and apply to minor sores, scalds and burns. Some Cherokee healers also use the root tea for arthritis.

Mint

Mint teas are a stimulant for the stomach, as it aids in digestion. The crushed and bruised leaves can be used as a cold compress, made into a salve, or added to the bath water which relieves itching skin. Cherokee healers also use an infusion of the leaves and stems to lower high blood pressure.

Tobacco-like Plant (Mullein)

This is one of the oldest herbs, and some healers recommend inhaling the smoke from smoldering mullein roots and leaves to soothe asthma attacks and chest congestion. The roots can be made into a warm decoction for soaking swollen feet or reducing swelling in joints. It also reduces swelling from inflammation and soothes painful, irritated tissue. It is particularly useful to the mucous membranes. A tea can be made from the flowers for a mild sedative.


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CHEROKEE MOONS -- Anonymous, 07:21:47 11/15/01 Thu

Our months are marked by the new moon (when the new crescent is first visible)
of every month which is celebrated with fasting and prayer.




| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |



January

Month of the Cold Moon - U no lv ta ni - QyF/%

This time of the season is a time for personal and ritual observance, fasting and personal purification. During this season, families prepare for the coming of the new seasons, starting in Windy Moon Anuyi or March. Personal items and tools for planting are repaired, and new ones made. Stories about ancestors and the family are imparted to the younger ones by the elders. A mid-Winter or "Cold Moon Dance" is usually held in the community as well, marking the passing or ending of one cycle of seasons and welcoming the beginning of the new cycle. Hearth fires are put out and new ones made. The putting out of fires and lighting of new ones anciently is the duty of certain "priest" of certain clans, and coincides with the first new-arrival of the morning star (Sun's daughter, now called Venus) in the east.



February

Month of the Bony Moon - Ka ga li - ns#

Traditional time of personal family feast for the ones who had departed this world. A family meal is prepared with place(s) set for the departed. This is also a time of fasting and ritual observance. A community dance officiated by a "doctor" Dida:hnvwi:sgi which means "curer of them." but commonly referred to as a Medicine person. Connected to this moon is the "Medicine Dance".



March

Month of the Windy Moon - A nv yi - aG|

"First New Moon" of the new seasons. Traditional start of the new cycle of planting seasons or Moons. New town council fires are made. The figure used to portray this moon is the figure of Kanati, one of the many beings created by the "Apportioner" Unethlana. These "helpers" were variously charged with the control of the life elements of the earth: air/earth/fire/water. Their domains are the sky, earth, stars and the Seven Levels of the universe.



April

Month of the Flower Moon- Ka wo ni - n]%

First plants of the season come out at this time. New births are customary within this time frame. The first new medicine and herb plants that taught mankind how to defend against sickness and conjury come out now. Streams and rivers controlled by the spirit being, "Long Men," renew their lives. Ritual observances are made to "Long Man" at this time. A dance customary at this season was the "Knee Deep Dance" or the Water Frog dance of the Spring .



May

Month of the Planting Moon - A ni s gv ti - a%CS(

Families traditionally prepare the fields and sow them with the stored seeds from last season. Corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, yams and sunflowers are some food planted at this time. A dance traditionally done at this time is the "Corn Dance".



June

Month of the Green Corn Moon - De ha lu yi - 8dR|

First signs of the "corn in tassel", and the emerging of the various plants of the fields. People traditionally begin preparations for the upcoming festivals of the ensuing growing season. People of the AniGadugi Society begin repairs needed on town houses, family homes and generally provide for the needy. The AniGadugi Society is a volunteer help group who see to the needs of the less fortunate, the elderly and the infirm of the villages.



July

Month of the Ripe Corn Moon - Gu ye quo ni - W\u%

First foods or the new planting and the roasting ears of corn are ready. Towns begin the cycle festivals. Dances and celebrations of thanks to the Earth Mother and the "Apportioner" Unethlana are given. In the old times this was the traditional time of the "Green Corn Dance" or festival. A common reference of this moon is the "first roasting of ears" ...sweet corn-moon. This is the customary time for commencement of the Stick Ball games traditionally called AniStusti - "Little War".
Stick Ball dances and festivals are commonly held at this time.



August

Month of the end of the Fruit Moon - Ga lo ni - sr%

Foods of the trees and bushes are gathered at this time. The various "Paint Clans" begin to gather many of the herbs and medicines for which they were historically known. Green Corn festivals are commonly held at this time in the present day. The "Wild Potato" Clans begin harvesting various foods growing along the streams, marshes, lakes and ponds.



September

Month of the Nut Moon - Du li s di - O#C*

The corn harvest referred to as "Ripe Corn Festival" was customarily held in the early part of this moon to acknowledge Selu the spirit of the corn. Selu is thought of as First Woman. The festival respects Mother Earth as well for providing all foods during the growing season. The "Brush Feast Festival" also customarily takes place in this season. All the fruits and nuts of the bushes and trees of the forest were gathered as this time. A wide variety of nuts from the trees went into the nut breads for the various festivals throughout the seasons. Hunting traditionally began in earnest at this time.



October

Month of the Harvest Moon - Du ni n(v) di - O%G*

Time of traditional "Harvest Festival" Nowatequa when the people give thanks to all the living things of the fields and earth that helped them live, and to the "Apportioner" Unethlana. Nvda equa or "Great Moon" Festival is customarily held at this time. Many 'Tsalagi New Year' celebrations happen within the nation during this time as well.



November

Month of the Trading Moon - Nv da de wi - Gl8+

Traditionally a time of trading and barter among different towns and tribes for manufactured goods, produce and goods from hunting. The people traded with other nearby tribes as well as distant tribes, including those of Canada, Middle America and South America. Also the customary time of the "Friendship Festival" - Adohuna "new friends made". This was a time when all transgressions were forgiven, except for murder which traditionally was taken care of according to the law of blood by a clans person of a murdered person. The festival recalls a time before "world selfishness and greed". This was a time also when the needy among the towns were given whatever they needed to help them through the impending lean winter season.



December

Month of the Snow Moon - V s gi yi - AC!|

The spirit being, "Snow Man", brings the cold and snow for the earth to cover the high places while the earth rests until the rebirth of the seasons in the Windy Moon Anuyi. Families traditionally were busy putting up and storing goods for the next cycle of seasons. Elders enjoyed teaching and retelling ancient stories of the people to the young.


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THE SEVEN CLANS -- Anonymous, 07:19:10 11/15/01 Thu


Clan affiliation was inherited through the mothers line only, membership was determined at birth, it was only natural that the child belonged to the clan of the mother. The clan provided many important functions including child care for orphans and the destitute, hospitality for visiting clan members from other towns and most important, avenging wrongs committed against the clan members before the ancient law of blood revenge was abolished in by the Cherokee National Government on September 11, 1808.

Clan structure was and still should be the basic cohesion
and social infrastructure of any Cherokee nation.

Clan membership was always inherited through the mother and children belonged to their mother's clan and sat with them at the ceremonials. The children's father sat with his mother's clan. A child's uncle on his mother's side was a very important figure, and had a great deal to do with the rearing and discipline of the child. The father would be more concerned
with his sister's children.

The child knew all members of the child's clan except mother
and grandparents as "brothers" and "sisters". When the child
grew up, he was forbidden to marry anyone in this group.

The next most important clan to the child was his father's
clan. Everyone one in it was known to the child as a "father", a "father's sister" or a "grandmother". Women who married "father's" were called "step parents" if they were of a different clan than the child's, and "mothers" if they were of the child's clan. All children of "father's" were known as "brother's
and sister's"

There was love and respect between children and their father, but it was the mother's brother, as a member of their own clan who had the most to say about their upbringing. Clans are/were considered close family (brothers, sisters, cousins, etc).

Clan membership was essential to one's existence within a
Cherokee society because of the protection of the kinship system. A Cherokee clan determines a person's political alignment and his role in society.
Kinship, through the laws of the clan, governed social relationships, dictated possible marriage partners, designated friends, designated enemies and regulated behavior through the system such as which kinsmen had to be respected and with which kinsmen one could be intimate. The clan provided many important functions including child care for orphans
and the destitute, hospitality for visiting clan members from other towns.

It was also the clan who protected, supported, and looked
out for its members. Clan loyalty was and still should be the strongest bond among the Cherokee.

When a clan member was visiting other nearby or distant towns, he was still considered family. His first concern was to find the members of his/her own clan for hospitality and protection and if a member of a clan needed help in any manner, his/her clan would take care of him.


The dramatic decline in clan affiliation occurred during the middle of the 20th century (1940-1969) Today on the Qualla Boundary of Western NorthCarolina there are still a few Cherokees who can identify their clanbecause it has been handed down through the generations. If the clanaffiliation is not known, it is very rare that it will be identified. The task is made very difficult because there were no record of clan membership kept on file.



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The Wolf Clan is the largest clan and the most prominent clan, providing most of the war chiefs. The wolf clan are Keepers of the wolf and the only clan who could kill a wolf. The Clan color of the AniWahya is Red.


The Blue Clan made blue medicine from a special blue holly plant to keep our children well. The were also known as the Wildcat Clan and Panther Clan.
The Clan color for the Ani Sahoni is Blue.


The Long Hair Clan are also known as Twister Clan, Hair Hanging Down Clan or Wind Clan. Those belonging to this Clan wore their hair in elaborate hairdos, walked in a proud and vain manner twisting their shoulders. Peace chiefs are usually from this clan and wore a white feather robe. The Clan color for the AniGilohi is Yellow.


The Bird Clan are the Keepers of the birds and and they are our messengers. This clan was skilled in using blowguns and snares for bird hunting.
The Clan color for the AniTsisqua is Purple.


The Paint Clan made red paint and Dida:hnvwi:sgi (sorcerers or medicine men) were known to come from this clan at one time in our history.
The Clan color for the AniWodi is White.


The Deer Clan are the Keepers and hunters of the Deer, and are known as fast runners. The Clan color for the AniKawi is Brown.


Were known to gather the wild potato plants in swamps along streams to make flour or bread for food. Hence the name gatogewi = "swamp". The Wild Potato Clan have also been known as the Bear Clan, Raccoon Clan and even "Blind Savannah".
The Clan color for the AniGatogewi is Green.



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Cherokee Vocabulary Words -- Anonymous, 07:15:36 11/15/01 Thu

Cherokee Vocabulary Words


Sounds Represented by Vowels a as a in father, or short as a in rival o as o in note, or short as aw in law
e as a in hate, or short as e in met u as oo in fool, or short as u in pull
i as i in pique, or short as i in pit v as un in under, nasalized



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Consonant Sounds

Syllables beginning with g except ga sometimes have the power of k. For example: g as in gate, but approaching k as in kate. d as in day, but approaching t as in today. Do, du, and dv are sometimes pronounced as to, tu, and tv. Syllables written with tl, except tla are sometimes pronounced as dl.



