Before contact with the white man, the Cherokee governed themselves through a series of oral laws that were known by all of the members of the tribe. The largest band of the Cherokee, the Cherokee Nation, live in Oklahoma as does the third recognized group of Cherokee, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Examples of this would be winning the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the Cherokee to remain on their lands to President Andrew Jackson's decision to ignore that ruling and force the Cherokee on what would become known as Trail of Tears. This was a means of solidifying their government and making their laws more official. The tribe's democratically elected government, led by a Principal Chief, Deputy Chief, and Tribal Council. To find out more detailed information about Cherokee life and culture, please visit, How Culture and Life Changed on the Indian Territory. The Cherokee had a system of beliefs that included spiritual dances like the Bear Dance. The other tribes were the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. The Cherokee Nation is a sovereign tribal government. The early years of the Cherokee Indians reflected a rich and unique style of dress and decoration rich with colors and paints for warriors, a single feather headdress into more modern full feathered head pieces. The current Principal Chief, elected June 1, 2019, is Chuck Hoskin, Jr., who formerly held the office of Cherokee Nation Secretary of State. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi) is a federally recognized Indian Tribe in the United States, who are descended from the small group of 800 Cherokee who remained in the Eastern United States after the Indian Removal Act moved the other 15,000 Cherokee to the west in the 19th century. Ketchum is experienced in 2D and 3D graphic programs, including Photoshop, Poser and Hexagon and primarily writes on these topics. A constitution was adopted on September 6, 1839, 68 years prior to Oklahoma’s statehood. They are one of five tribes known as the Five Civilized Tribes. Cherokee Culture and History. A powerful detached tribe of the Iroquoian family, formerly holding the whole mountain region of the south Alleghenies, in southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and South Carolina, north Georgia, east Tennessee, and northeast Alabama, and claiming even to the Ohio River.. The Cherokee Nation has always been a very sophisticated culture that lived an organized lifestyle. The Cherokees continued to make amends to their legal system and strengthen their government until 1819, when Calhoun's treaty took much of their land. Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. The Cherokee tribe became known as one of the Five Civilised Tribes who also included the Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminoles tribes. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers. Alabama. Cherokee Culture and History As a complement to our Cherokee language information, we would like to share our collection of indexed links about the Cherokee people and various aspects of their society. They would sweeten their food with honey and maple sap. By reading Facts about Cherokee Culture, you will notice the lifestyle of the native Indian people who inhabited the southeastern areas of United States. Address: P.O. He is a contributor to sites like Renderosity and Animotions. The Cherokee have a history marked by triumph and heartbreak. In 1657, there was a disturbance in Virginia Colony as the Rechahecrians or Rickahockans, as well as the Siouan Manahoac and Nahyssan, broke through the frontier and settled near the Falls of the James, near present-day Richmond, Virginia. Although this law did not end up holding the white men back, it contributed to the evolution of a centralized government. 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