Cherokee Government
Cherokee oral tradition tells of a time when the Cherokees
were ruled over by a powerful priesthood called the ani-Kutani. When the
priests took away a young man's wife, he organized a revolt and all the priests
were killed. Since then, according to the tale, the Cherokees have had a
democratic government.
Unified by language, traditions, and its clan system, the
Cherokee nation had no centralized government or written laws. Towns governed
themselves by democratic consensus, and each had its own priest, war chief, and
peace chief.
Today, the three-branch government is composed of a chief
executive called the principal chief, a legislature called the Tribal Council,
and a judicial branch called a tribunal made up of three tribal justices.
Cherokee Houses
The Cherokee language belongs to the Iroquoian family of
languages and is related to Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and
Tuscarora, among others. According to scholars, the Cherokee language became a
separate, distinct language at least thirty-five hundred years ago (1500
B.C.).It is a complex and difficult language; in his Cherokee-English
Dictionary, for example, Durbin Feeling lists 126 forms of a single verb.
Cherokee has been a written language at least since 1821,
when Sequoyah (c. 1770-1843),produced a Cherokee Syllabary for that purpose. (A
syllabary is a writing system in which each symbol stands for an entire
syllable. In the Cherokee syllabary, for instance, the symbol "A"
stands for the sound "go.") Although Sequoyah is credited with inventing
the syllabary, some Cherokees say that the syllabary is an ancient Cherokee
writing system which was kept secret until Sequoyah decided to make it public.
The Cherokee language is still in wide use today. Many
children still grow up with Cherokee as their first language, learning English
when they go to school. Bilingual education programs in the public schools also
encourage continued use of the language.
Cherokee Greetings
Cherokee Legends / Myths / Oral Stories
Sacred Animals
The cougar and the owl hold special significance to the
Cherokee people. It is said they were the only animals who stayed awake during
the seven nights of creation, so to this day they are nocturnal. Cherokee
culture associated the spaces on the back of the turtle with the 13 yearly
phases of the moon.
Sacred Colors
East = red = success; triumph - Red is also the color of the
East Wind Messenger, "Ka na ti" which is symbolized by the Thunder
Bird. "Ka na ti" is the father of the South Wind and West
Wind--thunder and lightning. This spirit being controls time and space. He
precedes the Sun each morning to announce her arrival.
North = blue = defeat; trouble -
North Wind Messenger = black - He is called "Yah wi gu
na he da", Long Human being. This being is the spirit of all of the rivers
and controls the winds that bring the winter season. He would cause great
mischief if not for the watchful eyes of the South Wind and West Wind
Messengers which keep him in check.
West = black = death
West Wind Messenger = brown - He is called "Nuh sa
wi", the Dark Magician. The West Wind Messenger represents lightning.
South = white = peace; happiness
South Wind = yellow - The name of the South Wind Messenger
is "U sa wi", the Light Magician. This spirit being ushers in the
summer seasons. Together with his twin brother, the West Wind, they manage the
rain, wind and lightning throughout summer and autumn. Together they force the
North Wind back to his home after his allotted time.
Green = Clan color for the AniGatogewi, the Wild Potato
Clan.
Yellow = Clan color for the AniGilohi, the Long Hair Clan.
Brown = Clan color for the Ani Kawi, the Deer Clan.
Purple = Clan color for the Ah-ni-tsi-sk-wa, the Red Tailed
Hawk Clan.
Blue = Clan color for the Ah-ni-sa-ho-ni, the Blue Holly
Clan.
White = Clan color for the Ah-ni-wo-di, the Paint Clan.
Red = Clan color for the Ani'-Wah' Ya, the Wolf Clan.
Sacred Places
The Cherokee consider all rivers and streams to be sacred
places. Every day began with the going-to-water ceremony, when everyone entered
a stream near their village, faced east, and prayed to the seven directions:
the four cardinal points, the sky, the earth, and the center—the spirit. They
gave thanks for a new day, and washed away any feelings that might separate
them from their neighbors or from the Creator, emerging cleansed physically,
mentally, and spiritually.
