Cherokee Topics – Page 5 of 53

Cherokee Formula for Song For Painting

The Cherokee Formula for Song for Painting is a ritual recitation accompanying the adornment of the body before dance. Following a cleansing bath, participants chant the formula, with the refrain “yû´nwehi” used during paint mixing and applying. This practice, although now largely obsolete, reflects traditional ceremonial customs, marking the transition to dance that typically occurs late at night. The original chants emphasize a connection to nature and ancestral spirits, underscoring the significance of preparation in Cherokee cultural expressions.

1817 Reservation Roll: Eastern Cherokee

1930s Valley of the Eastern Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina

A listing of 311 Cherokees claimants applying for a 640 acre tract in the East in lieu of removing to Arkansas. This was only good during their lifetime and then the property reverted back to the state.

Cherokee Burial Customs

The Cherokee, an Iroquoian tribe native to eastern Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, practiced distinctive burial customs, notably placing deceased individuals under stone mounds. These mounds, frequently found in their former territories, often marked burial sites or served as landmarks. Excavations at mounds, such as those in Blount County, revealed human remains and artifacts, indicating a rich burial tradition that included ceremonies and offerings. This custom persisted until at least the early 18th century, highlighting aspects of Cherokee culture prior to extensive European contact.

The Texas Cherokee 1820-1830

Between 1812 and 1836, the Texas Cherokee Nation faced significant challenges as they settled in Texas after migrating from Arkansas. Led by Chief John Bowles, they sought peace, gaining recognition as Mexican citizens. However, rising tensions with the Republic of Texas culminated in their expulsion in 1839. Despite earlier treaties affirming their land rights, the government adopted destructive policies against them, ultimately leading to conflict. This tragic history underscores the complexities of their struggle for land and sovereignty, mirroring broader themes of displacement and conflict in American history.

The Emigration From Georgia

The 1835 Echota Treaty entitled the Cherokee Nation to $6,537,634, with $600,000 allocated for their removal expenses. Various detachments, led by conductors, facilitated the migration west. Despite the treaty, the Cherokee’s claim to their land and sovereignty remained unacknowledged, leading to tensions post-removal. A council established in 1838 sought to affirm their rights and facilitate governance among emigrants and western Cherokees. Following violent conflicts and political strife, a national convention in 1839 aimed to unify factions and promote peace.

Cherokee Public School System Established

This detailed history traces Cherokee education from missionary schools in the early 1800s to a nation-run public school system, seminaries, and orphan institutions. It outlines treaties, constitutional provisions, funding, school expansions, superintendents, and graduates, showing how the Cherokee Nation prioritized schooling, self-governance, and educational independence well into the early 20th century.

Proclamation May 28, 1828

Constitution Of The Cherokee Nation

Cherokee Origin and Religion

A sweeping historical narrative traces Cherokee origins, migrations, and early contact with Europeans, blending legend, biblical parallels, and speculative theories about ancient peoples and cataclysms. It recounts Cherokee relations with missionaries, traders, and colonial powers, including wars, treaties, and leaders such as Attacullaculla, Oconostota, and Nancy Ward, before closing with John Howard Payne’s poem, “The Lament of the Cherokee.”

Act of Union Between The Eastern and Western Cherokees

An act of union in 1839 reunited the Eastern and Western Cherokees into one Cherokee Nation and established a new constitution with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The document defined citizenship, land rights, elections, courts, and religious freedom, later amended in 1866 to reflect treaty changes, emancipation, and expanded citizenship rights.

History of the Cherokee Indians

Originally published in 1921, History of the Cherokee Indians, a reference originally created “for the purpose of perpetuating some of the facts relative to the Cherokee tribe, that might otherwise be lost,” in the words of author Emmet Starr. The result is a straightforward history of the Cherokee tribe with especial attention upon the 1800’s, an assortment of primary source writings, and thoroughly extensive genealogies of old Cherokee families. Genealogists and anyone tracing Cherokee ancestry are sure to find History of the Cherokee Indians especially illuminating; other readers curious about a more general history of the tribe will also find a wealth of insightful information about the Cherokee’s conflicts with other tribes, adoption of its constitution, emigrations, treaties, and much more. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this solid historical and genealogical accounting.

