I've
been alerted that some search engines are sending shoppers to our
educational pages. If you ended up here by using the search term
"turquoise rings" or a similar term, please use the navigation bar to
the left to direct you to our shopping pages. I apologize for the
confusion.
The below information is furnished by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
The jurisdictional area of present Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is made up of lands
originally inhabited by the Osage and Quapaw. Cherokee were brought here by the
U.S. Federal Government in the early 1800's through both voluntary and forced
removals.
The original cornerstone marking the meeting point of the Cherokee Nation, Osage
Nation and Muscogee (Creek) Nation now lies under Interstate 244.
*************************************
*************************************
"State Of Sequoyah"
, named in honor of the great Cherokee,
Sequoyah, the Inventor of the Cherokee syllabary, was the proposed name for the
eastern part of Indian Territory, during the attempts to have it admitted Into
the United States as a single state.
The movement to secure statehood for Indian Territory began In
1902 with a convention in Eufaula consisting of representatives of the Five
Civilized Tribes. The representatives met again In 1903 to organize a
constitutional convention.
The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention met in Muskogee, August
21, 1905. General Pleasant Porter, Principal Chief of the Creeks, was chosen
president by the elected delegates from the several districts. The delegates
decided that the vice-presidents would be the executive officers of the Five
Civilized Tribes. There were five Vice-Presidents: Principal Chief of the
Cherokees, William C. Rogers; William H. Murray, appointed by Chickasaw Governor
Douglas H. Johnston to represent the Chickasaws; Chief Green McCurtain of the
Choctaws; Chief John Brown of the Seminoles; and Charles N. Haskell, selected to
represent the Creeks as General Porter had been elected President.
The convention organized a government for Indian Territory,
wrote the constitution, drew up a map of the counties, and elected a proposed
set of delegates to Congress.
These proposals were sent to a vote by the citizens of Indian
Territory and passed overwhelmingly. The delegation received a cool reception in
Washington however. Eastern politicians, fearing the admission of two more
western states, put pressure on President Theodore Roosevelt. He finally issued
a proclamation declaring that Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory would be
combined into a single state. The Congress of the United States is the
legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of
America....
The hard work of the Sequoyah State Constitutional Convention
was not entirely lost, however. When representatives from Indian Territory
Joined the Oklahoma State Constitutional Convention in Guthrie the next year,
they brought their constitutional experience with them. The Sequoyah
Constitution served in large part as the basis for the Oklahoma Constitution.
Oklahoma and Indian Territories became the state of Oklahoma in 1907.
Indian Territory in 1836 Indian Territory In 1891 Indian
Territory, also known as Indian Country, Indian Territory or the Indian
territories was the land set aside within the United States for the use of
Native Americans (Indians). The general borders were set by the Indian
Intercourse Act of 1834....
Eufaula is a city located In McIntosh County, Oklahoma, Oklahoma.
USA.... The Five Civilized Tribes Is the term for five Native American nations
which were uprooted from their homes east of the Mississippi River and moved to
what was Indian Territory and Is now the eastern portion of the state of
Oklahoma.... Alternative meaning: Constitutional convention A Constitutional
Convention Is a gathering of person
******************************
******************************
"CHEROKEE NATION DAY"
WHEREAS, the Cherokee Nation is a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe that
maintains a citizenry of over 145,000 persons
within the State of Oklahoma;
and
WHEREAS, the Cherokee Nation has maintained its existence in
the area of the State of Oklahoma for over 160 years and since
earliest
contact with European explorers in the 1500's, the Cherokee Nation has been
identified as one of the most advancing
among Native American tribes,
and
WHEREAS, it was a spirit of survival and perseverance that
carried the Cherokee to Indian Territory on the trail of tears
and the
Cherokee legacy continues as a people who face adversity, survive, adapt,
prosper and excel; and
WHEREAS, the Cherokee people have always
valued honor, education and personal self-reliance and the Cherokee Nation
strives
to achieve and maintain an enriching cultural identity, economic
self-reliance, and a strong government; and
WHEREAS, the Cherokee
history and culture enriches the lives, families and communities of the State of
Oklahoma and the
State of Oklahoma acknowledges the accomplishments of
Cherokee statesmen and women, past and present; and
WHEREAS, the
State of Oklahoma recognizes the importance of the indispensable services and
economic benefits that the
Cherokee Nation provides for the State of
Oklahoma and its citizenry;
NOW, THEREFORE, I BRAD HENRY,
Governor of the State of Oklahoma, do hereby proclaim April 8, 2003, as
"CHEROKEE NATION DAY"
in the State of Oklahoma.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits
****
**************************
The name by which Cherokees call themselves is A-ni-yv-wi-ya, signifying "real
people."