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Here are a few grammar notes that will prove helpful. One of the principal differences between the Kituwah Dialect spoken by the Eastern Band and the Western Dialect spoken in Oklahoma is found in the syllable "TSI". The Kituwah Dialect is more toward a "Z" sound while the Western Dialect is more of a "CH" or "J" sound. The other dialectal difference is in the syllable "SI". The Eastern Cherokee pronounce it "SHI". The syllabry is identical in both cases.

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A silent character will be indicated by a parentheses ( ) around the silent vowel. You will notice that the consonant then becomes attached to the preceeding syllable and the accent is often placed on the following syllable, but not always. For example:
May A-n(i)-sgv-ti (ahn-SGUHN-tee)
Seven ga-l(i)-quo-gi (gahl-QUOH-gee)
A colon ( : ) after a vowel means that the vowel sound is held longer than usual. For example:
O:-s-da fine, good (OH-sdah)
Go:ga crow (KOH-gah)
A question mark ( ? ) denotes a glottal stop. In other words, you momentarily stop when pronouncing this word, then continue. For example:
wa?-do Thank you (wah-DOH)
v?-tla No (uhn-tlah)

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There are several ways to ask questions in Cherokee. One is by raising the voice at the end of the sentence, much the same way you do English and using the Cherokee words: Ka:-go (who?), ha-dlv (where), ga?-do u-sdi (what? or which?), hi-layv-i (when?), etc. Another way is to use question suffixes attached to verbs or nouns in Cherokee. For instance, "tsu", "sgo", "s" [short form], or "sgo-hv; and "ke (ge)". "-ge" is used only right after the first word.
Is it cold outside? U-hyv:dla-ke DO-yi? or U-hyv:dla-ge DO-yi?

Another questioner, "na" is used when a statement which has just been made about a certain party is also true of the second party. For example: And what about you? ni-hi-na-hv (nee-HEE-nah-huhn). "-Na", in this instance, functions like the English phrase "how about" or "what if".

The demonstrative pronoun "hi-a" (this) is used to refer to an object or person near the speaker. English sentences do not ordinarily contain linking verbs. although there is one which is used for emphasis and in forming certain complex verb constructions. For instance, "This is a shirt." (hi-a a-na-wo-hi)*, when translated reads, "This shirt." Likewise, the question, "What is this?" (ga-do u-s-di hi-a) translates to "What this?"

* When two a's come together, they are sometimes pronounced as "v".
For instance, hi-a a-na-wo-hi conversationally becomes, hi-v-na-wo-hi.



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To assist you in learning, I will indicate the written emphasized syllable (if there is one) by capitalizing that syllable. For instance, a-hi-da (easy) would be written in the pronunciation column as (a-HEE-dah) or ga-tli-dah (arrow) would be written as (GAH-tleh-DAH) indicating how the word should be pronounced, not written.

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Months of the Year -- ka?-lv?-i (kah luhn ee) January Month of the Cold Moon u no lv ta ni OO-NOH-luhn-TA-nee
February Month of the Bony Moon ka ga li KAH-ga?-lee
March Month of the Windy Moon a nv yi AH-nuhn-YEE
April Month of the Flower Moon ka wo ni KA-wo-HNEE
May Month of the Planting Moon a n(i) s gv ti ahn-SGUHN-tee
June Month of the Green Corn Moon di ha lu yi DEE-ha-LOO-yee
July Month of the Ripe Corn Moon gu ye quo ni GOO-yay-QWOH:-hnee
August Month of the end of the Fruit Moon ga lo ni gah-loh-neh
September Month of the Nut Moon du li s di DOO-lee:-SDEE
October Month of the Harvest Moon du ni n(v) di DOO-neen?-DEE
November Month of the Trading Moon nv da de wi NUHN-da-DAY:-hwee
December Month of the Snow Moon v s gi yi uhn sgeh hyee



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Days of the Week (Sv-na-do-da-qwa-s-di da-do-da-s-gv-i) Monday U-na-do-da-quo-nv-i OO-nah-DOH-dah-QWOH-nuhn?-ee
Tuesday 2nd Day Ta-li-ne-i-ga Ta-lee:-NAY-ee-GAH
Wednesday 3rd Day Tso-i-ne-i-ga CHOH?-ee-NAY-ee-GAH
Thursday 4th Day Nv gi ne i ga NUHN?-gee-NAY-ee-GAH
Friday Tsu-n(a)-gi-lo-sdi CHOON-gee-NAY-ee-GAH
Saturday U-na-do-da-qui-de:-na OO-nah-DOH-dah-QWEE?-day-nah
Sunday U-na-do-da-qua-s-gv-i OO-nah-DOH-dah-qwah-SGUHN?-ee



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Conversational Phrases Hello O-si-yo
How are you? to-hi-tsu
I am fine O-si-quu, or just o-si
And you? ni HI na hv
What is your name? ga-TO de-tsa-TO-a
My name is ______ ______ da-wa?-to:-a
Let's meet again (to one person) DO-nv-DA-go-hv?-i
Let's meet again (to more than one person) do-da-DA-go-hv?-i
What is your address? HA-dlv go-hwe-li di-tsa-ne:-sdi
My address is ______ go-hwe:-li di-gi-ne:-sdi
Are you Cherokee? hi-tsa-la-gi-s
Do you speak Cherokee tsa-la-gi-s hi-wo-ni (ha)
I speak some (a little) Cherokee tsa-la-gi ga-yo:-tli tsi-wo:-ni (ha)
I understand some (a little) Cherokee tsa-la-gi ga-yo:-tli go-li-ga
Be careful! tsa-g(a)-se-sde-sdi
No thank you v-tla, or more emphatic tla-hv



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Seeking Help Phrases
Remember the subject is often first, followed by the modifiers and verbs last. I understand A-ya go:-li-ga
I don't understand V-tla yi-go-li-ga
(no understand)
Do you understand? Ho-l(i)-ga-tsu
Speak slowly please U-s-ga-no-li hi-ne-gi
(slowly you speak)
Please say again Si-quu tsi-hi-ne-gi
(again you speak)



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Asking Directions
Again, remember the subject is often first, followed by the modifiers and verbs last. Will you help me? Ye-li-quu-s-go yi-s-de-la
I am lost A-qua-le-na-hi-da
How far is it? I-nv-hi-s-go
Is it near? E-s-ga-ni-quu-s-go
Is it far? I-nv-hi-s-go
Is it to the right? A-g(a)-ti-si-s-go i-da-la
Is it to the left? A-g(a)?-s-ga-ni-ge i-di la
Is it straight ahead? Tsi-yu-g(o)-ti-quu-ge
Please show me S-que-yo-hv-ga
How many miles is it to (subject) ? (subject) hi-la yu-tli-lo-da
Clothing store? Di-na-wo a-da-na?-nv-i ...
Drugstore? Nv-wo-ti a-da-na?-nv-i ...
Garage? Da-qua-le-la a?-ti-yi ...
Grocery? A-l(i)-s-da-y(v)-ti ...
Laundry? Tsu-n(a)-gi-lo-s-di-yi ...
Barber Shop? Di-da-s-to-ti-yi
Bakery? Tsu-ni-n(v)-ti-yi
Restaurant? Tsu-na-l(i)-s-da-y(v)-ti-yi
House? A-da-ne-lv-i
Road? Nv:-no-hi
Police Station? A-ni-qua-li-si u-ni-yv-s-ti-yi
Telephone? Di-tla-no-he?-di-yi
Market? Ga-n(v)-to?-ti-yi
Hospital? Tsu-ni-tlv-gi u-ni-yv-s-ti-yi
Church? Di-ga-la-wi?-s-ti-yi
Bus? U-ta-na da-qua-le-la
Automobile? A-ya-nu-la da-qua-le-la
Horse? So-qui-li
River? E-quo-ni
Mountain? O-da-lv?-i
Valley? U-ge-da-li-yv?-i



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Asking for Food ... I want ... ... a-qua-du-li-ha
You want ... (one item) ... tsa-du-li-ha
You want ... (more than one) ... de-tsa-du-li-ha
I would like ... (one item) ... ya-qua-du-la-quu
I would like ... (more than one) ... yi-da-qua-du-la-quu
... something to eat Go-hu-s-di a-gi-gi-sdi

For example:
I would like something to eat = ya-qua-du-la-quu go-hu-s-di a-gi-gi-sdi




... some bread Ga-du-i-yi-gi...
... some butter Go-tlv-nv-hi...
... some soup U:-ga-ma...
... some beef Wa-ga ha-wi-ya...
... some lamb U-no:-de-na...
... bacon Di-g(a)-sv-sda-nv ha-wi-ya...
... pork Si-qua ha-wi-ya...
... chicken Tsi-ta:ga...
... fried chicken Gv-tsa-tla-nv tsi-ta:-ga...
...egg U-we-tsi...
...eggs Tsu-we-tsi...
... fried eggs Di-gv-tsa-tla-nv tsu-we-tsi...
... vegetables A-wi-sv-nv u-dv-sv-i...
... potato/potatoes Nu-na...
... string beans A-ni-tse-i tu-ya...
... cabbage Tsu-qua-n(v)-de-na...
... peas U-tlv:-da-li...
... salad A?-su-ye-hv-i
... some sugar Ka-l(i)-tse-tsi or [ka-l(i)-se-tsi]
... some salt A:-ma...
... some pepper Di-qua-yo-di...
... milk U-nv-di...
... coffee Ka-wi...
... tea U-qua-lo-gi a-ga-nv-hi
please bring me... e-s-gi-ne-hv-si
(asking for something liquid)
... a drink of water A-ma a-di-da?-s-ti

Please bring me a drink of water = U-li-s-qui-di a-tli-s-dv a-ma a-di-ta-s-ti




cup of coffee U-li-s-qui-di a-tli-s-dv ka-wi
Please hand me ... E-s-gi-di-si (asking for something indefinite - solid)
plate Te-li-do
glass U-lv-sa-da
knife Ha-ye-l(i)-s-di
fork Yv-gi
spoon A-di-to-di

Please hand me a knife = Ha-ye-l(i)-s-di e-s-gi-di-si




Necessaries I'd like to... Ya-qua-du-la-quu...
... wash up. a-qua-gv-s-quo?-sti-yi
... go to my room. a-gi-yv-s-ti- wa-gi-yv-s-ti-yi
... clean up. a-qua-da-na-ga?-s-ti-yi
... take a bath. a-qua-da-wo-s-ti-yi
... rest. a-qua-tsa-we-so-lv s-to-ti-yi
... eat. a-qua-l(i)-s-da-y(v)-di-yi
... use the telephone. di-tla-no:-he-ti a-g(i)-to-di-yi


To assist you in learning, I will indicate the written emphasized syllable (if there is one) by capitalizing that syllable. For instance, a-hi-da (easy) would be written in the pronunciation column as (a-HEE-dah) or ga-tli-dah (arrow) would be written as (GAH-tleh-DAH) indicating how the word should be pronounced, not written.