Kern Clifton Rolls

In 1896-1897 the Kern-Clifton Roll was created to fill in the omissions of the Wallace Roll. Genealogists not finding their Cherokee ancestor in the Kern-Clifton Roll, should search the Wallace Roll to insure that this ancestor was not one of those originally identified by the John Wallace census. This census of the Freedmen and their descendants of the Cherokee Nation taken by the Commission appointed in the case of Moses Whitmire, Trustee of the Freedmen of the Cherokee Nation vs. The Cherokee Nation and the United States in the Court of Claims at Washington, D. C., the said Commission being composed of William Clifton, William Thompson and Robert H. Kern, the same being made from the testimony taken before said Commission in the Cherokee Nation between May 4th and August 10th, 1896.

Dawes Act

The Dawes Act, also known as the General Allotment Act, implemented in 1887, aimed to allot tribal lands to individual Native Americans in order to promote agriculture and integrate them into American society. Each head of a family could receive a quarter section of land, while single individuals and orphaned children received smaller allotments. The act allowed for the federal government to manage the land in trust for 25 years, after which land ownership would be transferred to the individual. However, significant limitations were imposed on tribes, and it excluded certain groups, ultimately leading to the loss of millions of acres of tribal land.

Drennen Rolls

The Drennen Rolls are the first census of Cherokee arrivals in 1839 after the Trail of Tears, documenting per-capita payments to Cherokees living in the West under the 1835 treaty. Prepared by John Drennen, the roll lists names, districts, and family groups, and may include enrollment application numbers in the notes.

1924 Baker Roll

The final roll of the Eastern Cherokee, prepared by United States Agent Fred A. Baker, pursuant to an act of the 68th Congress, (43 stat., 376), June 4, 1924. Before preparation of this roll, the Act required that all land, money, and other property of the Tribe be transferred to the United States for final disposition. Termination of the Tribe as a government and political entity was the ultimate goal. After termination efforts failed, the Tribe continued to use the 1924 Baker Roll as its base roll. Descendants of those persons of the original Baker Roll are enrolled on the Baker Revised Roll, providing they meet the membership requirements of the Tribe.

Indian Confederacy Of 1781

The spring of 1781 was a terrible season for the white settlements in Kentucky and the whole border country. The natives who surrounded them had never shown so constant and systematic a determination for murder and mischief. Early in the summer, a great meeting of Indian deputies from the Shawanees, Delawares, Cherokees, Wyandot, Tawas, Pottawatomie, and diverse other tribes from the north-western lakes, met in grand council of war at Old Chilicothe. The persuasions and influence of two infamous whites, one McKee, and the notorious Simon Girty, “inflamed their savage minds to mischief, and led them to execute every diabolical scheme.”

Map of Western North Carolina

This map details the primary territories of the Eastern Band of Cherokee located in Cherokee, Jackson, Graham, and Swain Counties, North Carolina. It serves as a visual representation of the region significant to the Cherokee culture and history in Western North Carolina.

Qualla Reservation Map

The map details the Qualla Boundary, which is designated as the Qualla Reservation located in North Carolina. This area holds significant historical and cultural importance for the Cherokee people.

New Echota, Georgia, September 27, 1837

In a correspondence dated August 29 and 30, 1837, it is reported that $200,000 received from the U.S. Treasurer for the Cherokee treaty has been partially disbursed. Only $25,000 in drafts remains, as funds were quickly exchanged both for the benefit of Cherokee recipients and to foster emigration sentiment. Exchanges were conducted at par with the Insurance Bank of Columbus and the Western Bank of Georgia, prioritizing the public service over profit. Confidence in these funds has aided ongoing operations.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs dated July 3, 1837

The correspondence from 1837 highlights the challenges faced in disbursing treaty payments to recipients in Georgia and Tennessee. Commissioners Lumpkin and Kennedy noted a strong preference for specie over bank notes due to the latter’s diminished credibility following suspensions of specie payments. Captain Simonton reported procuring $200,000 from the Bank of Augusta but faced pressure to accept terms that included limited specie. The need for a reliable funding arrangement remained urgent, particularly for those in Tennessee dissatisfied with the local bank’s bills.