The Cherokee People
The Cherokee people are located in two regions representing their history under the United States.  The Eastern Band of Cherokee are located in North Carolina and Tennessee, the traditional homeland of the people who call themselves “Ani Yun Wiya”  meaning  “Real People”. It is assumed the term Cherokee was probably given to them by their neighbors in the southeast, The Creeks.  The Creeks called them “Tciloki”, meaning “people of a different speech”.

Cherokee is derived from Chi meaning fire and "roki" meaning world or people –
The traditional meaning is derived from the two ancient clans when they arrived in Florida, from the Yucatan area. One was the Hataka - the priest and medicine-people of the Bear, who bought the sacred fire to Turtle Island and the other was the Chiloki or wolf clan.

The Cherokees are an ancient people.   In the beginning there were Nomadic tribes of people who identified themselves under their own name and tribal customs. At that time the world was in its ice age period. At the time of the land bridge; the Ashinabe (Chippewa) tribe, walked across that bridge, and settled into the Canada region of Turtle Island . From there, they broke into two groups; one remained called the Ashinabe/Chippewa , the other migrated across Canada , eastwardly to settle in  various  northern states of the United States , calling themselves , the Ojibwe .

From there, they broke into bands . Some migrated into other groups going eastwardly even further, to became the Iroquois Nation. From the Iroquois , came a break off  group, migrating southwards; now called the Cherokees.  One author I've read states the they broke off again and migrated to South America, the later returned northward into Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia; to become ancient mound builders.

The modern Cherokee nation has more enrolled members than any other in the Untied States.  The 1990 census showed around 400, 000 Cherokees living in the country.  However, the Navajo are considered to be the largest tribe, since the Cherokee recognize anyone who has even the smallest part Cherokee in their heritage to be a Cherokee.  The Cherokee philosophy is that even the smallest drop of Cherokee blood makes one a Cherokee.  Most other tribes require that one prove they are one sixteenth to one quarter of the native tribe to be considered part of their heritage.

The major component of the Cherokee nation is found in Oklahoma.  In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which evicted all Indians in the southeastern United States to what is now Oklahoma.  At the time of this act the Cherokee were an advanced nation having built towns and cities, having a written constitution and even printing their own newspapers in the Cherokee language.  The Cherokee had been interacting with the United States government for quite some time on a true government to government relationship.  Part of the fear that caused the move was that the Cherokee would actually take steps to become a truly independent nation on the western boundaries of the United States.  The primary motivation, however, was GREED.  The whites in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Alabama desired the lands of the Cherokee.  The United States military had the might to grant the whites their wish.

The eviction of the Cherokee people and their relocation to Oklahoma has become known as the “Trail of Tears”.  The military did not care for the Cherokees in any way during the migration.  The forced move was accompanied by disease, harsh weather, starvation and attacks by marauding whites.  Over 4,000 Cherokee died on the road to Oklahoma.  Every year, the “Trail of Tears: is recalled in a pageant and remembrance ceremony in the Cherokee capital of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The government’s treatment of the Cherokee and other tribes in the 1830s bore bitter fruit thirty years later when all five of the “Civilized Tribes”, that is the Cherokee, the Chickasaw, The Choctaw, The Muskogee or Creek, and the Seminole Signed treaties with the Confederate States of America and fought in the war against the Union.  The earliest fully documented Cherokee flag is that of the Cherokee Braves.  This flag was presented to principal chief John Ross on October 7, 1861 by the Confederate Indian Commissioner, Albert Pike.  A similar flag has been attributed to the First Cherokee Mounted Rifles, possibly pointing to the base design as a de facto national flag for the Cherokee Nation.  This flag was the standard design of the fist Confederate national flag, three horizontal stripes of red over white over red bearing a blue canton upon which a ring of eleven white stars appeared.  The standard flag was modified for use by the Cherokees by the addition of a large red star in the center of the ring and that was surrounded by four smaller red stars.  The five Additional stars stood for the five “Civilized Tribes”  While the large one specifically referred to the Cherokees.  In red letters on the white stripe appeared the words “Cherokee Braves”.  This flag, employing black lettering is used today by the unrecognized “Southern Cherokee Nation” based in Georgia.  It should be noted that this is not the same as the state recognized Cherokee of Georgia, which employ a distinctive flag of their own.

The western Cherokee based in Oklahoma have an orange flag. This flag bears their tribal seal (ANNIN) in the center.  A single seven pointed star, each point divided in half, one side yellow, the other orange.    This star recalls the seven original clans of the Cherokee people.  This is surrounded by a oak wreath depicted in orange and green.  The oak symbolizes the sacred eternal fire, which was kindled from oak wood.  All this lies on a gray circle.  Ringing this central circle is an orange hand bearing the phrase “Seal of the Cherokee Nation:  in both English and Cherokee script.  At the base of the orange ring is the date Sept 6, 1839, the date of the constitution of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.  Edging the entire flag is a border of green and black diagonal stripes similar to the rope-like border frequently found around a seal. 

Sequoyah, is the great Cherokee chief who invented the Cherokee script. It was the first Indian language to be put in written form.

The seven clans of United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee and their name in the Cherokee language.

              1 Wolf Wolf  = A-ni-wa-ya

              2 Bear Blue  = A-ni-sa-ho-ni

              3 Deer Deer = A-ni-ka-wi

              4 War Paint Paint =  A-ni-nv-wo-di

              5 Birds Bird  = A-ni-tsi-squa

              6 Long Hair Long Hair = A-ni-gi-lo-hi
             (also called Twister, Wind or Stranger)
              7 Savannah Wild Potato = A-ni-go-da-ga-wi