Cherokee Tribe's Roles In American Culture

Before Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic Ocean to discover America in 1492, various groups of people had already located America. These groups of people were known as tribes. Tribes were often divided into several cultural groups because of the different beliefs and ideas they each followed. Although tribes date far back into history, they are still popular among millions of people today. According to the United States Census Bureau: “There are about 4.5 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the United States today. That is about 1.5 percent of the population” (History.com). Of all the tribes in the US today, one of the most popular tribes are the Cherokee Indian Tribes. They initially settled in the southeastern parts of the

The men usually hunted for food and fought when it is necessary to do so. They cut down trees for planting and used the wood to build homes and canoes. They made tools and worked outside for the most part. Cherokee women worked at home and controlled what happened in the household. The women in this particular tribe owned the men and had the majority power over their families. Women in these tribes were farmers because they took care of the food that was made in the households. Not only were women in charge of taking care of the families and controlling the house, but they also fought as warriors. Although there were differences in the two genders and their roles in society, each had mutual respect for one another as they realized they were essential to the survival of the tribes. (Indians.org)

In the Cherokee tribe, men and women also dressed differently from each other. Men wore short gowns which were referred to as hunting shirts and beaded belts. As for pants, younger men wore pants that were homespun out of yarn and cloth; Older men wore deerskin leggings. Women wore “tear dresses” which were dresses torn from larger bolt pieces. These dresses were worn to special tribal occasions and at weddings. As for shoes, only some men and women wore moccasins because shoes were not hugely popular at the time. (Cherokee

As stated on a religious website about the Cherokee tribe, “The Cherokees had a strong belief that there were certain beings who came down from the skies formed the world, the moon and the stars. It was believed that the world was created at the time of the new moon of autumn, when the fruits of the earth were ripe” (religiousbeliefs.com). The Cherokee tribes believed that each form of the world has a particular role in the creating of the universe and that they represented a deeper meaning. According to their beliefs, the sun was the primary object of worship, and this tribe would worship and pray to the sun for good luck and a healthy lifestyle. Because they believed the sun and moon were such holy objects, they held festivals called the New Moon festival in which they remembered all the duties of the moon and sun and how faithful they were to them in their time of need. Along with these beliefs, the Cherokee tribes also believed in an afterlife. They firmly believed in seven heavens, and a person would one day be placed in the level they deserved based on how they lived their life on earth. The levels went from one being the best, where the supreme being was, to seven being the worst where one would live a life of eternal suffering. They looked at life as a gift and knew it was something to treasure. They believed as long as a person treasured life and did good in