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Cherokee Delegation to England
From the Salem Gazette, Vol. V, No. 227, Salem, MA Feb. 15, 1791
London.
Particulars of the Cherokee Embassy - The Indian Chiefs have been
absent from their own country eighteen months. They arrived at Halifax,
nova Scotia, in May last after a most tedious journey, of only twelve
days short of twelve months.
Their country is situated somewhere
about the source of the Mississippi; but instead of adopting the course
of that river for their general guide to the North American shore, by
which they might have penetrated through Vermont, and reached Virginia
in three months, they took a westerly direction and thereby
unnecessarily traveled a tract some thousand miles, which at last
brought them to the Halifax.
The Governor of that settlement was
unwilling to take upon himseld the conduct of their voyage to England,
and therefore sent them to Quebec, Lord Dorchester, who provided them
with a passage on board a vessel bound for London.
The avowed
purpose of their mission to this country, was to solicit a supply of
arms and ammunition for the present purpose of effectually repelling
the inroads of some troublesome neighborsl in search of this assistance
they were willing to enter into an engagement to turn their whole force
against any power in that quarter of the globe whoe views were inimical
to the interests of Great Britain.
The appearance of the
political hemisphere certainly renders it impolitic to enter into any
engagement of this nature at the present period; but may nor infer that
these offers would be a most propitous circumstance for this country,
had public affairs taken a different turn, as they have at this time
between 40 and 50,000 men ready to take the field.
The Indian People were more clean and sanitary than the Europeans at the time of
contact. When several Cherokee visited England, the Queen asked them to refrain
from bathing each day.
*Note:
Cultural information may vary from clan to clan, location to location,
family to family, and from differing opinions and experiences.
Information provided here is not 'etched in stone'.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Several Historical Tidbits
Historical documents back-up and verify the legends and stories of Cherokee history.
Throughout history,
and today, Cherokee people adapt, excel, prosper and survive. Our
ability to survive within another culture is why we are here.
The
Cherokee society is traditionally a matrilineal society. The women
passed the clan to their children, and owned the property. It was the
responsibility of her oldest brother to teach her children of Cherokee
traditions and spirituality. The method of divorce was for the woman to
pack up the man's clothing, and set it outside of the house.
The seven clans of the Cherokee are the Bird, Wild Potato, Deer, Wolf, Blue, Paint and Long Hair.
At
one time, the Blood Law system was used to punish Cherokees who
committed the act of murder. If you murdered a person, the life of any
member of your clan was at risk.
After European contact, the
Cherokee government consisted of a consortium of towns. Basically, the
Cherokees lived in small stockade towns in the lower Appalachains. A
red government and a white government system existed; in times of war,
the red government was in charge, and in times of peace, the white
government and the priests were in charge.
In the late 1700's
the Cherokee population was approximately 12, This meant 1 Cherokee for
each 6 square miles. Although the Europeans considered this a land
surplus, it was a necessary amount of land for hunting and gathering.
The Cherokee Language is of Iroquoian origin.
The
jurisdictional area of present Cherokee Nation is made up of lands
originally inhabited by the Osage and Quapaw. We were brought here by
the U.S. Federal Government in the early 1800's through both voluntary
and forced removals.(Trail of Tears Campaign)
The Indian People were more clean and
sanitary than the Europeans at the time of contact. When several
Cherokee visited England, the Queen asked them to refrain from bathing
each day.
1540: Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto and his party are discovered by the
Cherokees in their homeland.
The first treaty (1721) entered into by the Cherokees
resulted in the cession of 2600 square miles in the area of what is
present-day South Carolina. The treaty was between the Cherokee and
England, who recognized Cherokee Nation as a world government before
there was a United States.
The first land cession in 1721
occurred in the area of Charleston, South Carolina, which at the time,
was the trade center for the new world.
As early as 1755, roads
leading through the heart of the Cherokee Nation to Charleston resulted
in a loss of Cherokee isolation from Europeans.
In 1760, one third of the Cherokee Nation died of a small pox epidemic.
