Cherokee History and Culture

Overview

This lecture covers the history of the Cherokee people up to 1865, focusing on Indian Removal and its impact on the tribe.

Cherokee are the most populous tribe in America today, with three federally recognized tribes.
Two Cherokee tribes are in Oklahoma (Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band); one is in North Carolina (Eastern Band).
Over 800,000 Americans claim Cherokee ancestry, though most are not officially recognized.
The Cherokee language is part of the Iroquoian family, with roots traced to the Great Lakes region.

Cherokee settled in the Southeast (NC, TN, GA, SC) over 1,000 years ago.
Kituwah Mound in NC is considered the Cherokee ancestral homeland.
The Cherokee practiced the green corn ceremony, marking the new year and harvest.
Around 1200s, Cherokees overthrew the oppressive hereditary priest class, the Anikutani.

First European contact was with Hernando de Soto's violent expedition (1540s), bringing disease and devastation.
Juan Pardo's 1567 expedition ended with Cherokee destroying Spanish forts.
By 1650, Cherokee population was ~22,500, living in towns and practicing farming and hunting.
Trade with English colonists (deerskins for tools and firearms) began in the 1600s.
Smallpox epidemic (1738-39) killed about half the Cherokee.

Cherokee allied with English against Tuscarora, but later fought the English in the French and Indian War, leading to decades of conflict.
During the American Revolution, Cherokees attacked settlers but suffered devastating retaliation.

In the early 1800s, Sequoia created the Cherokee syllabary, making literacy widespread.
The Cherokee Nation established a government modeled on the U.S. with a legislature and courts.
Leaders like James Vann and "The Ridge" helped modernize Cherokee society, adopting plantations and slavery.

Indian Removal Act (1830) authorized relocating eastern tribes to lands west of the Mississippi.
Despite Supreme Court support for Cherokee sovereignty, Georgia ignored rulings and enforced state laws on Cherokee land.
John Ross led resistance (National Party), while the Treaty Party, led by Major Ridge, signed the controversial Treaty of New Echota (1835).
Forced removal (1838-39) led to the death of ~4,000 Cherokees (Trail of Tears).
Treaty Party leaders were assassinated in 1839 in retaliation.

Some Cherokee remained in NC, becoming American citizens and later reestablishing tribal government.
The Civil War split the Cherokee, with most siding with the Confederacy, deepening internal divisions.

Iroquoian Language Family — Group of languages including Cherokee and Iroquois.
Anikutani — Hereditary priest class overthrown by the Cherokee.
Green Corn Ceremony — Annual Cherokee harvest and renewal festival.
Syllabary — Set of written symbols for each syllable in Cherokee, invented by Sequoia.
Indian Removal Act — 1830 law authorizing relocation of eastern tribes.
Trail of Tears — Forced Cherokee migration to Indian Territory, causing massive deaths.
Domestic Dependent Nations — Supreme Court term defining tribal sovereignty under U.S. law.

Review the Treaty of New Echota and its implications.
Read about Worcester v. Georgia and its legal significance.
Prepare for a discussion on how Cherokee history relates to broader U.S. policies.