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Verb Conjugations
There are no gender pronouns such as "he" or "she" in Cherokee.
He, she and it all use the same pronoun prefix

Singular: "to do"

I or me What am I doing?
Ga-do ga-dv-ne-ha
You What are you doing?
Ga-do ha-dv-ne-ha
He or she What is he/she doing?
Ga-do a-dv-ne-ha

Dual: (two people)

We: you and I What are we doing?
Ga-do i-na-dv-ne-ha
You two What are you two doing?
Ga-do i-sda-dv-ne-ha*

Plural: (three or more people)

They What are they doing?
Ga-to a-na-dv-ne-ha



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Singular: "to go"
I or me Where am I going?
Ha-dlv ge:-ga
You Where are you going?
Ha-dlv he:-ga
He or she Where is he/she going?
Ha-dlv e:-ga

Dual: (two people)

You and I Where are you going?
Ha-dlv i-ne-ga
We Where are we going?
Ha-dlv da-ne-si
You two Where are you two going?
Ha-dlv i-sde-ga

Plural: (three or more people)

Others, not me Where are they going?
Ha-dlv a-ne-ga



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Singular: "to eat"
1st person I am eating [it].
tsi-gi-a
2nd person You are eating [it].
hi-gi-a
3rd person He/she is eating [it].
a-gi-a

Dual: (two people)

You and I You and I (we) are eating.
i-ni-gi-a
You two You two are eating.
i-sdi-gi-a

Plural: (three or more people)

Others and I We are eating.
o-tsi-gi-a
They They are eating.
a-ni-gi-a



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More Phrases
Buying Things I'd like to buy...(one item) Ya-qua-du-la-quu a-gi-wa-hi-s-ti-yi
I'd like to buy...(more than one item) Ya-qua-du-la-quu di-gi-wa-hi-si-ti-yi

Note: Remember, quite often in casual Cherokee, the last syllable is dropped. That is why you should be aware of the "long form" of the Cherokee vocabulary. Also, remember, the subject is first in many dialects, precedded by it's modifiers, then follows the object, and the verb is last.


I would like to buy some shoes. ya-qua-du-la-quu
(I would like di-la-su-lo
shoes di-gi-wa-hi-sti-yi
[I/me] to buy (plural form)

Conversationally, the sentence would be: Di-la-su-lo ya-qua-du-la-quu di-gi-wa-hi-sti.




...some shoes Di-la-su-lo (la)
...some shirts Ha-wi-na di-na-wo
...some dresses Di-sa-no
... a dress A-sa-no
...some medicine Nv-wo-ti
...some food A-l(i)-s-da-y(v)-ti
...some buttons Di-ka-ne:-s-ti
...some blankets Tsu-ne-gv-ha-i



Various Phrases English Tsalagi Pronunciation
Come In! e-HI-yv-ha
Come In! (2 or more) e-sdi-yv-ha
Go out! do-yi (outside)
Do you know how? hi-ga-ta-HA-tsu
I know how TSI-ga-TA-ha
I don't know how tla tsi-ga-ta-ha
No good. Bad. u-YO-hi
I see (something) tsi-go-w(a)-TI-ha
We see. (you & I) i-ni-go-w(a)-TI-ha
What do you see? ga-do u-s-di hi-go-w(a)-TI-ha
I am happy a-ya ga-li-E-li-ga
I am hungry a-gi-YO-si-ha
Are you hungry? tsa-YO-si-ha-s
Do you want some bread? ga-du tsa-du-li-ha-s
Yes, I would like some bread v, ga-du a-qua-du-LI-ha
(yes, bread I want)
Do you want some water? a-ma-s tsa-du-li-ha
This is milk hi-a u-nv-di
Yes, I am thirsty v a-ma a-g(i)-ta-de-gi-a
(yes, water - thirsty)
Here's some water a-ma a-ha-ni-dv
Are you looking for someone?
or Who are you looking for? gi-tsa-ge hi-yo-ha
How far is it to town? ha-la-yv ga-du-hv?-i
I am here a-ya a-ne-to-ha *
I am awake a-gi-ye-tsa-i
What is the man doing? ga-do a-dv-ne a-s-ga-ya
What is the woman doing? ga-do a-dv-ne a-ge-ya
What is the boy doing? ga-do a-dv-ne a-tsu-tsa
What is the girl doing? ga-do a-dv-ne a-ge-yu-tsa
How old are you? hi-la-yv tsa-de-ti-yv-da
What is this? ga-do u-s-di
This is a school hi-a tsu-na-de-tlo-qua-s-di-i
This is a church hi-a tsu-ni-la-wi-s-di-i
It is not expensive Tla-ge-wa gu-gv-wa-tlo-di-yi-gi

* Remember, when two a's come together, they are pronounced as - v -

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Numbers (di-SE-s-di) English Cherokee Pronunciation
One Sa-quu-(i) sah-QWOO-ee
Two Ta-li TAH?-lee
Three Tso-i CHOH?-ee
Four Nv-gi NUHN:-gee
Five Hi-s-gi HEE:-sgee
Six Su-da-li soo-DAH-lee
Seven Ga-l(i)-quo-gi gahl-qwoh:-gee
Eight Tsa-ne-la chah-NAY:-lah
Nine So-ne-la SOH?-hnay:-lah
Ten S-go-hi SGOH-hee
Eleven Sa-du-i SAH?-doo-ee
Twelve Ta-li-du-i TAH-li?-doo-ee
Thirteen Tso-ga-du-i CHOH?-gah?-doo-ee
Fourteen Ni-ga-du-i NEE-kah?-doo-ee
Fifteen S-gi-ga-du-i SGEE-gah?-doo-ee
Sixteen Da-la-du-i DAH-lah-doo-ee
Seventeen Ga-l(i)-qua-du-i gahl-QWAH-doo-ee
Eighteen Ne-la-du-i NAY-lah-doo-ee
Nineteen So-ne-la-du-i SOH?-NAY-lah-doo-ee
Twenty Ta-l(i)-s-go-hi tahl?-SGOH-hee



Money Classification English Tsalagi Pronunciation
Money a-de-la or a-de-lv-i
One dollar u-HNO-sda
Several dollars u-ni-HNO-sda
One cent sa?-quu i-DA-N(i)-te-di
Two cents ta?-li i-DA-N(i)-te-di
Three cents tso-i-DA-N(i)-te?-di
Four cents nv-gi-DA-N(i)-te?-di
Five cents HI-sgi i-DA-N(i)-te?-di
Ten cents s-go-DA-N(i)-te?-di
Twenty cents gi-nut?-di
Fifty cents a-ye:-tli
One dollar u-HNO-sda
Two dollars ta-l(i)-de-lv-i
Three dollars tso?-a-de-lv-i
Four dollars nv-ga-de-lv-i
Five dollars hi-sga-de-lv-i
Six dollars su-da-l(i)-de-lv-i
Seven dollars ga-l(i)-qwo-ga-de-lv-i
Eight dollars tsu-ne-la-de-lv-i
Nine dollars so-ne-la-de-lv-i
Ten dollars s-go-ha-de-lv-i
Eleven dollars sa-du-a-de-lv-i
Twelve dollars TA-L(i)-du-a-de-lv-i
Thirteen dollars TSO-ga-du-a-de-lv-i
Twenty dollars TA-L(i)-du-a-de-lv-i
Fifty dollars hi-s-go-a-de-lv-i
One hundred dollars s-go-HI-TS(e)-qua a-DE-la
One thousand dollars sa-wu?-i-ya-gaYV-la a-DE-la
One million dollars sa-wu?-i-yu-QUA-diNV-da a-DE-la


[ Edit | View ]

CHEROKEE RECIPES -- Anonymous, 07:13:56 11/15/01 Thu

Bean Balls
Bean Salad
Cormeal Cookies
Cabbage
Corn and Beans
Cornmeal Gravy
Cornmeal Mush
Crawfish
Dried Apples
Dried Corn Soup
Ganuge
Huckleberry Bread
Leather Breeches
Potato Soup
Ramps
Red Sumach Drink
Succotash
Swamp Potatoes
Sweet Corn Mix
Wanegidv(Angelica)




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Cherokee Bean Balls
Ingredients:
2 cups brown beans
4 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
(soda is used in place of lye water)

Directions:
Boil beans in salted water until tender. Put cornmeal, flour and soda in large mixing bowl. Mix well. Add boiled beans and some of the juice to the cornmeal/flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Roll in balls and drop into pot of boiling hot water. Let cook for 30 minutes at a slow boil.



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Bean Salad - (Gu-Hi-Tli-Gi) - W@)!

Ingredients:

Sweet grass (Oo-Ga-Na-S-Di) - QshC*
Old Field Creases (Oo-Li-Si) - Q#&
Ramps (Wa-S-Di) - vC*
Angelica (Wa-Ne-Gi-Duhn) - v5!K
Poke (Tla-Ye-De) - Z88

Directions: Parboil, salt, then cooked some more with grease (go-i). Serve hot.



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Cormeal Cookies (Se-lu I-sa U-ga-na-s-da)

Cream together:
3/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar

Add the following ingredients until smooth:
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Add and mix well:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powered
1/4 tsp. salt

Optional:
1/2 cup raisins

Drop dough from tablespoon on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes until lightly browned. Makes
about 1 1/2 dozen.



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Crawfish - (Ge-Dv-Nv) - 1KG
Catch crawfish by baiting them with groundhog meat or buttermilk. Pinch off tails and legs to use. Parboil, remove hulls and fry the little meat that is left. When crisp, it is ready to eat. Crawfish can also be used in a soup or stew after it is fried.



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Cabbage - (U-S-Ge-Wi) - QC1+

Directions: Wilt cabbage in a small amount of grease (go-i). Add some pieces of green peppers and cook until cabbage turns red. Serve with cornbread (se-lu ga-du).



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Corn and Beans - (Se-Lu A-Su-Yi Tsu-Ya) - 7RaI|{b

Directions: Skin flour corn with lye and cook. Cook colored beans. Put the cooked corn and beans together and cook some more. Add pumpkin if you like, cooking until pumpkin is done.

Add to this a mixture of cornmeal, beaten walnuts and hickory nuts, and enough molasses to sweeten. Cook this in an iron pot until the meal is done. Eat fresh or just after it begins to sour. This will not keep too long after it begins to sour unless the weather is cold.



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Cornmeal Gravy

Fry some meat (about 4 pcs.side meat) Have enough grease to cover cornmeal. Add about 1/2 cup of meal (you may wanna salt this a bit, unless you like bland) Brown the meal in grease until light brown. Add 2 1/2 cups of milk, stir and let boil until thick. Serve hot over any kind of bread. (This was my elisi's favorite poured on top of hoe cakes)



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Cornmeal Mush - (Se-lu I-sa A-Ni-S-Ta) - a%C/

Corn meal
boiling water
(1 part corn meal to 4 parts water)
salt to taste
Add to pot of salted boiling water enough cornmeal to thicken and this should cook until meal is thoroughly done and mushy. Serve with milk or butter. Or it may be sliced when cold and fried.