Even though the actual birth date of Sequoyah is not known, the year is
believed to fall between 1760 and 1765. Cherokee traditionalists celebrate his
birth each year on July 19, also the birthday of both Redbird and Lucy Smith.
1791: Treaty of Holston signed, which called for U.S. government to advance
"civilization" of Cherokees by giving them farm tools and technical advice.
The lands of the Cherokee Nation were surveyed, and divided into parcels for
lottery to non-Indians. Any Cherokee who appeared in court would be deemed an
incompetent witness without the sponsorship of a white citizen. This was still
on the books in Georgia until recently.
A resolution was adopted in 1819 requiring white men to receive a permit in
order to marry a Cherokee woman; however, the Cherokee woman retained all rights
of property ownership.
By 1822, several Cherokee settlements had moved to the Province of Texas, where
they were under the impression that they had a "perfect right" to occupy lands
granted by the monarch of Spain.
1825: New Echota, Ga., authorized as Cherokee capital.
In 1825, the Cherokee government established the right to ownership of
improvements, but not actual real estate. However, improvements could not be
sold to white people.
In 1827, the first Cherokee Constitution was enacted. This was considered a
'copy' of the U.S. Government's format, although the U.S. Government had derived
this from the Iroquois Confederacy, who at that time, was the only democracy in
the world.
In December, 1830, the State of Georgia instructed the Georgia Guard to protect
the goldmines, and prevented Cherokees from assembling in National Council,
fearing a punishment of 4 years hard labor by the State of Georgia.
In preparation of the American Holocaust, or the 'Trail Where They Cried,' 31
forts were constructed. Eleven served as interment camps.
The holocaust of the forced Cherokee Removals were
not just a product of the Ross and Treaty Party factions. There were at
least half a dozen political factions within the old Cherokee Nation,
and most were guided by outside interests.
Ten Cherokees wrote and signed the
illegal Treaty of New Echota. There was no authority to convene a Cherokee
Council Meeting. The Cherokees who signed this treaty violated tribal law and
the most fundamental principals of government.
The journey by water route on the Trail of Tears was accomplished by using flat
boat barges with steam boats pulling them. Ironically, the first two steam
boats were called 'Tecumseh' and 'George Guess'.
In compensation for the removals, the official language stipulated, 'claims for
improvements is DEDUCTED from the money paid to the Cherokees.' Therefore, the
United States did not pay for the forced removal, the Cherokees' paid for it.
The jurisdictional area of present Cherokee Nation is made up of lands
originally inhabited by the Osage and Quapaw.
In the 1830's, a large group of Cherokees migrated to Mexico, near present-day
Tyler, Texas.
1844: Cherokee Supreme Court building opens; Cherokee Advocate becomes first
newspaper in Indian Territory.
October 28, 1861: The Cherokee National Council issued a declaration of war with the United States
1861: Chief Ross forced to side with Confederacy after Union troops abandon
Indian Territory. Cherokee Nation torn by border warfare throughout war.
1865-66: Cherokees must negotiate peace with U.S. government. New treaty limits
tribal land rights, eliminating possibility of Cherokee state, and is a prelude
to the Dawes Commission Rolls and the break-up of Cherokee tribal lands by
allotment.
The Treaty of July 19, 1866 gives the Cherokee Nation the right to elect a
delegate to U.S. Congress. This is a right that has not been extinguished.
This was the last treaty signed with the Cherokee.
1866: John Ross dies
The
American Civil War did not affect just the white and black people;
Indian people played a major role in the events of the war between the
states. Cherokee people particularly were impacted by the devastation
of the war.
1893: Cherokee Outlet opened for white settlement; Dawes Commission arrives.
1903: William C. Rogers becomes last elected Cherokee chief for 68 years.
Beulah Benton Edmondson Croker, a Cherokee and descendant of Sequoyah, led the
first women's suffrage parade down New York's Fifth Avenue on horseback.
1907: Oklahoma statehood combines Indian and Oklahoma Territories. Statehood
"dissolves" Cherokee government, but it continues in a modified and restricted
form until 1914.
1924: Cherokees and all Native Americans became U.S. citizens and granted the
right to vote through the Indian Citizen Act.
In July, 1947, tons of old records including the Cherokee Nation, were burned by
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Muskogee.
1948: Cherokee Convention called which begins modern Cherokee Nation government.
The first Cherokee National Holiday was held in 1953. The holiday commemorates
the signing of the 1839 Cherokee Constitution.
