What was a normal daily schedule for a cherokee indian?

Question

Specifically pre-Trail of Tears

Answer 1

Daily Life in Olden Times
Southeast Cherokee Indians

Who were the Cherokees?

Quick History: For whatever reason, about 4,000 years ago, the Cherokee people left the southwest region of what would become the United States, in search of a home. They moved through the Great Plains. They settled for a while around the Great Lakes region, but they were not welcomed. The Iroquois were not happy to see them. The Iroquois forcibly pushed the Cherokee from their land. The Cherokee moved on.

They wandered finally into North Carolina, where they discovered a land full of forests, mountains, rivers, streams, and fertile valleys. Wildlife was plentiful. They settled down happily. Life continued for thousands of years.

As their population grew, and as they conquered other tribes in the area, the Cherokee Nation grew. At one time, it covered 8 states including all or portions of the present day states of Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia and West Virginia.

It was not until the 1600's that the Cherokee met the first white man in their region. White traders found it easy to trade with the Cherokee. As long as you wished them no harm, the Cherokee were peaceful, even helpful. The Cherokee traded deerskins for cloth, hammers, tools, and guns.

There were many wars and problems in the intervening years. But it was not until 1830 that, once again, the Cherokee were forcibly pushed from their land, this time by the United States government. The Cherokee were given a new place to live - a reservation located in the southwest, an area they had left 4000 years earlier. The Cherokee were forced to walk all they way to Oklahoma. Many people died on the walk, which is why this move is called "The Trail of Tears".

About 200 years ago, the Cherokee developed a written language of their own. They wrote everything down, all their legends and stories and customs, so they could more easily teach their children the old ways.

Today, the Cherokee live in the modern world. They still follow some of their old customs and they still teach their children the old ways. The children do not always listen, as they did once, but most are as fascinated by their heritage as we are.

Come meet the Southeast Cherokee in olden times.

What did they eat?

Agriculture: The Cherokee were farmers, hunters and gatherers. They grew corn, squash and beans, along with pumpkin, melons, sunflowers, tobacco, and other crops. Corn was the most important food. The women made sure they planted enough crops to provide food for two years.

Hunting & Fishing: The Cherokee were wonderful hunters. Legend says ... They could hit a fly from 30 feet away. They did not hunt for sport. The men only hunted what they needed to feed their families. Every part of the animal was used. The most important animal for their needs was the deer. They hunted turtles for food, and used turtle shells for rattles.

Tools: They made blowguns, bows and arrows, animal traps, nets to catch fish, and spears.

What did they wear?

Clothing: Women wore deerskin tops, skirts, and moccasins. Men wore deerskin loin clothes in the summer, and added leggings, shirts, and robes in the winter, all made of deerskin.

Tattoos and Body Paint: Men commonly decorated their bodies and faces with tattoos or paint.

Jewelry/Beads: They made jewelry of shells and silver. Women made painted clay beads.

Government

Red Chief, White Chief: The Cherokee lived in villages. Each village had two chiefs - a "white" chief who led in times of peace, and a "red" chief who led in times of war. Unless the Cherokee were at war, the war chief had nothing to do except drill and keep himself and his warriors fit. This was very smart. The Cherokee could response instantly to a war threat with able leadership.

Village Council: Peace chiefs did not rule alone. They had able council. In peacetime, his right-hand and his speaker, along with six other men, helped the chief. These 9 men made up the Village Council. The Council made important decisions for the village.

Village Council House: The council met in the Council House. The council house was the most important building in each village. It was large enough to hold all the villagers, including the children. When the council had an announcement to make, everyone in the village could hear them.

Role of Women in Cherokee Village Government: Women have always been part of Cherokee government. Only men were priests and chiefs, but women could offer advice, and later on, participated as council members when chosen, just like the men.

Cherokee Nation Council: The Cherokee Nation was ruled in the same way. It had a chief and a council who made decisions for the Cherokee Nation.

How did they live?