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Dried Apples - (Oo-Ni-Ka-Ya) -Q%nb

Peel and quarter ripe apples, or slice and dry in the sun. Cook the dried apples until done. If the cooked apple needs to be thickened, add cornmeal and cook until meal is done.



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Dried Corn Soup

Ingredients:
1 ear dried blue and white or other corn,
removed from the cob
7 cups water (ama)
1 (2"x1") strip fat back, sliced
5 oz. dried beef
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (do qua yo di)

Directions:
1. Soak the corn in 2 cups water for 48 hours.
2. Place the corn and its soaking water in a large saucepan. Add the remaining water and the fat back, and simmer, covered, for about 3 hours and 50 minutes or until the corn is tender but not soft. 3. Mix in the dried beef and pepper, and simmer, stir for 10 minutes more.



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Ganuge - (Ga-Nu-Ge) - sY1

Directions: Crack thin shelled hickory nuts. Beat hull and all in the corn beater until it can be rolled into a ball. Make whatever size balls are convenient to use. Pour boiling water over this to make a thick gruel. Pour the gruel over corn and beans that have been cooked separately, then mixed together.



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Huckleberry Bread

2 cups self rising flour
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 cup milk
1 tea. vanilla
2 cups berries (Huckleberry or blueberry)

Cream eggs, butter and sugar. Add flour, milk and vanilla. Sprinkle flour on berries to prevent them from going to the bottom. Add berries. Bake at 350
for 40 minutes.



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Leather Breeches - (A-Ni-Ka-Yo-Sv-Hi Tsu-Ya) - a%nzJ@{b

Ingredients
1 pound fresh green beans, washed
2 quarts water
1/4 pound salt pork, diced
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
heavy thread
darning needle

Directions: Snap the ends off the beans and string on heavy thread with needle. Hang in a sunny place to dry for about 2 months.

To cook: Soak beans for 1 hour in the two quarts of water. Add the salt pork, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer slowly, for 3 hours. Add more water if needed.



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Potato Soup - (Nu-Nv Oo-Ga-Ma) - YGQsg

Directions:

Peel white potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Boil in water with an onion or two until potatoes and onions mash easily. After mashing, add some fresh milk and reheat the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.



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Ramps - (Wa-S-Di) - vC*

Directions: Gather young ramps soon after they come up. Parboil them, wash and fry in a little grease (go-i). Meal may be added if you wish. They may be cooked without being parboiled, or even eaten raw (if the eater is not social minded! *smile*)



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Red Sumach Drink - (Qua-lo-ga) - jrs
Shell berries off and gently rub between the palms of your hands, being careful not to crush the berries but only the spines, drop into water, strain, sweeten to taste and chill.



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Cherokee Succotash - (I-Ya-Tsu-Ya-Di-Su-Yi Se-Lu) - ~b{~*I|7R
Directions: Shell some corn and skin it with wood ashes lye. Cook corn and beans separately, then together. If desired, you may put pieces of pumpkin in. Be sure to put the pumpkin in early enough to get done before the pot is removed from the fire.



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Swamp Potatoes - (Tla-Wa-Tsu-Hi-A-Ne-Hi Nu-Nv) - Zv{@a5@YG

Directions: Gather and wash swamp potatoes. Bake in oven or in ashes until they are done. Beat the cooked potatoes in the corn beater until they are like any other meal. Use as meal is used.

(During winter famines, many Cherokees had no other meal except that made from the swamp potatoes.)



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Sweet Corn Mixture - (Se-Di Tsu-Ya Se-Lu) - 7*{b7R

Directions: Skin flour corn by putting it in lye. Cook the corn until it is done. Add beans and continue cooking until the beans are done. Add pumpkin and cook until it is done, then add walnut (se di) meal and a little corn meal. Add a little sugar or molasses if you'd like. Cook until the corn meal is done.



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Wanegidv (Angelica) - (Wa-Ne-Gi-Duhn) - v5!K

Directions: Pick when tender, parboil, fry, and serve with eggs and bread or just bread.


[ Edit | View ]

Flags of the Cherokee Nations -- Anonymous, 07:12:16 11/15/01 Thu

Flags of the Cherokee Nations



The Cherokee people are located in many regions of Turtle Island, but with two distinct regions representing their history under the United States. The Eastern Band of Cherokee are located in North Carolina and Tennessee, the traditional homeland of our people we call ourselves "Ani Yun Wiya" or "Real People". The term Cherokee was probably given to us by our neighbors in the southeast, the Creeks. The Creeks called us "Tciloki", meaning "people of a different speech". (sample flag above provided by Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, Cherokee, NC)

They use the same seal as our Oklahoma cousins with only minor artistic modifications. This is the sole instance found where two bands of the same tribe employ the identical symbol, though separated by hundreds of miles and governed by different executive and legislative branches. It unifies the Cherokee people at least symbolically, even if they can no longer be geographically united.

The modern Cherokee nation has more enrolled members than any other in the United States. The 1990 census showed around 400,000 Cherokees living in the country. The Navajo, however are considered the largest tribe by many. The Traditonal Cherokee philosophy is that even the smallest drop of Cherokee blood makes one a Cherokee. Most tribes require an individual to prove to be at least one quarter or one sixteenth descended from an individual member of a particular tribe to be eligible for membership.

The major component of the Cherokee nation is found in Oklahoma. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which evicted all Indians in the southeastern United States to what is now Oklahoma. At the time of this act, the Cherokee were an advanced nation having built towns and cities, having a written constitution and even printing their own newspapers in the Cherokee language. The Cherokee had been interacting with the United States government for quite some time on a true government to government relationship. Part of the fear that caused the move was that the Cherokee would actually take steps to become a truly independent nation on the western boundaries of the United States. The primary motivation, however, was greed. The whites in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Alabama desired the lands of the Cherokee. The United States military had the might to grant the whites their wish.

The eviction of the Cherokee people and their relocation to Oklahoma has become known as the "Trail of Tears". The military did not care for the Cherokees in any way during the migration. The forced move was accompanied by disease, harsh weather, starvation and attacks by marauding whites. Over 4,000 Cherokee died on the road to Oklahoma. Every year, the "Trail of Tears'" is recalled in a pageant and remembrance ceremony in the Cherokee capital of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The government's treatment of the Cherokee and other tribes in the 1830s bore bitter fruit thirty years later when all five of the "Civilized Tribes", that is the Cherokee, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, the Muskogee or Creek, and the Seminole signed treaties with the Confederate States of America and fought in the war against the Union. The earliest documented Cherokee flag is that of the Cherokee Braves. This flag was presented to principal chief John Ross on October 7, 1861 by the Confederate Indian Commissioner, Albert Pike. A similar flag has been attributed to the First Cherokee Mounted Rifles, possibly pointing to the base design as a de facto national flag for the Cherokee Nation. This flag was the standard design of the first Confederate national flag, three horizontal stripes of red over white over red bearing a blue canton upon which a ring of eleven white stars appeared. The standard flag was modified for use by the Cherokees by the addition of a large red star in the center of the ring and that was surrounded by four smaller red stars. The five additional stars stood for the five "Civilized Tribes", while the large one specifically referred to the Cherokees.

In Dr. Whitney Smith's "The Flag Book of the United States", the Cherokee are reported to have a white flag bearing seven red seven pointed stars. This flag, which has been called a "peace flag" was known to have been used in the ceremonies of the Cherokee to celebrate their national holiday on Sept. 7, 1968. The Cherokee Peace Flag is symbolic in both color and design. The red stars stand for victory and success, while the white background represents peace and happiness. The seven points of each star recall the seven clans of the Cherokee people. The stars are arranged in the pattern of the constellation "Yonegwa", known to the white man as the Great Bear or Big Dipper. According to Cherokee history, the peace flag was carried by the Cherokee from their traditional home to the Indian Territory along the "Trail of Tears". Before that journey began, the Cherokee War Flag, was buried with a hatchet. The "War Flag" is of unknown design.

The western Cherokee based in Oklahoma have an orange flag. This flag bears their tribal seal in the center. A single seven pointed star, each point divided in half, one side yellow, the other orange.

This star recalls the seven original clans of the Cherokee people. This is surrounded by a oak wreath depicted in orange and green. The oak symbolizes the sacred eternal fire which was kindled from oak wood. All this lies on a grey circle. Ringing this central circle is an orange band bearing the phrase "Seal of the Cherokee Nation" in both English and Cherokee script. In the Cherokee language, it is pronounced "Tsa la gi yi A ye li", meaning "The Cherokee Nation" . That script, it should be noted, was the invention of the great Cherokee chief, Sequoyah. It was the first Indian language to be put in written form. At the base of the orange ring is the date Sept. 6, 1839, the date of the constitution of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.

Beyond the seal is a ring of seven yellow seven pointed stars, again recalling the seven original clans. These stars also recall the seven holidays in the Cherokee Life cycle and the seven sacred rites in the Cherokee's native religion. The stars are arranged so that each has one point aiming toward the central seal.

Edging the entire flag is a border of green and black diagonal stripes similar to the rope-like border frequently found around a seal .

The flag was designed by Mr. Stanley John, a full blooded Navajo and husband to a member of the Cherokee nation. It was approved by the Tribal Council on October 9, 1978 and officially raised over the Tribal headquarters on September 30, 1979.

As the result of a resolution passed by the Cherokee Council on September 9, 1989, the flag of the Cherokee Nation was altered. To the upper fly corner was added a single black seven pointed star (Sample flag below provided by the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, OK). This star is a constant reminder of those Cherokee who lost their lives during the terrible ordeal recalled each year in Tahlequah, the "Trail of Tears".


[ Edit | View ]

SEQUOYAH -- Anonymous, 07:10:25 11/15/01 Thu

SEQUOYAH

It is said that in ancient times, when writing first began, a man named Moses made marks on a stone. I can agree with you by what name to call those marks and that will be writing and can be understood."
SEQUOYAH, Tsalagi

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When Europeans first landed in North America, they found an industrious race of warrior people called the Tsalagi living in what is now eastern Tennessee and the Carolinas. The whites called them "Cherokee." From this nation would come a man whose extraordinary abilities would greatly serve and protect his people. His name was Sequoya.
Few questioned the abilities of Native Americans as warriors. And the Tsalagi were one of the foremost warrior nations. But some questioned the intelligence of the Native Americans. Were they truly capable of high intellectual attainment or were they merely savages? Among others, Sequoyah would put this racist silliness to rest.