1961: Cherokees awarded $15 million by U.S. Claims Commission for Cherokee
Outlet lands.
1963: Cherokee National Historical Society founded. Later CNHS opens ancient village, 1967; Trail of Tears Outdoor Drama, 1969; and
national museum, 1975.
1970: U.S. Supreme Court ruling confirms Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw
Nation's ownership of 96-mile segment of Arkansas Riverbed.
1975: Ross O. Swimmer elected to first of three terms as principal chief; first
Cherokee Tribal Council elected; Congress passed Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act.
1991: First council to be elected by districts since statehood includes six
women; Wilma Mankiller wins her second elected term as principal chief with a
landslide 82 percent of the votes cast.
1993:
Cherokee Nation signs self-governance compact with Indian Health Service.
In 1995: Joe Byrd elected as principal
chief; J. Garland Eagle elected as deputy chief, were the first full blood,
bilingual leaders of the Cherokee Nation in nearly 200 years.
In June 2006 the acceptance of the 1999 Cherokee Constitution, which was implemented as the Supreme Law of the
Cherokee Nation, the Tribal Council shall consist of seventeen (17) members.
Fifteen (15) members are to represent fourteen (14) equally apportioned
districts within the historical jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation, two (2) "at
large" members are to represent Cherokee citizens residing outside the
historical jurisdiction. It also deleted the previous law of which a United States of America President must approve any changes in the Cherokee Constitution.
March 3, 2007: Cherokee voters elected not to accept Black Freedmen as official blood members to the tribe.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Traditional Religious Beliefs of the Cherokee Part 2
The traditional
religious dance of the Cherokee is the Stomp Dance at a sacred dance
site. The sacred fire is kept burning constantly which is built by the
fire keeper and his assistant. A firekeeper and the assistant begin
early in the day at dawn, stoking the burning embers into a large fire
for the dance. Seven arbors are located around the fire and dance area.
They are made from large poles with brush for the roofs. Each arbor is
reserved for one of the seven clans. Seats are placed between the
arbors for visitors. The dance ceremony cannot begin unless each clan
is represented.
Women prepare a meal for the day, which consists
of traditional and modern food such as brown beans, cornbread, all
kinds of pies, cakes, homemade biscuits, salad, ice tea, coffee, kool
aid, chicken, and if in season, kanuchi, wild onions with eggs, bean
bread and much more.
A-ne-jo-di (Stickball) is played in the afternoon.
At
sundown, the sermons continue. The Chief brings out the traditional
pipe, and fills it with tobacco. He lights it with a coal from the
Sacred Fire, and takes seven puffs. The Medicine Man from each clan,
beginning with the Aniwaya, the Wolf clan, takes seven puffs from the
pipe and passes it on . The chief, medicine men and elders hold a
meeting and then issue the call for the first dance, then the second
call. The first dance is by invitation, tribal elders, elders, medicine
men and clan heads.
The members gather to visit and dance until
sunrise. Each individual ground has it’s own schedule for the dances,
which is a holy place to worship God. All grounds post signs requesting
no rowdiness, liquor, and general respect. Two major ceremonies are
held at the Redbird Smith Ground, one commemorating the birth of
Rebdird Smith, and the other expresses appreciation to the Creator for
a bountiful harvest.
Stomp Dance participants include a
leader, assistants, and one or more female shell shakers who wear leg
rattles traditionally made out of turtle shells filled with pebbles.
Some wear shakers made from small milk cans. The shakers provide
rhythmic accompaniment while dancing around the fire, and a dance
cannot begin without the shakers.
A series of wampum belts serve
to record and ‘read’ the traditional beliefs and stories. The belts are
very old, and are made of wampum beads sewn together with a form of
seaweed from old Mexico. The wampum belts are shown only on very sacred
occassions. The history of the belts relate that many years ago, the
tribe was preparing to go to war. The medicine men foresaw which would
survive, and cut the original wampum belt into seven pieces. After the
war, the belts were scattered, and the last one was recovered by
Redbird Smith in the very early 1900’s.
