This Blog Shows The Cherokee Nation Situation Before European Contact

The Cherokee inhabited the Southeastern region of what is known today as the U.S. before Europeans arrived. Their land, consisting of forests, rivers, and mountain ranges, provided them with essential resources for food, shelter, and medicine as well as a connection to their spirituality. The Cherokee resided in towns of various sizes that were located near a water source such as a stream or river. Water was essential for fishing and farming as well as a means for travel.

Cherokee Nation Situation

Each town functioned with its own leadership and community. Cherokee society was based off of clans. Clans were large family groups. Members were determined by their mothers, thus clans of Cherokee were matrilineal and matrilineal societies were common as women were respected and were seen as the head of a family. Families of the Cherokee farmed corn, beans, and squash which many of the community relied on for sustenance. Men of the community were hunters and protectors, while the women were the farmers.

Both the men and women of the Cherokee community were vital for the survival of the town. The Cherokee also relied on their hunting and fishing as well as gathering for their sustenance. They used what nature gave them carefully. They really knew the seasons. Understood the plants and animals around them. Their lives were closely tied to nature. They did not see land as something to own like Europeans did later. They saw land as something shared and respected. Cherokee homes were built to fit the land and the weather.

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They had homes for weather and homes for cold weather. These homes were made from materials they found nearby. The Cherokee used wood, clay, grass and bark. Their homes showed their skill and knowledge of nature. Religion and spiritual beliefs were very important. The Cherokee believed that life needed balance. They respected the earth, animals, plants, water and sky. Ceremonies helped bring people and keep harmony in the community. These beliefs guided life and shaped how people treated each other and the world.

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Before contact the Cherokee people had a strong culture. They had a social system and a deep bond with their homeland. They had their government, traditions, language, food systems and spiritual life. Their society was not simple or weak. It was rich organized and meaningful. The Cherokee Nation, before contact was a strong Native society. The people lived with purpose, wisdom and balance. Their history did not begin with Europeans. It began before in their own homeland with their own ways of life.

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