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Most agree that Sequoyah was born sometime in the 1770s in the Tsalagi village of Tuskegee on the Tennessee. His mother, Wurerth, belonged to the Paint Clan. Some argue that Sequoyah's father was a white man from Virgina named Nathaniel Gist (sometimes rendered "Guess"). Sequoyah is sometimes referred to as George Guess or George Gist. Others insist that Sequoyah was a full-blood.; that he let himself by portrayed as a half-blood to give more credence to his alphabet. (Also read this on the subject.

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Young Sequoyah

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In any event, young Sequoyah was raised in the customs and traditions of the Tsalagi people. As a young man, Sequoyah was injured in a hunting accident and became partially lame. Perhaps this made him more introspective. Sequoyah understood that much of the power white men wielded at the expense of Native Americans came from their ability to read and write. This stored information far more efficiently than oral tradition and story-telling. In about 1809, he began to plan his alphabet of the Tsalagi language. Even so, Sequoyah was no intellectual manque. He took part in the War of 1812 as a warrior in spite of his physical handicap. During that service, Sequoyah became more than ever convinced that the Tsalagi needed writing. Unlike whites, Tsalagi warriors could not write letters home, or receive mail from loved ones. Orders had to be commited to memory. Sequoyah began to concentrate more and more on his "talking leaves."

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The Cherokee Alphabet

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At first, Sequoyah conceived of a pictographic language (similar to Chinese) where words or concepts are symbolized with graphics. He quickly realized that such a system would require an unmanageable number of symbols. All the while he worked, Sequoyah was harrassed by those who did not approve of his work or appreciate what it would mean to the Tsalagi people. Sequoyah then began to experiment with a phonetic alphabet where symbols represented individual sounds rather than concepts or things. This was much more manageable. He set to work and discovered that there are 85 vowel and consonant sounds in the Tsalagi language. Sequoyah assigned a character to each of these. This was the core of the Tsalagi or Cherokee alphabet.

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Proposal and Accceptance

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In 1821, Sequoyah demonstrated his alphabet before Tsalagi leaders who were amazed and impressed by the accomplishment. It was quickly adopted as the official written language of the Tsalagi.

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Tsa La Gi Tsu lehisanunhi--Cherokee Phoenix

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Because of the simplicity of Sequoyah's alphabet system, many Tsalagi became literate in a short time. In 1827, the Cherokee Phoenix--Tsa La Gi lehisanunhi--was established. Funded by the Cherokee Council, this first Native American newspaper was published in New Echota, Georgia Elias Boudinot was the first editor and Reverend Samuel Worcester, a missionary, was director. On February 21, 1828, the first issue of the paper was printed. In time other works including the Holy Bible would be printed in Sequoyah's syllabry.

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Sequoyah Moves Westward

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Sequoyah moved westward shortly after the publication of the Phoenix. He lived first in Arkansas and then Oklahoma. Sequoyah was already resident in Oklahoma when Chief John Ross led the Tsalagi to the terriotry on the infamous "Trail of Tears."
The End...

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In 1842, Sequoyah was no longer a young man. Although his age cannot be exactly determined, he was probably in his mid-sixities. He set out to find a band of Tsalagi who had left the traditional tribal homelands in the southeastern United States to reunite them with their nation. Sequoyah discovered them living in Mexico, but the strain of the journey was too much. In 1843, Sequoyah died in Mexico in the service of the Tsalagi people.

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The Legacy

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When Sequoyah created the Tsalagi Alphabet, he settled once and for all the old issue of the intellectual capacity of Native Americans. Not only did he create a writing system from scratch, he created one that was at once so simple and utilitarian that virtually an entire nation became literate in slightly more than a year. Sequoyah was a warrior and a statesman but above that, he was a thinker. It is only just that numerous elementary and high schools across the nation are named in honor of this brilliant Tsalagi leader.


[ Edit | View ]

What is the Indian Removal Act of 1830? -- Anonymous, 23:21:30 11/14/01 Wed

What is the Indian Removal Act of 1830?


In 1830 the Indian Removal Act was passed by the administration of President Andrew Jackson. It just passed through Congress by a single vote. President Andrew Jackson was convinced that the only solution to the Indian ‘problem’ was the complete removal of all natives beyond the Mississippi and now he had the law with which to accomplish it. No people would be more affected by this than the Cherokees.


The Cherokees lived on the Georgia-Tennessee border. They were the richest and most advanced of all Indian tribes. They had learned early to be farmers and had grown 40,000 acres worth of crops, along with running 22,000 cattle and 7200 horses. They also kept many black slaves who operated their ten sawmills. The Cherokees of 1830 were far from wild savages. One of their number, Sequoyah, had even developed the first Indian alphabet. The people could now read books. A newspaper was also published – the Phoenix. The Cherokee were also the only Indian nation to have their own constitution. They lived in log cabins and frame houses.


The Cherokees endeavoured to live in peace with their white neighbours. But that was not to be. The whites looked enviously at their lands and attempted to take it for themselves. The Cherokees resisted in a novel way – they took their case to the United States Supreme Court. That Court declared that the Cherokee were a people of a ‘domestic, dependant nation’ and that the state of Georgia had no right to extend it’s laws over them. The Indians had won their case. Enforcing the decision was another story entirely.


In 1835, 500 Cherokees were pressured into signing a treaty that sold all of their lands for just five million dollars plus an entitlement of seven million acres out west. The 500 who had signed were not chiefs and had no authority to sign for the people. Quickly a petition was organised repudiating the treaty which gained 16,000 signatures. But President Jackson ignored the petition. He set a deadline for the complete removal of the Cherokee – May 23rd, 1838. Many of the army top brass sent in to enforce the decision were ashamed of the whole affair. General John Wool stated that the only good involved in the removal of the Cherokees would be that it would get the Indians ‘ beyond the reaches of the white men who, like vultures, are watching, ready to pounce on their prey and strip them of everything they have.’



General Winfield Scott told his 7000 men, who were to act as escorts, to show every kindness to the 16,000 Cherokees. Scott vowed that any injury done to a Cherokee would be dealt with swiftly. Although Jackson wanted the Cherokees quickly removed, General Scott waited until the weather was more conducive to travel. Over the summer the Cherokees were forced off their land and penned up in prison camps. Unhealthy conditions resulted and dysentery and fevers spread throughout the nation. Meanwhile their lands, crops and property was looted by greedy white settlers. Finally, in the fall of 1838, the Cherokees were put on the road in what was perhaps the most disgraceful official act of the United States Government against a friendly nation. The trek to Oklahoma was over about a thousand miles of inhospitable terrain. The going was tortuous for these agricultural, peace loving people. About 4,000 Cherokees died on the road. The trek was to become known as the Trail of Tears.


The land that the Cherokees arrived in was completely different to that they had left. No longer could they live a life as planters of corn and farmers of the land. The once united tribe was now torn apart by internal vendettas, recriminations and, ultimately, civil war.


The Cherokees had been preceded to Oklahoma by the Choctaws, the Creeks and the Chickasaws. The Seminoles were not so willing to be uprooted, however. It took two wars to get them to follow their neighboring tribes in the drive west.





Author's name omitted by request


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The Lament of the Cherokee -- Anonymous, 23:20:01 11/14/01 Wed

The Cherokee
"Trail of Tears"
The Lament of the Cherokee
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0, soft fills the dew, on the twilight descending,
And night over the distant forest is bending,
And night over the distant forest is bending,
Like the storm spirit, dark, o'er the tremulous main.
But midnight enshrouded my lone heart in its dwelling,
A tumult of woe in my bosom is swelling,
And a tear unbefitting the warrior is telling,
That hope has abandoned the brave Cherokee.

Can a tree that is torn from its root by the fountain,
The pride of the valley; green, spreading and fair,
Can it flourish, removed to the rock of the mountain,
Unwarmed by the sun and unwatered by care?

Though vesper be kind, her sweet dews in bestowing,
No life giving brook in its shadows is flowing,
And when the chill winds of the desert are blowing,
So droops the transplanted and lone Cherokee.

Sacred graves of my sires, and I left you forever,
How melted my heart when I bade you adieu,
Shall joy light the face of the Indian? Ah, never,
While memory sad has the power to renew.

As flies the fleet deer when the blood hound is started,
So fled winged hope from the poor broken hearted,
Oh, could she have turned ere forever departing,
And beckoned with smiles to her sad Cherokee.

Is it the low wind through the wet willows rushing,
That fills with wild numbers my listening ear?
Or is it some hermit rill in the solitude gushing,
The strange playing minstrel, whose music I hear?

'Tis the voice of my father, slow, solemnly stealing,
I see his dim form by yon meteor, kneeling,
To the God of the White Man, the Christian, appealing,
He prays for the foe of the dark Cherokee.

Great Spirit of Good, whose abode is in Heaven,
Whose wampum of peace is the bow in the sky,
Wilt thou give to the wants of the clamorous ravens,
Yet turn a deaf ear to my piteous cry?

O'er the ruins of home, o'er my heart's desolation,
No more shalt thou hear my unblest lamentation,
For death's dark encounter, I make preparation,
He hears the last groan of the wild Cherokee.

By John Howard Payne, author of Home, Sweet Home.


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The Legend of the Cherokee Rose -- Anonymous, 23:18:25 11/14/01 Wed

The Legend of the
Cherokee Rose
No better symbol exists of the pain and suffering of the "Trail Where They Cried" than the Cherokee Rose. The mothers of the Cherokee grieved so much that the chiefs prayed for a sign to lift the mother's spirits and give them strength to care for their children. From that day forward, a beautiful new flower, a rose, grew wherever a mother's tear fell to the ground. The rose is white, for the mother's tears. It has a gold center, for the gold taken from the Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem that represent the seven Cherokee clans that made the journey. To this day, the Cherokee Rose prospers along the route of the "Trail of Tears". The Cherokee Rose is now the official flower of the State of Georgia.



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Georgia State Flower
The Cherokee Rose is designated the state flower of Georgia. It is believed that the rose was introduced into the State, perhaps directly from China or from China by way of England. One well-known horticulturist agreeing with this view gives the year 1757 as the date of its introduction into England and advances the belief that it reached the United States shortly afterwards. The name, Cherokee Rose, is a local appellation derived from the Cherokee Indians who widely distributed the plant, which elsewhere is known by the botanical name of rosa sinica. Growing wild the rose is a high climbing shrub, frequently attaining the proportions of a vine, is excessively thorny and generously supplied with leaves of a vivid green. Its blooming time is in the early spring but favorable conditions will produce a second flowering in the fall of the year. In color, the rose is a waxy white and large golden center and the petals are of an exquisite velvety texture. Because of its hardy nature the plant is well adapted to hedge purposes and has been used extensively in this fashion throughout the South.



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John G. Burnett's Story of the Removal of the Cherokees -- Anonymous, 23:15:06 11/14/01 Wed

Portions of: John G. Burnett's Story of the Removal of the Cherokees

Birthday Story of Private John G. Burnett, Captain Abraham McClellan's Company, 2nd Regiment, 2nd Brigade, Mounted Infantry, Cherokee Indian Removal, 1838-39.

