When the Cherokees emerged as a distinctive culture, they carefully situated themselves so as to take advantage of the many resources available in the southern mountains and adjacent foothills. By locating major settlements in the Piedmont Province (the Lower Towns in South Carolina and Georgia), the Blue Ridge Province (the Middle Towns in northwest South Carolina, Western North Carolina and north Georgia) and the Ridge and Valley Province (the Overhill Towns in east Tennessee), they could purposefully harvest the varied commodities available in each of these regions.
For the most part, the early Cherokees were generalists — that is, they utilized a variety of animal, vegetable and mineral products extracted from the natural world in an orderly manner. They knew exactly where to find suitable rock and earth materials. They knew the seasons when each plant and animal should be taken. And they knew when to venture into the high country to pursue certain game or procure choice fruits, nuts and roots.
Their lives were ordered to a great degree by the abundance available in the region they had made into a homeland. In essence, they became dependent upon these landscapes for both their material welfare and their spiritual well-being. And they tended — with one great exception — to avoid practices that exploited the situation.
Nevertheless, they did value certain commodities more than others, and it’s interesting to consider which items were especially prized.
The quality of fine stones available for crafting arrow and spear points was somewhat limited in the Cherokee homeland. Accordingly, they often traded westward into present day Tennessee, up into the Ohio River valley, and elsewhere for choice stones that could be utilized for these purposes.
Quartz crystals suitable as divining stones were available within their homeland, but superior quartz was more often obtained by once again trading westward into such areas as present day Arkansas. The primary items in this category that were available within their homeland were excellent varieties of soapstone and fine clays. From these pots, bowls, and ornaments were crafted that made their lifestyles more functional and pleasurable.
And as mentioned in a recent column, there were numerous sites where mica could be mined for ornamentation or trade.
Within the animal world, the Cherokees utilized numerous species on both the material and spiritual levels: eagles, falcons, turkeys, bears, buffalo and so on.
One of the most significant for several reasons was the white-tailed deer. According to Arlene Fradkin in her “Cherokee Folk Zoology: The Animal World of a Native American People” (1990), deer were, by far, the major mammal hunted and the most important game animal in the Cherokee economy.
Virtually all parts of the deer served some purpose. Its flesh (venison) provided more than 50 percent of the total animal food consumed. Its skins were the most widely used nonfood animal product, providing the basic constituents for the native dress of both men and women. Sinews functioned as string for tying points and feathers, and as thread for sewing. Bones, antlers and hooves were made into ornamental or utilitarian items. Tallow was mixed with white clay to make paint.
Starting from about 1700, deerskins provided the major item traded by the Cherokees with the Europeans for woven blankets, metal pots and knives, guns, horses and other items that were becoming essential during that period. According to records kept by the British in Charleston and London, millions (not thousands) of white-tailed deer were slaughtered each year to provide a means for obtaining those goods.
In regard to plants, the basic food source for the Cherokees was, of course, southern dent corn. This was a cultivated plant that had its origins in central Mexico about 4,000 B.C. Of the various native plants, many could be nominated from among the trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous and other vascular species that flourish throughout a region which is to this day noted worldwide for its flora.
But I would argue that river cane was probably as important as any other item. River cane was used for countless purposes: within house walls for support and as mats and benches, garden fencing, blow guns and dart shafts, fish traps, candles, arrow shafts, baskets, mats, flutes and so on.
In their respected volume “Cherokee Plants and Their Uses — A 400 Year History” (1975) Paul B. Hamel and Mary U. Chiltoskey note that during the great smallpox epidemic of 1738 cane shafts were “used as knives as a last resort in committing suicide.”
I’m running out of room. Next week let’s consider the three species of native cane found in Western North Carolina: river cane, switch cane and hill cane. They’re easy to learn and fun to take a closer look at when you’re out and about.
George Ellison is a naturalist and writer. His wife, Elizabeth Ellison, is a painter and papermaker who owns a gallery in Bryson City. Contact them at info@georgeellison.com or info@elizabethellisongallery.com or write to P.O. Box 1262, Bryson City, NC 28713.
FAQs
Plants used by Cherokee healers include blackberry, black gum, hummingbird blossoms, cattail, greenbriar, mint, mullein, sumac, wild ginger, wild rose, yarrow, and yellow dock. Visitors to Cherokee will discover many of these plants in the gardens of the Oconaluftee Indian Village.
What did the Cherokee tribe value? ›
The life of the traditional Cherokee was guided by a faith in supernatural forces that linked humans to all other living things. Values rested on a relationship of people and place, family and clan, and community and council.