The fire is very sacred
to traditional Cherokees. It is built at the bottom of a pit below the
ground, and burns constantly. It is believed by traditional Cherokees
that soon after creation of the Cherokee people, the Creator left his
throne in Heaven and visited the earth. He chose four Cherokee men who
were strong, healthy, good and true, and believed with all of their
heart in the Creator. They were each given a name: Red, Blue, Black and
Yellow. Each was given a wooden stick that was very straight, and was
told to place one end of the stick on a surface that would not burn. He
said to place the other end in their hands, and start this material
that would not burn to magically burn. . . by giving the sticks a
circular, rotating motion. When this was done, and all the sticks were
burning, they were told to go to the center of the cross, and there the
four would start one singular fire. This fire would burn for all time,
and be the Sacred Fire. The fire was started with the instructions and
help of the Creator.
The Sacred Fire has been held since that
time by the Cherokee, and is kept alive by the Chief, Assistant Chief,
Firekeeper, and Assistant Firekeepers of the Ground.
Today,
there are over 200,000 Cherokee tribal members. Although some have
chosen to worship through other religious denominations (Indian
Baptist, Methodist, etc.), many continue to worship at regular Stomp
Dances and are members of one of the several Grounds in Cherokee
Nation. Each ground has its own unique protocol and differences, but
the general worship is similar with the same intention.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Trade Prices
In 1716 the South Carolina Board of Trade issued the following trade schedule.
Number of deerskins for each item follows item name.
A Gun. 30
A Yard Strouds. 7
A Duffield Blanket. 14
A Yard Half Thicks. 3
A Hatchet. 2
A narrow Hoe. 2
A broad Hoe. 4
Fifty Bullets. 1
A Butcher’s Knife. 1
A pair Cizars. 1
Three Strings Beads. 1
Eighteen Flints. 1
An Ax. 4
A Pistol. 20
A Cutlash. 8
A Shirt. 4
A Steel. 1
A Calico Petticoat. 12
A red Girdle. 2
A laced Hatt. 8
A Clasp Knife. 1
A Yard Cadis. 1
Rum, mixed with1/3 Water; per bottle. 1
**************************
**** Unknown Tidbits ****
**************************
The infamous "Wedgwood" china was originally made from "some of the finest
porcelain clay in the world," which was purchased from the Cherokees.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Spiritual Views and Traditions of the Cherokee
In
the wilderness, God gave them their holy fire from heaven. This they
ever kept for burning sacrifices, and holy purposes, and, though, when
they came to this continent they left it behind, yet in a miraculous
manner they had it brought over the great water and kept it, till on a
certain occasion, their enemies came upon them and destroyed the house
in which it was kept. After that they were obliged to make new fire for
the sacred purposes by rubbing two pieces of dry wood together, with a
certain weed called golden rod, dry, between them. After constant
rubbing for some times, this took fire together with the wood, and this
fire was used for religious purposes.
This new fire, made by
friction, like the original holy fire, must not be used for any common
purpose, except when made to supply the nation with new fire. No torch
must be lighted by it, nor a coal taken from it for common use. After
the sacrifice was burned and the ceremonies ended for which the fire
was made, it was delivered to someone to keep.
INFORMANT: Shield Eater, or also known as T. Smith
*Note:
Cultural information may vary from clan to clan, location to location,
family to family, and from differing opinions and experiences.
Information provided here is not 'etched in stone'.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Cherokee Clothing
Although
there have been many styles of clothing unique to the Cherokee people
throughout the years, one style remains in vogue. The Cherokee Tear
Dress is the standard traditional fashion for women, and the ribbon
dress stands for the men.
The Tear Dress is believed to be the
style of dress from the Trail of Tears era, when most women did not own
scissors due to the removals, and confiscation of most personal and
household belongings. Thus,the material was ‘torn’ from larger bolt
pieces. The name is pronounced both ‘tear,’ as in Trail of Tears, and
‘tear,’ as in being torn fabric. The style of Tear Dress worn today was
patterned after an actual dress stored for many years in a trunk, and
believed to be from the Trail of Tears.
The dresses are styled
from a calico print material, with an applique pattern of diamonds on
the yoke and around the skirt, just above the flounce. Some Cherokee
seamstresses have modified the design to utilize triangles, circles,
and even the sacred seven-sided star of the Cherokee.
The Trail
of Tears era dress had 3/4 length sleeves, which did not get in the way
of dishes, grinding corn and nuts, and other household duties. It also
had a skirt length of mid-calf, so as not to gather dirt or dew from
the ground. Another feature was the button down top, a convenience for
nursing children. The little girls’ dresses usually fastens in the back.
Today,
the dress has been modified to be worn floor length, except for Stomp
Dance shell shakers, who usually wear calf-length dresses because of
the shell shackles.