Children: This is my birthday, December 11, 1890, I am eighty years old today. I was born at Kings Iron Works in Sulllivan County, Tennessee, December the 11th, 1810. I grew into manhood fishing in Beaver Creek and roaming through the forest hunting the deer and the wild boar and the timber wolf. Often spending weeks at a time in the solitary wilderness with no companions but my rifle, hunting knife, and a small hatchet that I carried in my belt in all of my wilderness wanderings.

One can never forget the sadness and solemnity of that morning. Chief John Ross led in prayer and when the bugle sounded and the wagons started rolling many of the children rose to their feet and waved their little hands good-by to their mountain homes, knowing they were leaving them forever. Many of these helpless people did not have blankets and many of them had been driven from home barefooted.

The long painful journey to the west ended March 26th, 1839, with four-thousand silent graves reaching from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to what is known as Indian territory in the West. And covetousness on the part of the white race was the cause of all that the Cherokees had to suffer.

The doom of the Cherokee was sealed. Washington, D.C., had decreed that they must be driven West and their lands given to the white man, and in May 1838, an army of 4000 regulars, and 3000 volunteer soldiers under command of General Winfield Scott, marched into the Indian country and wrote the blackest chapter on the pages of American history.

Murder is murder, and somebody must answer. Somebody must explain the streams of blood that flowed in the Indian country in the summer of 1838. Somebody must explain the 4000 silent graves that mark the trail of the Cherokees to their exile. I wish I could forget it all, but the picture of 645 wagons lumbering over the frozen ground with their cargo of suffering humanity still lingers in my memory.

Let the historian of a future day tell the sad story with its sighs, its tears and dying groans. Let the great Judge of all the earth weigh our actions and reward us according to our work.

Children - Thus ends my promised birthday story. This December the 11th 1890.


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Trail of Tears Timeline 1838-1839 -- Anonymous, 23:10:14 11/14/01 Wed

Trail of Tears
Timeline
1838-1839
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1838
February 15,665 people of the Cherokee Nation memorialize congress protesting the Treaty of New Echola.
March Outraged American citizens throughout the country memorialize congress on behalf of the Cherokee.
April Congress tables memorials protesting Cherokee removal. Federal troops ordered to prepare for roundup.
May Cherokee roundup begins May 23, 1838. Southeast suffers worst drought in recorded history. Tsali escapes roundup and returns to North Carolina.
June First group of Cherokees driven west under Federal guard. Further removal aborted because of drought and "sickly season."
July Over 13,000 Cherokees imprisoned in military stockades awaiting break in drought. Approximately 1500 die in confinement.
August In Aquohee stockade Cherokee chiefs meet in council, reaffirming the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation. John Ross becomes superintendent of the removal.
September Drought breaks: Cherokee prepare to embark on forced exodus to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Ross wins additional funds for food and clothing.
October For most Cherokee, the "Trail of Tears" begins.
November Thirteen contingents of Cherokees cross Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois. First groups reach the Mississippi River, where there crossing is held up by river ice flows.
December Contingent led by Chief Jesse Bushyhead camps near present day Trail of Tears Park. John Ross leaves Cherokee homeland with last group: carrying the records and laws of the Cherokee Nation. 5000 Cherokees trapped east of the Mississippi by harsh winter; many die.
1839
January First overland contingents arrives at Fort Gibson. Ross party of sick and infirm travel from Kentucky by riverboat.
February Chief Ross's wife, Quati, dies near Little Rock, Arkansas on February 1, 1839.
March Last group headed by Ross, reaches Oklahoma. More than 3000 Cherokee die on Trail of Tears, 1600 in stockades and about the same number en route. 800 more die in 1839 in Oklahoma.
April Cherokees build houses, clear land, plant and begin to rebuild their nation.
May Western Cherokee invite new arrivals to meet to establish a united Cherokee government.
June Old Treaty Part leaders attempt to foil reunification negotiations between Ross and Sequoyah. Treaty Party leaders John Ridge, Major Ridge and Elias Boudinot assassinated.
July Cherokee Act of Union brings together the eastern and western Cherokee Nations on July 12, 1839.
August Stand Watie, Brother of Boudinot, pledges revenge for deaths of party leaders.
September Cherokee constitution adopted on September 6, 1839. Tahlequah established as capital of the Cherokee Nation.



Early in the 19th century, while the rapidly-growing United States expanded into the lower South, white settlers faced what they considered an obstacle. This area was home to the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chicasaw and Seminole nations. These Indian nations, in the view of the settlers and many other white Americans, were standing in the way of progress. Eager for land to raise cotton, the settlers pressured the federal government to acquire Indian territory.

Andrew Jackson, from Tennessee, was a forceful proponent of Indian removal. In 1814 he commanded the U.S. military forces that defeated a faction of the Creek nation. In their defeat, the Creeks lost 22 million acres of land in southern Georgia and central Alabama. The U.S. acquired more land in 1818 when, spurred in part by the motivation to punish the Seminoles for their practice of harboring fugitive slaves, Jackson's troops invaded Spanish Florida.

From 1814 to 1824, Jackson was instrumental in negotiating nine out of eleven treaties which divested the southern tribes of their eastern lands in exchange for lands in the west. The tribes agreed to the treaties for strategic reasons. They wanted to appease the government in the hopes of retaining some of their land, and they wanted to protect themselves from white harassment. As a result of the treaties, the United States gained control over three-quarters of Alabama and Florida, as well as parts of Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and North Carolina. This was a period of voluntary Indian migration, however, and only a small number of Creeks, Cherokee and Choctaws actually moved to the new lands.

In 1823 the Supreme Court handed down a decision which stated that Indians could occupy lands within the United States, but could not hold title to those lands. This was because their "right of occupancy" was subordinate to the United States' "right of discovery." In response to the great threat this posed, the Creeks, Cherokee, and Chicasaw instituted policies of restricting land sales to the government. They wanted to protect what remained of their land before it was too late.

Although the five Indian nations had made earlier attempts at resistance, many of their strategies were non-violent. One method was to adopt Anglo-American practices such as large-scale farming, Western education, and slave-holding. This earned the nations the designation of the "Five Civilized Tribes." They adopted this policy of assimilation in an attempt to coexist with settlers and ward off hostility. But it only made whites jealous and resentful.

Other attempts involved ceding portions of their land to the United States with a view to retaining control over at least part of their territory, or of the new territory they received in exchange. Some Indian nations simply refused to leave their land -- the Creeks and the Seminoles even waged war to protect their territory. The First Seminole War lasted from 1817 to 1818. The Seminoles were aided by fugitive slaves who had found protection among them and had been living with them for years. The presence of the fugitives enraged white planters and fueled their desire to defeat the Seminoles.

The Cherokee used legal means in their attempt to safeguard their rights. They sought protection from land-hungry white settlers, who continually harassed them by stealing their livestock, burning their towns, and sqatting on their land. In 1827 the Cherokee adopted a written constitution declaring themselves to be a sovereign nation. They based this on United States policy; in former treaties, Indian nations had been declared sovereign so they would be legally capable of ceding their lands. Now the Cherokee hoped to use this status to their advantage. The state of Georgia, however, did not recognize their sovereign status, but saw them as tenants living on state land. The Cherokee took their case to the Supreme Court, which ruled against them.

The Cherokee went to the Supreme Court again in 1831. This time they based their appeal on an 1830 Georgia law which prohibited whites from living on Indian territory after March 31, 1831, without a license from the state. The state legislature had written this law to justify removing white missionaries who were helping the Indians resist removal. The court this time decided in favor of the Cherokee. It stated that the Cherokee had the right to self-government, and declared Georgia's extension of state law over them to be unconstitutional. The state of Georgia refused to abide by the Court decision, however, and President Jackson refused to enforce the law.

In 1830, just a year after taking office, Jackson pushed a new piece of legislation called the "Indian Removal Act" through both houses of Congress. It gave the president power to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi. Under these treaties, the Indians were to give up their lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for lands to the west. Those wishing to remain in the east would become citizens of their home state. This act affected not only the southeastern nations, but many others further north. The removal was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful, and it was that way for the tribes that agreed to the conditions. But the southeastern nations resisted, and Jackson forced them to leave.

Jackson's attitude toward Native Americans was paternalistic and patronizing -- he described them as children in need of guidance. and believed the removal policy was beneficial to the Indians. Most white Americans thought that the United States would never extend beyond the Mississippi. Removal would save Indian people from the depredations of whites, and would resettle them in an area where they could govern themselves in peace. But some Americans saw this as an excuse for a brutal and inhumane course of action, and protested loudly against removal.

Their protests did not save the southeastern nations from removal, however. The Choctaws were the first to sign a removal treaty, which they did in September of 1830. Some chose to stay in Mississippi under the terms of the Removal Act.. But though the War Department made some attempts to protect those who stayed, it was no match for the land-hungry whites who squatted on Choctaw territory or cheated them out of their holdings. Soon most of the remaining Choctaws, weary of mistreatment, sold their land and moved west.

For the next 28 years, the United States government struggled to force relocation of the southeastern nations. A small group of Seminoles was coerced into signing a removal treaty in 1833, but the majority of the tribe declared the treaty illegitimate and refused to leave. The resulting struggle was the Second Seminole War, which lasted from 1835 to 1842. As in the first war, fugitive slaves fought beside the Seminoles who had taken them in. Thousands of lives were lost in the war, which cost the Jackson administration approximately 40 to 60 million dollars -- ten times the amount it had allotted for Indian removal. In the end, most of the Seminoles moved to the new territory. The few who remained had to defend themselves in the Third Seminole War (1855-58), when the U.S. military attempted to drive them out. Finally, the United States paid the remaining Seminoles to move west.

The Creeks also refused to emigrate. They signed a treaty in March, 1832, which opened a large portion of their Alabama land to white settlement, but guaranteed them protected ownership of the remaining portion, which was divided among the leading families. The government did not protect them from speculators, however, who quickly cheated them out of their lands. By 1835 the destitute Creeks began stealing livestock and crops from white settlers. Some eventually committed arson and murder in retaliation for their brutal treatment. In 1836 the Secretary of War ordered the removal of the Creeks as a military necessity. By 1837, approximately 15,000 Creeks had migrated west. They had never signed a removal treaty.

The Chickasaws had seen removal as inevitable, and had not resisted. They signed a treaty in 1832 which stated that the federal government would provide them with suitable western land and would protect them until they moved. But once again, the onslaught of white settlers proved too much for the War Department, and it backed down on its promise. The Chickasaws were forced to pay the Choctaws for the right to live on part of their western allotment. They migrated there in the winter of 1837-38.

