Essay On Cherokee Tribe

The Cherokee, also known as the Tsalagi, are one of the indigenous peoples of the
Southeast. The word Cherokee comes from the name Choctaw which means ‘those who live in the mountains’. They inhabited Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The Cherokee were a fascinating tribe with intriguing aspects to their culture.
One interesting aspect about the Cherokee tribe is their different view on marriage and children. The wedding is a very special event and is informal most of the time. The couple gather at the womans household and exchange corn to symbolize their marriage and vows. After the ceremony ends, the man moves into his new wife’s family’s household. When married, the woman controlled the property and was the most dominant. Polygamy was

One famous ritual that is known by many is the stomp dance. A firekeeper begins to light a fire at dawn that will last for the duration of the stomp dance. The fire is a sacred symbol to the Cherokees and is built at the bottom of a pit so that the fire will not burn out. This ritual lasts from dawn until sun down where the stomp dance soon comes into play. The participants include a leader and ‘shakers’ which are men or women that wear leg rattles made out of turtle shells. These participants dance and feast into the night. They follow rules that are written on a board and visible during the ceremony such as: no littering and no consumption of liquor. The ceremony involves sacrifices made by the leaders, a river ritual, smoking from a pipe and multiple prayers. It’s a very important ritual to the Cherokee tribe and they perform it numerous times. The ritual also includes sermons that are lead by the leaders. The sermons include topics such as loving one another and mankind. There are specific grounds where these stomp dances take place and are exclusive. Only Cherokee members know where these stomp dances are held and no one else can join unless they are a part of the