Who are the moon eyed giants in Cherokee? ›
The moon-eyed people are a legendary group of short, bearded white-skinned people who are said to have lived in Appalachia until the Cherokee expelled them. Stories about them, attributed to Cherokee tradition, are mentioned by early European settlers in America.
How did the Cherokee tribe use their resources? ›
The Cherokee were farming people. Cherokee women did most of the farming, harvesting crops of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. Cherokee men did most of the hunting, shooting deer, bear, wild turkeys, and small game. They also fished in the rivers and along the coast.
What did Cherokees use for money? ›
Wampum and the Cherokee
The word for money in Cherokee is atela/atsela/adela (dialectic differences). This is also the word used for bead (Mooney, 488). Wampum was instrumental in diplomatic affairs.
What is the Cherokee most famous for? ›
What is the Cherokee tribe known for? The Cherokee people have a long history and are known for many things. They are notable in that they are the largest Native American group in existence, they have a written syllabary for their language, and they currently control a large portion of the land in Oklahoma.
What do Cherokee call God? ›
The Cherokees have only two names of God, one of which, (5 Cherokee letters) U-ne-la-nv-hi, signifies the Creator, and the other (6 Cherokee letters) Ga-lv-la-ti c-hi, he who dwells above.
What did the Cherokees do for fun? ›
Cherokee adults played two major games: basket dice, a game of chance, and stickball, a form of lacrosse. These, as well as a number of minor games, were fixed parts of ritual sequences until recently. The minor games have not survived well and are poorly documented.
What is important to the Cherokee tribe? ›
Cherokee culture encompasses our longstanding traditions of language, spirituality, food, storytelling and many forms of art, both practical and beautiful. However, just like our people, Cherokee culture is not static or frozen in time, but is ever-evolving.
Did Cherokees have blue eyes? ›
Among the many Cherokee I know personally there is great diversity in the way they look, from very dark to very fair skin, black to blond and even red hair — even blue eyes.
Cherokee Wolf Pup Travel Trailers and Travel Trailer Toy Haulers are lightweight and easy to tow, making them perfect for first timers and seasoned RVers alike. Each RV has plenty of tank capacities and large amounts of storage space.
What is the Cherokee Wolf clan? ›
"Aniwaya" or "Aniwahya" (Cherokee syllabary:ᎠᏂᏩᏯ) is the "Wolf Clan". The Aniwaya, or Wolf Clan, has been known throughout time to be the largest clan. During the time of the Peace Chief and War Chief government setting, the War Chief would come from this clan. Wolves are known as protectors.
What was the Cherokees favorite food? ›
Some Cherokee favorites include cornmeal-dredged fried crawdads, wild onions cooked with eggs, fried hog meat, fried fish, brown beans, bean bread, greens such as kochani, poke sallet and watercress, and desserts such as grape dumplings and kanutsi.
What jewelry did the Cherokee wear? ›
Common Materials Used in Traditional Cherokee Jewelry
Natural materials such as shells, nuts, and carved beads were also common. As Europeans began trading they brought brightly-colored seed beads, glass beads, fabrics, needles, and silk thread, all of which were used by the Cherokee to create gorgeous patterns.
Did the Cherokee have tattoos? ›
Other ornamentation included silver gorgets, armbands, and earrings. Some Cherokee men continued to shave their heads and sported facial/body tattoos or paint while others wore colorful turbans adorned with feathers or other ornamentation. The Cherokee also brought with them a diverse array of weaponry.
What materials did the Cherokee use? ›
For untold centuries, Cherokee artists have turned natural materials such as river cane, clay, wood, and stone into beautiful works of art. Basketry, pottery, stone carving, wood carving, bead working, finger weaving, and traditional masks are a few of the timeless forms of Cherokee art that endure today.
What plants did the Cherokee use? ›
Results: Several Cherokee medicinal plants are still in use today as herbal medicines, including, for example, yarrow (Achillea millefolium), black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), and blue skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora).
What did Native Americans use nature for? ›
The importance of nature in Native American culture is a widely noted fact throughout history that continues to reign true to present-day. The natural world permeates all aspects of American Indian life—religion, daily rituals, mythology, writings, food, medicine, art, and so much more.
What natural resources discovered on Cherokee land? ›
In 1828, European-Americans discovered gold in the Appalacian Mountains of Georgia. This land was part of the Cherokee Nation. Members of the Nation first discovered this gold in the early 1700s and it remained virtually untouched for 100 years.