The Cherokee, on the other hand, were tricked with an illegitimate treaty. In 1833, a small faction agreed to sign a removal agreement: the Treaty of New Echota. The leaders of this group were not the recognized leaders of the Cherokee nation, and over 15,000 Cherokees -- led by Chief John Ross -- signed a petition in protest. The Supreme Court ignored their demands and ratified the treaty in 1836. The Cherokee were given two years to migrate voluntarily, at the end of which time they would be forcibly removed. By 1838 only 2,000 had migrated; 16,000 remained on their land. The U.S. government sent in 7,000 troops, who forced the Cherokees into stockades at bayonet point. They were not allowed time to gather their belongings, and as they left, whites looted their homes. Then began the march known as the Trail of Tears, in which 4,000 Cherokee people died of cold, hunger, and disease on their way to the western lands.

By 1837, the Jackson administration had removed 46,000 Native American people from their land east of the Mississippi, and had secured treaties which led to the removal of a slightly larger number. Most members of the five southeastern nations had been relocated west, opening 25 million acres of land to white settlement and to slavery.


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Messages from Cherokee's -- Anonymous, 23:08:07 11/14/01 Wed

"We are now about to take our leave and kind farewell to our native land, the country that the Great Spirit gave our Fathers, we are on the eve of leaving that country that gave us birth...it is with sorrow we are forced by the white man to quit the scenes of our childhood... we bid farewell to it and all we hold dear."


Charles Hicks, Tsalagi (Cherokee) Vice Chief on the Trail of Tears, August 4, 1838



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Kanagagota (Standing Turkey)


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"Many proposals have been made to us to adopt your laws, your religion, your manners and your customs. We would be better pleased with beholding the good effects of these doctrines in your own practices, than with hearing you talk about them".

Old Tassel, Chief of the Tsalagi (Cherokee)


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"Whole Indian Nations have melted away like snowballs in the sun before the white man's advance. They leave scarcely a name of our people except those wrongly recorded by their destroyers. Where are the Delewares? They have been reduced to a mere shadow of their former greatness. We had hoped that the white men would not be willing to travel beyond the mountains. Now that hope is gone. They have passed the mountains, and have settled upon Tsalagi (Cherokee) land. They wish to have that usurpation sanctioned by treaty. When that is gained, the same encroaching spirit will lead them upon other land of the Tsalagi (Cherokees). New cessions will be asked. Finally the whole country, which the Tsalagi (Cherokees) and their fathers have so long occupied, will be demanded, and the remnant of the Ani Yvwiya, The Real People, once so great and formidable, will be compelled to seek refuge in some distant wilderness. There they will be permitted to stay only a short while, until they again behold the advancing banners of the same greedy host. Not being able to point out any further retreat for the miserable Tsalagi (Cherokees), the extinction of the whole race will be proclaimed. Should we not therefore run all risks, and incur all consequences, rather than to submit to further loss of our country? Such treaties may be alright for men who are too old to hunt or fight. As for me, I have my young warriors about me. We will hold our land."

Chief Dragging Canoe, Chickamauga Tsalagi (Cherokee)


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"I believe it is in the power of the Indians unassisted, but united and determined, to hold their country. We cannot expect to do this without serious losses and many privations, but we possess the spirit of our fathers, and are resolved never to be enslaved by an inferior race, and trodden under the feet of an ignorant and insolent foe, we, the Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles, and Tsalagi (Cherokees), never can be conquered..."

Confederate General Stand Waitie, Tsalagi (Cherokee)


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"By peace our condition has been improved in the pursuit of civilized life."

John Ross


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The Tsalagi (Cherokee)
{chair'-uh-kee}

The Tsalagi (Cherokee) are a nation of North American Indians that formerly inhabited the mountainous region of the western Carolinas, northern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee. An Iroquoian-speaking people, they originally lived near the Great Lakes they migrated to the Southeast, eventually becoming the largest and most powerful group in that region. Their traditional culture included maize agriculture, settled villages, and well-developed ceremonialism. In 1827 the Tsalagi (Cherokee) established a constitutional form of government.

The first explorers of the Southeast discovered the most talented Indians north of Mexico. Builders, agriculturists, artisans, fishermen, and hunters epitomized especially the Tsalagi (Cherokees)' varied skills. Knowledgeable in herb culture, they developed useful medicines from them that are still used today. They also developed environmental concepts about ecological thought and survival. We are blessed by the legacies of Tsalagi (Cherokee) oral traditions, providing ethnologists with opportunities for cultural interpretations: legends about man, animals, supernatural deities, witches, and other evil influences. Their most famous leader, Sequoya, believing literacy provided power to the white man, alone developed the Tsalagi (Cherokee) alphabet (c.1820), and became immortalized when his name was given to Sequoia National Park in California.

A series of fraudulent, land-acquiring treaties were imposed on the Tsalagi (Cherokee) in the 1830s. The Treaty of New Echota (1835), in which a small tribal faction sold 2.83 million ha (7 million acres) of Tsalagi (Cherokee) land, required their removal westward within 3 years. The vast majority of the Tsalagi (Cherokee) Nation repudiated this document, but under Gen. Winfield SCOTT, most remaining Tsalagi (Cherokee) were driven from their land and forcibly marched to Arkansas and Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in 1838-39. About 4,000 of the more than 15,000 Tsalagi (Cherokee) who made the journey died of disease and exposure.

In Indian Territory, they joined the CHICKASAW, CHOCTAW, CREEK, and SEMINOLE to form the so-called FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES. Tribal lands were lost in the 1860s, after the Five Tribes sided with the South during the Civil War, and again in the early 1880s, when the federal government abolished tribal ownership of lands. When Indian Territory became the state of Oklahoma in 1907, all tribal lands were opened for white settlement.

In the 1980s, 43,000 persons of Tsalagi (Cherokee) descent lived in eastern Oklahoma; about 15,000 of these are considered full-blooded. The Tsalagi (Cherokee) who avoided the forced removal of 1838 escaped into the Great Smoky Mountains and resettled in North Carolina, where they formed a tribal corporation in 1889. Tsalagi (Cherokee) on or near the reservation in North Carolina numbered 6,110 in 1987.


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Andrew Jackson an evil man and a murderer of Indian People -- Anonymous, 23:05:15 11/14/01 Wed

Andrew Jackson's Second Annual Message




Andrew Jackson's Second Annual Message


It gives me pleasure to announce to Congress that the benevolent policy of the Government, steadily pursued for nearly thirty years, in relation to the removal of the Indians beyond the white settlements is approaching to a happy consummation. Two important tribes have accepted the provision made for their removal at the last session of Congress, and it is believed that their example will induce the remaining tribes also to seek the same obvious advantages.



The consequences of a speedy removal will be important to the United States, to individual States, and to the Indians themselves. The pecuniary advantages which it promises to the Government are the least of its recommendations. It puts an end to all possible danger of collision between the authorities of the General and State Governments on account of the Indians. It will place a dense and civilized population in large tracts of country now occupied by a few savage hunters. By opening the whole territory between Tennessee on the north and Louisiana on the south to the settlement of the whites it will incalculably strengthen the southwestern frontier and render the adjacent States strong enough to repel future invasions without remote aid. It will relieve the whole State of Mississippi and the western part of Alabama of Indian occupancy, and enable those States to advance rapidly in population, wealth, and power. It will separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the progress of decay, which is lessening their numbers, and perhaps cause them gradually, under the protection of the Government and through the influence of good counsels, to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community.



What good man would prefer a country covered with forests and ranged by a few thousand savages to our extensive Republic, studded with cities, towns, and prosperous farms embellished with all the improvements which art can devise or industry execute, occupied by more than 12,000,000 happy people, and filled with all the blessings of liberty, civilization and religion?



The present policy of the Government is but a continuation of the same progressive change by a milder process. The tribes which occupied the countries now constituting the Eastern States were annihilated or have melted away to make room for the whites. The waves of population and civilization are rolling to the westward, and we now propose to acquire the countries occupied by the red men of the South and West by a fair exchange, and, at the expense of the United States, to send them to land where their existence may be prolonged and perhaps made perpetual. Doubtless it will be painful to leave the graves of their fathers; but what do they more than our ancestors did or than our children are now doing? To better their condition in an unknown land our forefathers left all that was dear in earthly objects. Our children by thousands yearly leave the land of their birth to seek new homes in distant regions. Does Humanity weep at these painful separations from everything, animate and inanimate, with which the young heart has become entwined? Far from it. It is rather a source of joy that our country affords scope where our young population may range unconstrained in body or in mind, developing the power and facilities of man in their highest perfection. These remove hundreds and almost thousands of miles at their own expense, purchase the lands they occupy, and support themselves at their new homes from the moment of their arrival. Can it be cruel in this Government when, by events which it can not control, the Indian is made discontented in his ancient home to purchase his lands, to give him a new and extensive territory, to pay the expense of his removal, and support him a year in his new abode? How many thousands of our own people would gladly embrace the opportunity of removing to the West on such conditions! If the offers made to the Indians were extended to them, they would be hailed with gratitude and joy.



And is it supposed that the wandering savage has a stronger attachment to his home than the settled, civilized Christian? Is it more afflicting to him to leave the graves of his fathers than it is to our brothers and children? Rightly considered, the policy of the General Government toward the red man is not only liberal, but generous. He is unwilling to submit to the laws of the States and mingle with their population. To save him from this alternative, or perhaps utter annihilation, the General Government kindly offers him a new home, and proposes to pay the whole expense of his removal and settlement.



A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents 1789-1908


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Cherokee letter protesting the Treaty of New Etocha -- Anonymous, 23:03:25 11/14/01 Wed

Cherokee letter protesting the Treaty of New Etocha



Letter from Chief John Ross, "To the Senate and House of Representatives"


[Red Clay Council Ground, Cherokee Nation, September 28, 1836]



It is well known that for a number of years past we have been harassed by a series of vexations, which it is deemed unnecessary to recite in detail, but the evidence of which our delegation will be prepared to furnish. With a view to bringing our troubles to a close, a delegation was appointed on the 23rd of October, 1835, by the General Council of the nation, clothed with full powers to enter into arrangements with the Government of the United States, for the final adjustment of all our existing difficulties. The delegation failing to effect an arrangement with the United States commissioner, then in the nation, proceeded, agreeably to their instructions in that case, to Washington City, for the purpose of negotiating a treaty with the authorities of the United States.



After the departure of the Delegation, a contract was made by the Rev. John F. Schermerhorn, and certain individual Cherokees, purporting to be a "treaty, concluded at New Echota, in the State of Georgia, on the 29th day of December, 1835, by General William Carroll and John F. Schermerhorn, commissioners on the part of the United States, and the chiefs, headmen, and people of the Cherokee tribes of Indians." A spurious Delegation, in violation of a special injunction of the general council of the nation, proceeded to Washington City with this pretended treaty, and by false and fraudulent representations supplanted in the favor of the Government the legal and accredited Delegation of the Cherokee people, and obtained for this instrument, after making important alterations in its provisions, the recognition of the United States Government. And now it is presented to us as a treaty, ratified by the Senate, and approved by the President [Andrew Jackson], and our acquiescence in its requirements demanded, under the sanction of the displeasure of the United States, and the threat of summary compulsion, in case of refusal. It comes to us, not through our legitimate authorities, the known and usual medium of communication between the Government of the United States and our nation, but through the agency of a complication of powers, civil and military.



