The Cherokee called themselves the Ani'yunwiya or the 'Principle People', they also went by Tsalagi. The name 'Cherokee' was given to them by the Creek Indians meaning "People who use another Language" and don't really go by the name, in the Cherokee Language, they're is no 'r'. And have also as the Keetoowahs. By the Spanish they were known as "Chalaque."
The Cherokee are a branch of the Iroquois nation and can trace over a thousand years just in North Carolina. And by the time the first white settlers came to the area, the Cherokee covered all of the southeastern states. Their society consisted of hunters, traders, and agriculture. And have also been recognized as the most advanced among Native American tribes. Unlike depicted in Old Western films of plains indians, the Cherokee lived in log cabins.
Each house had a fireplace that was used for warmth in the winter months, and the cooking was done outdoors. The work within the village was shared by both the men and women. Their women where treated much more differently then those of European women. The women planted their crops of corn, beans, and squash and at first harvest all the crops and preparing it for the winter months. The men did all the hunting in the forests. They used bows and arrows to bring down large game, such as deer and bear. The meat was always shared by the village. They would also supplement their food, with fish which they caught in traps. The women would make clothing from the animal skins, they also weaved baskets and made pottery jars to carry water in and bowls to serve meals in. The men would cut down trees to clear the land and make canoes from hollowed out trunks, they did this by burning the trunks out with hot coals, then scraped the insides with sharp stones to make it the canoe shape. Young girls were taught to farm, weave and make pottery. Young boys were taught how to make bows and arows for hunting and how to make canoes, used for fishing and traveling. Hunting skills were also taught. There was two chiefs; A Peace Chief and a War Chief which would be in seperate clans.
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