The sleeves are often times worn full-length.
The dress remains a ‘wearable memorial’ to our grandmothers who walked the Trail of Tears, and settled into Indian Territory.
While
the Tear Dress has remained unique to the Cherokee, the male Ribbon
Shirt has become familiar inter-tribal wear, especially seen on the
pow-wow circuit.
The Ribbon Shirt is also made from calico
fabric, with ribbon designs on the front and back. The sleeves are made
similar to the Tear Dress.
Also made of calico, the traditional turban for men is still worn on certain occassions.
There
are a variety of seamstresses who make both the female and male
Cherokee clothing. Usually, measurements are taken for each individual,
and no standard pattern per ‘dress size’ is required for an experienced
seamstress.
The dress is the official garment of "Miss Cherokee"
and is worn at ceremonial functions, special tribal occassions, and
weddings. Most Cherokee gospel singing groups also wear the Tear Dress,
and it is the official dress of the Cherokee National Choir.
*Note:
Cultural information may vary from clan to clan, location to location,
family to family, and from differing opinions and experiences.
Information provided here is not 'etched in stone'.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Di-Ga-Da-Yo-S-Di
(Cherokee Marbles)
Cherokee
Marbles is a game of skill, still played in the form of tournaments.
Also a skill is the art of making the marbles themselves.
The
marble game dates back to approximately 800 a.d., and is a complex game
of skill and strategy played by adults on a five-hole outdoor course.
Until
the early part of the 20th century, players used marbles chipped from
stone, smoothed into round marbles about the size of billiard balls.
Today, there are still some traditional marble makers, but most
tournaments utilize billiard balls for play.
The game is played
on a field approximately 100 feet long, where there are five holes
about two inches in diameter, 10 to 12 yards apart, forming an L-shape.
Any number of players may play, but each team must have an equal number.
Each
player uses one marble and must keep track of its location as well as
the opposing players marbles. The players toss the marbles at the holes
with the object of advancing by landing in each hole in sequence and
returning to the starting point. Players must toss their marbles and
knock the opposing players’ out of the way in a prescribed manner. The
first team to complete the course is the winner.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
A-ne-jo-di, or Stickball
A-ne-jo-di,
or Stickball, is a very rough game played by not only the Cherokee, but
many other Southeastern Woodland tribes including the Muscogee (Creek),
Seminole, and others.
The game resembles the modern European
game of LaCrosse, using ball sticks which are handmade from hickory. A
small ball, made of deer hair and hide, is tossed into the air by the
medicine man. The male players use a pair of the sticks, and female
players use the bare hands. In earlier times, only the men with the
greatest athletic ability played the game. The game was oftentimes
played to settle disputes, and the conjurer for each team often became
as important to the team as the players themselves.
Seven points
are scored when the ball strikes a wooden fish on the top of a pole
approximately 25 feet in height, and two points are awarded when the
ball strikes the pole.
In earlier days, there would be a dance
before the ballgame. The ballplayers were the participants of the
dance, along with seven women dancers. Each woman represented one of
the clans. Throughout the dance, the women would step on black beads
which represented the players of the opposing team. The conjurer had
placed these black beads on a large flat rock. Today, stickball is an
important part of the days activities at ceremonial Stomp Grounds,
being necessary to play before the Stomp Dance can ever begin. It is
also a recreational sport at other times between community teams. There
are also intertribal teams made up of players from Cherokee, Muscogee
(Creek), Yuchi, Natchez, and other area communities.
Click Here to see an actual A-ne-jo-di court with ball and "sticks"
*Note:
Cultural information may vary from clan to clan, location to location,
family to family, and from differing opinions and experiences.
Information provided here are not 'etched in stone'.
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Cherokees Didn't Celebrate American 'style' Thanksgiving until 1885. . .
The
Pilgrims had always observed thanksgiving feasts in November as a
religious obligation in England. The Wampanoags did not celebrate a
thanksgiving holiday before European contact. They did hold six
ceremonies during the year giving thanks for various reasons. The fifth
one was called the Green Corn Ceremony which they gave thanks for a
successful corn harvest. When the Wampanoags ate with the Pilgrims this
was their fifth ceremony for the year.
There were other Native
Americans who also celebrated six ceremonies during the year before
European contact. One of those was the Cherokee. The date of the
ceremonies varied with the ripening of the corn and the phases of the
moon.
The Cherokees were raising corn as early as 1,000 BC.