By the stipulations of this instrument, we are despoiled of our private possessions, the indefeasible property of individuals. We are stripped of every attribute of freedom and eligibility for legal self-defence. Our property may be plundered before our eyes; violence may be committed on our persons; even our lives may be taken away, and there is none to regard our complaints. We are denationalized; we are disfranchised. We are deprived of membership in the human family! We have neither land nor home, nor resting place that can be called our own. And this is effected by the provisions of a compact which assumes the venerated, the sacred appellation of treaty.



We are overwhelmed! Our hearts are sickened, our utterance is paralized, when we reflect on the condition in which we are placed, by the audacious practices of unprincipled men, who have managed their stratagems with so much dexterity as to impose on the Government of the United States, in the face of our earnest, solemn, and reiterated protestations.



The instrument in question is not the act of our Nation; we are not parties to its covenants; it has not received the sanction of our people. The makers of it sustain no office nor appointment in our Nation, under the designation of Chiefs, Head men, or any other title, by which they hold, or could acquire, authority to assume the reins of Government, and to make bargain and sale of our rights, our possessions, and our common country. And we are constrained solemnly to declare, that we cannot but contemplate the enforcement of the stipulations of this instrument on us, against our consent, as an act of injustice and oppression, which, we are well persuaded, can never knowingly be countenanced by the Government and people of the United States; nor can we believe it to be the design of these honorable and highminded individuals, who stand at the head of the Govt., to bind a whole Nation, by the acts of a few unauthorized individuals. And, therefore, we, the parties to be affected by the result, appeal with confidence to the justice, the magnanimity, the compassion, of your honorable bodies, against the enforcement, on us, of the provisions of a compact, in the formation of which we have had no agency.



The Papers of Chief John Ross,


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Major Ridge-Traitor of the People -- Anonymous, 23:00:20 11/14/01 Wed

Major Ridge
a North Georgia Notable

Born 1771, Hiwassee, Cherokee Nation
Died June 22, 1839, White Rock Creek, AR.(disputed)


Cherokee Chief

A man finishes describing his vision to the highest Cherokee council by saying anyone who denies this dream will be struck dead by the Cherokee Mother. Ridge sits silent as a great chatter arises amongst the chiefs. The vision is decidedly anti-settler, possibly provoked by Tecumseh, who issues a call for war shortly before the meeting in May of 1811. Rising to speak after the room had quieted, Ridge's voice fills the hall. "What you have heard is not good. It will lead us to war with the United States, and we shall suffer. It is not a talk from the Great Spirit, and I stand here and call it false. Let the death come upon me. I test their words."

Before he finishes speaking men are upon him, fighting him, trying to stab him with knifes. Cherokees in support of Ridge fight back. As the battle rages, Ridge stands, clothes torn and bloody. The fighting pauses. Louder than before Ridge repeats "I stand here and call it false," adding this time, "I continue to live so these prophets are deceivers." Again fighting breaks out, but this time the elder chiefs stop it.

His words alter the course of the Cherokee Nation. Not for the first time, nor the last, Ridge takes a stand for something in which he believes. It was a trait that would mark him throughout his life as a visionary, and end in his death for the betrayal of his people.


Major Ridge
Born Kah-nung-da-tla-geh in 1771, by most people's guess, Man Who Walks on Mountaintop is the son of Oganstota, Dutsi or Tar-chee. His mother, a mixed blood Cherokee, belongs to the Deer Clan. In 1785 the Cherokee leaders sign the Treaty of Hopewell, in which many of the tribe put great faith. By the time Ridge becomes a warrior in 1788, the agreement at Hopewell has been repeatedly broken by both sides and the Chickamauga (Ridge's tribe) are in revolt.

In his first war party, the future member of the Cherokee Triumvirate witnesses the atrocity of war. Cherokee and settlers battle across southeast Tennessee. Near present-day Maryville the Cherokee attack settlers in the field and turn on John Gillespie's station, killing all the men in the stockade. Ridge's leader, John Watts saves the lives of the 28 women and children. They then attack 2 more stations on the Holsten, and head for the Smoky Mountains. John Seiver ambushes the war party. Ridge escapes, wounded, but 145 Cherokee die.

Exposure to this kind of fighting continues for years. By the mid 1790's Ridge, as did many of his fellow Chickamaugan, begin to desire an end to the fighting. "I will hunt deer, not men," he tells his fiancée Susanna. His tribe decimated, two separate events that affect Ridge occur. He moves to Pine Log, in present-day Bartow County, Georgia, and under orders of President Washington, the United States begins to introduce technology to the Cherokee in the form of spinning wheels and cotton combs.

Now married, Ridge is surprised to find when he returns home that Susanna has woven cloth worth more money than all the pelts he captures in six months of hunting. Pleasantly surprised. And the men he begins to associate with in Pine Log are not warriors but farmers. His association with James Vann and Charles Hicks influences Ridge towards ending the fighting with settlers, and Ridge, in turn, influences the Cherokee Nation to ending the constant warring.

By 1795 a change had overcome the warrior. Representing Pine Log in council Ridge proposes a modest change in the ancient vengeance code. This change, which passes, prompts Ridge's rise. He is 25(or so) at the time. By 1800 the tribal council acknowledges the Cherokee Triumvirate of Ridge, Vann and Hicks. They often disagree with the elders and frequently win.

Ridge turns his attention to his family as Vann and Hicks lead the fights in council. Susanna gives birth to a girl, then a boy, John. A third, another boy, dies at birth. Later additions to his family would include Walter or "Watty" and Sarah, who they called Sally. His brother David Watie (or Oowatie) and sister-in-law, living nearby, give birth to Gallegina or "Buck" and Stand. It is during this time that the United States and the State of Georgia legally agree to the removal of "indians" from the state at a later date.

By 1805 Ridge's attention returns to the council, and he, Hicks and Vann are extremely unhappy at what they see. Tribal elders, most notably Doublehead, are getting rich at the expense of the tribe. The Cherokee Triumvirate lead a group in a complex series of events generally referred to as "The Revolt of the Young Chiefs."

Doublehead betrays the Cherokee on many occasions. After the cession of Wofford's tract in 1804, Doublehead begins to rapidly sell the real assets of the tribe under the direction of Indian Agent Return J. Miegs. By 1806 a significant portion of remaining land is sold, with most of the proceeds going to Doublehead and those who aligned with him. Vann and Ridge break with the council. Although almost entirely alone at first, they slowly build support across the nation. Within 2 years a large vocal group support the two rebellious chiefs.

In a bold plan in August, 1807, possibly approved by the tribal council, Ridge, Hicks, and Vann plot the murder Doublehead. Deeply involved, neither the federal government or the Cherokee clan of Doublehead take any action against Ridge. He turns back a settler near Vann's Tavern, and later, in the presence of Meigs, usurps his power on the council. The council quickly begins to nationalize and Ridge is put in charge of the first Cherokee police, the Lighthorse Patrol. At Ridge's insistence the ancient blood vengeance code is abolished.

Just as the Triumvirate reaches it's acme, Hicks quits (or is forced to quit) his job assisting Miegs and Vann is killed. Now Ridge, who desperately seeks to lead his nation, sees his power in council dwindling. It is now that the man who has the vision addressed the council and Ridge rises to call him a liar. This is a dramatic moment in Cherokee History. Once again reinstated for this bold move, the council appoints Ridge to journey to Tecumseh's council with the Creeks and others. After the meeting, Ridge takes Tecumseh aside and explains that if Tecumseh comes to the Cherokee council, Ridge will personally kill him.

With the onset of the Creek War(1813-1814), Ridge raises an army of Cherokee volunteers. Elected a leader of the unit, Andrew Jackson appoints him Major, a title Ridge uses for the rest of his life. It is said that Ridge's canoe is the first to cross the Tallapoosa River as the Cherokee attack from the rear during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend(1814). He leads the Cherokee during the Seminole War(1818) as well and his daughter dies during child-birth.

After the end of the Seminole War Ridge returns home to an elected position as Speaker of the council in the lower house. His wealth expands to rival, but not surpass, that of his late friend James Vann. The Ridge house is completely remodeled and records indicate the vast holdings as including:


1141 peach trees
418 apple trees
280 acres under cultivation
a ferry
a store
30 black slaves
other slaves including Creek captives
During the 1820's the Cherokee Nation is institutionalized, and John Ross wins election as tribal leader, a position that Ridge wanted for most of his adult life. He is happy his close friend and ally John Ross gets elected. After the election Ridge assumes a position that could best be described as "counselor" and for the next 7 years advises Principal Chief Ross on matters before council.

It is during this time that John, his son, decides to marry a white woman. The woman's parents move to prevent the marriage on religious grounds and Ridge confronts the Morovians with a direct question -- "Is there anything in your Bible to prevent such a marriage?" The Morovians assure him that there is not, but they are concerned that the powerful chief does not believe them. Shortly after the women's parents relent and John Ridge and she were married.

Now aging, Ridge sees his son John and Buck Oolwatie(Elias Boudinout) as the future of the tribe. Buck, as editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, eventually espouses removal to Oklahoma as a viable solution to the problem of white encroachment. Ridge is convinced over a period of several years, but John Ross and an overwhelming majority of the Cherokee are against removal.

In December, 1835, Ridge, his son John, Buck Oolwatie (Elias Boudinot), and Stand Watie sign the Treaty of New Echota, which results three years later in The Trail of Tears. Ross promptly gathers 16,000 signatures of Cherokees who oppose removal. Indian-hater Andrew Jackson forces the treaty through Congress by a single vote.

Ridge did not wait to move to Oklahoma. Between 1836 and 1838 he and hundreds of other Cherokee travel to their new home. Along the way he stops to meet his old friend Andrew Jackson at the Hermitage.

Three years later, in clear violation of constitutional law as interpreted by the Supreme Court, the Cherokee are forced to leave for Oklahoma because of Ridge's conviction in his beliefs.

After Major Ridge signs The Treaty of New Echota he says, "I have just signed my death warrant," and indeed he had. Ridge, John and Buck lay dead less than six months afterr the arrival of the Cherokee in the Oklahoma Territory. In an orchestrated plot Ridge is shot while travelling to Arkansas. A few minutes later a group of Cherokee drag his son John from his home and stab 43 times in front of his wife and children. Elias Boudinot is murdered shortly after leaving Samuel Worcester's house.

As brilliant a statesman and politician that Ridge had been, he is forever doomed to a role of betrayer of Cherokee Nation. No other Cherokee has a greater affect on the tribe.


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