Village Life: The Cherokee lived in villages. Each village was home to about 400-500 people. In each village, there were 30-60 homes, a plaza, a town square, and a council house large enough to hold all the villagers during a village meeting. A wall of tall poles tied together surrounded each village. There was a summer village and a winter village.

Homes: Each family had two homes. These homes were located in the two different villages, the summer village and the winter village.

Winter Round Homes: Round homes were made of wood, and covered with mud for additional protection against the cold. Homes had bark roofs. The homes were decorated with colorful rugs, baskets, and wall hangings. Each home had a fire burning in the center. Homes had smoke holes at the top to let out the smoke.

Summer Rectangle Homes: Summer homes were bigger. They were made in the shape of huge rectangles. Cone shaped roofs were made of bark, covered with long grass. The house was made with long sticks. These homes were cool and airy, and let in light.


Roles of Men and Women: In the Cherokee culture, men and women were considered equals.

Cherokee Men: Men cut down trees to clear land for planting. They used the wood to build canoes, homes, and the pole fences around the villages. They hunted and fished. They made traps, nets, and other tools. They fixed moccasins. Sometimes a man would move in with his wife's family, and sometimes he might build a home for his wife.

Cherokee Women: The role of Cherokee women in the past was very different than the role of other American women. In the Cherokee Nation, women were warriors. Women ruled the home. Although the men built the homes, the women owned them. Women had power over their families, participated in government, and fought as warriors. Very few women had these rights in Colonial America.

They also did the same jobs as did other Indian women. They were very proud of their colorfully designed baskets. Baskets were used to gather nuts in the fall, and store goods. The women were the farmers. They planted seed and harvested crops. They stored food. Young girls pounded corn into flour. Women used the skins of animals to make clothing and other goods. They also raised the children.


7 Clans: The Cherokee Nation was divided into seven clans. A clan is a family of related people. The seven clans are: Long Hair, Paint, Bird, Wolf, Wild Potato, Deer, and Blue. When a child was born, he or she became a member of the mother's clan.

Villages were a mix of clans. This was good because Cherokee law clearly stated that you could not marry someone from your own clan. There were many ways to meet people. Villages helped each other. They got together for local festivals. Relatives visited. Often, there was a different mix of people in the summer villages than in the winter villages. Plus, all the clans got together for annual festivals. There were many chances to meet people from other clans.

Marriage

The rules were clear. You could not marry someone from your own clan. But once you found someone from another clan that you wanted to marry, there were other rules you had to follow.

First, you had to ask a family member if this was a good decision. You had to get a positive answer. You might have to hunt through several family members before you found someone who agreed with you that yes, this would be a good decision. If you could not find someone to agree with you, then you could not marry that person.

Second, you had to ask the chief of the woman's village to determine if your marriage would be a good one. The chief would put two roots in his hand, and say a prayer. If the two roots moved at the same time, it meant good luck, and yes, you could marry. If only one root moved, it meant bad luck, and no, you could not marry.

Answer 2

Cherokee Daily Life

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What was a normal daily schedule for a cherokee indian?

Answer 4

No. You must accept you are not black. You continue to ask questions. I stated in the last one, you are mestizo. Not black. The Cherokee Indians are not black. Black people come from the other side of the world. There's no way they would have black ancestry in genetic background unless they had children with Freedmen within the past 200 years or so which is not the genetic ancestry of pure Cherokee. The Cherokee however more or less often married Cherokee rather than the Freedmen. Cherokee's pure ethnic background is Cherokee. Native Americans are probably one of the purest races left on Earth as there are still pure Native Americans out there. But Cherokees have no black ancestry.

Answer 5

You need to refine this question, as the answer will depend on the era and the area in which the Cherokees you are trying to find out about lived.

Answer 6

Well lets see... I wake up, take a shower, clean up the house... Oh wait you are wanting someone that lives on the reservations?

Answer 7

Wake up, go buffalo hunting, come home and get some, then eat buffalo