Before European contact the Cherokees already participated in a
ceremony giving thanks for crops and it was a form of worship in what
is known as the "Green Corn Dance". This traditional dance was a very
important ceremony for the Cherokees. This ceremony was the beginning
of the New Year. Our ancestors gave thanks for the corn crop that they
saw as a continued life for them. It was a time for forgiveness and
grudges to be left behind - starting anew. A part of their celebration
was fasting, then gathering at the ceremonial grounds to play
stickball, dance and have a big feast.
Other traditions for the
Cherokee included participating in sports mainly the stickball game and
marble game; eating bean bread, wild game, and wild plants to mention a
few; and for communication they used the wampum belts.
As
settlers moved inland, Native Americans they encountered, including the
Cherokee assisted the early settlers and traders with food and
supplies. This was a continual process not just a single meal. The
Cherokees also taught the early settlers how to hunt, fish, and farm in
their new environment. They also taught them how to use herbal medicine
when they became ill.
Sadly, as more English people came to
America, they didn't need the Native Americans help anymore and the
newcomers had forgotten how the natives helped the earlier Pilgrims.
Mistrust began to grow and the friendship weakened. The Pilgrims
started telling their Native neighbors that their native religion and
native customs were wrong. The relationships deteriorated and within a
few years the children of the people who ate together at the first
Thanksgiving were killing one another in what led to the King Phillip's
War.
In 1736, Christian Priber, a Frenchman, established himself
among the Cherokees, learned their language, and taught them the
European Christianity until he was arrested by the English and put in
prison at Charleston, South Carolina. Even though the Cherokees
worshipped in their own religion, the work of the missionaries
converted some Cherokees to the European Christianity. The first known
Cherokee converted to European Christianity was 1773. In 1801, the
first permanent Christian Mission in the Cherokee Nation was called
Moravian Mission. It was located at Springplace, which is in
present-day Georgia.
As more Cherokees became Christians the
custom of observing the English National Thanksgiving Holiday became
common. D. W. Bushyhead, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, signed
a proclamation on Thursday, November 26th, A. D. 1885 for Thanksgiving
to be practiced by the Cherokees. The Proclamation reads, "The
Cherokees have abundant reason to rejoice. They are favored in all
things that should make a Nation prosperous and a people happy. They
have an indisputable right to an area of land sufficient for the needs
of generations of Cherokees to come. They have a perfect form of
Government, wise laws, unsurpassed educational facilities for their
children and money enough of their own invested to make these blessings
permanent. It is true this Nation is neither numerous wealthy nor
powerful compared with many others, but it stands and relies upon the
plighted faith of a Nation that has become the strongest on earth by
reason of its respect for human rights.
Today the major
population of the Cherokee members celebrates the National Thanksgiving
Holiday. There are a few Cherokees and other Native Americans who still
celebrate the Green Corn Ceremony in July and the National Thanksgiving
Holiday in November.
*Note:
Cultural information may vary from clan to clan, location to location,
family to family, and from differing opinions and experiences.
Information provided here is not 'etched in stone'.
INDIAN CLANS
Most of our readers probably know what is meant by Indian
clans. It is not more than a division of an Indian tribe into large families.
We believe this custom is universal with the north American Indians. Among the
Cherokees are seven clans, such as Wolf, Deer, Paint, & etc. This simple
division of the Cherokees formed the grand work by which marriages were
regulated, and murder punished. A Cherokee could marry into any of the clans
except two, that to which his father belongs, for all of that clan are his
fathers and aunts, and that to which his mother belongs, for all of that clan
are his brothers and sisters, a child invariably inheriting the clan of its
mother. This custom which originated from time immemorial was observed with the
greatest strictness. No law could be guarded and enforced with equal caution. In
times past, the penalty annexed to it was not less than death. But it has
scarcely, perhaps never been violated, except within a few years. Now it is
invaded with impunity, though not to an equal extent with other customs of the
Cherokees.
But it was the mutual law of clans as connected with
murder,which rendered the custom savage and barbarous. We speak of what it was
once, not as it is now, for the Cherokees, after experiencing sad effects from it,
determined to, and did about twenty years ago in a solemn council, abolished
it. From that time, murder has been considered a governmental crime. Previous
to that, the following were too palpably true, viz;
The Cherokee as a
nation, had nothing to do with murder.
Murder was punished upon the
principle of retaliation.
It belonged to the clan of the murdered to
revenge his death.
