Cherokee
A history of the Cherokee Indians including their rise,fall and the modern day occurrences.
Location
The Cherokee Indians lived mostly in present day South Eastern United States excluding Florida
Indian Removal Act
Act never passed but general Jackson made it happen against the courts decision. Was the start of the Trail of Tears where over 4,000 Cherokee were forced to leave there home and died in the bitter cold of the journey.
Present Location
The Cherokee have a present population is around 275,000 and mostly live in Oklahoma, but there are groups in Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama
Sequoya (George Guess)
Was the founder of the Cherokee language and developed it in 1821 he believed the only way for the Cherokee to survive was to develop a language to fit in with the new settlers. Cherokee contains 86 characters and over 122 sounds.
Language
Cherokee is a Iroquoian based language it is polysynthetic and is based on many religious symbols there are also no “r” based sounds in Cherokee.
Dialects
There are two basic dialects in Cherokee most speak the over hill dialect from Oklahoma and the other dialect is spoken by roughly 25,000 people.
Rise of the Cherokee
The Cherokee are known to exist prior to 1,000 b.c.. The Cherokee flourished because of there many forests, lakes, and fields along with a vast food supply and continued to grow until the 1500’s.
Fall of the Cherokee
The beginning of the fall of the Cherokee was in the mid 1500’s when Spanish explorers found them by accident.
War of 1812
The Cherokee were made to join the army in the war of 1812. After the war the area was overpopulated with white men who starting claiming the land as there own.
John Ross
Was a Cherokee chief and was born of a English father and Indian mother
Indian Removal Act
Was started by the thought that gold was in the area even thought there wasn’t that led to a huge flock of white men coming into the area. The white men soon became to think the Indians were hiding the gold and tricking them of its real location. The white men then got the military involved and the forced the Indians to leave in the dead of winter. Many Indians died on the journey to Oklahoma Indian Reserve.
Modern Cherokee
Today the Cherokee exists mostly in present day Oklahoma though some of the Indians returned to there native homelands.
Liked it
-
-
-
-
-
-
Post CommentAmerican Indian
On January 9, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I love learnong about my history. This is a great article.
American Indian
On January 14, 2008 at 5:17 pm
You rock. I think I met you on eHarmony. Is your name really Mike Robear? Because if it is, you have a nice body shot.
Betrayed Cherokee
On May 9, 2008 at 9:21 pm
I have recently traced my family tree and discovered that i am full booded Cherokee, yet my ancestors were not on the dawes roll. Yet they were on the trail of tears. My question is where did we as a people go wrong? Cherokees were the tightest knit of all the tribes, but it seems we have abandonded the old ways and adopted the white mans ways “every man for himself”. DON’T GET ME WRONG I AM VERY PROUD OF MY HERITAGE. But it seems to me and others that we are sowing the seeds of our own demise,rejecting our brothers and in some cases our own heritage. It almost seems like a civil war among the cherokee themselves. Only by accepting all cherokees ,documented of course, will we ever settle our differences and become the great people our forefathers had visioned. This is my prayer.
Thomas Ellis
On May 28, 2008 at 8:56 pm
i like to find out how i can get a card showing i am cherokee indian .do i have to have blood work done or what
Kala Bullion
On June 28, 2008 at 6:36 pm
How do i know i am a Cherokee Indian? I wish i knew if just by getting on the internet that i could find out i am a Cherokee Indian.
Beansie
On September 7, 2009 at 2:12 am
I think I drive a cherokee. Thank God im not a cherokee. this is ma prayer.