If the murderer fled, his brother or nearest relative
was liable to suffer in his stead.
If a man killed his brother, he was
amendable to no law or clan.
If the murderer (this however is known only
by tradition ) was not as respectable as the murdered, his relative, or a man of
his clan of a more respectable standing was liable to suffer.
To kill,
under any circumstance whatever, was considered murder,and punished accordingly.
Our readers will say, "those were savage laws indeed." They were, and
the Cherokees were then to be pitied for the above were not mere inoperative
laws, but most rigorously executed. but we can not way with pleasure, that they
are all repealed, and are remembered only as vestiges of ignorance and
barbarism.
Cherokee Phoenix and Indians' Advocate
Vol. 1 No. 49
Wednesday February 18, 1829
Pg. 2 Col. 5a
**************************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
**************************
Cherokee National Prison
Cherokee Nation has
a wealth of historical sites and buildings within its jurisdictional
boundaries. Looking at the histories and lifestyles associated with
these sites, we can get a good idea of the cultural lifestyle of our
past as compared with today.
The Cherokee National Prison was
authorized in 1873 by an act of the Cherokee National Council. Proceeds
from the sale of the Cherokee Outlet were designated in the amount of
$6,000 for the construction of the prison on the Cherokee Nation
capital square in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It was completed in 1874. The
Committee to Build the National Jail consisted of Riley Keys, John
Lynch Adair and John Francis Lyon. The position of High Sheriff of the
Cherokee Nation was established and filled in 1875. Administration of
the prison was shared with a Board of Supervisors, which consisted of
the Principal Chief, Assistant Principal Chief and the Executive
Council.
The prison was the only such facility in the entire Indian
Territory from 1875 to 1901. It housed sentenced or accused prisoners
from throughout the Territory.
Built of sandstone rock, the original
structure of the building was three stories high, and it was one of the
major tribal buildings erected in Tahlequah during the period. Accounts
at that time said it was, "made to hold the most hardened and dangerous
prisoners." It was also said the "No one escaped unless through death;
condemned prisoners were taken to be hanged on a scaffold behind the
building in the courtyard."
The National Prison, also referred to as
the Cherokee jail or penitentiary, was created for reformation as well
as for punishment for offenders. According to the law, punishment could
include hard labor, solitary confinement, or, imprisonment and
confinement therein at hard labor. It was used, "when deemed expedient
for the safe keeping of persons charged with murder, or other high
crimes, and for the temporary confinement or punishment of persons
sentenced by the National Council, or who may be put under arrest for
drunkenness, or other misdemeanor, at the seat of government." The
Principal Chief had the power to pardon condemned men, with the advice
and consent of his Executive Council, but this was rarely exercised."
Appointed
by Principal Chief Charles Thompson in December of 1875, Samuel
Sixkiller, became the National Prison's first High Sheriff. His $500
annual salary was paid out of the National treasury. Sixkiller was
initially delayed from using the jail as a place of imprisonment for
several months until the criminal portion of law was in force
appropriation to furnish supplies for the maintenance of inmates.
Being
High Sheriff was a formidable task since responsibilities required that
he act as warden, treasurer of the National Prison, custodian of the
capital building and other public property at the seat of government,
and perform such general and special duties imposed under him by law.
Duties of the sheriff, described by Sixkiller's successor, were
"impossible."
*********************
**** Cultural Tidbits ****
*********************
Finch On His Honor
Before
statehood, the Cherokees tried and punished their own lawbreakers. If a
crime should warrant it, an offender might be sentenced to hang by the
Cherokee court. There was a courthouse located on Little Green Leaf
Creek around the area that is now Camp Gruber. Behind the courthouse
was a gallows.
A Cherokee woman who lived near the courthouse
was sitting on her porch on a sizzling summer afternoon. She saw a
young man walking down the dusty road toward her home. He asked if he
might have a drink of water. The woman got his drink and asked him why
he was out walking at such a hot time of the day. His reply was simple.
“I'm going to the courthouse. I am scheduled to be hung today.”
A
person sentenced to death by the Cherokees was sometimes released to
his family for a set amount of time. He spent the final days getting
his affairs in order and saying farewell to his family and friends.
Then, having given his word to do so, he returned to face the
executioner.
*Note: Cultural information may vary from clan to
clan, location to location, family to family, and from differing
opinions and experiences. Information provided here is not 'etched in
stone'.
