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The Cherokee Indians Essay

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The Cherokee Indians

The American Indian History in the Eastern part of the country is always associated with the Cherokee Indian nation. The Cherokee's were by far the largest and most advanced of the tribes when Europeans first arrived and came in contact with Native Americans. There are too many tribes to go over background on every one of them, so I'm going to focus on the Cherokee's since many of their ways and customs are so similar to all the other tribes in the East.
When Europeans first arrived in North America, the Cherokees occupied a large expanse of territory in the Southeast. Their homeland included mountains and valleys in the southern part of the Appalachian Mountain chain. Their
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The Cherokees practiced a variety of crafts, including basketwork and stamped pottery. They also carved, out of woods and gourds, masks representing good and evil spirits. These masks were used during their many hunting, agricultural and healing rituals. They held these ceremonies at key times of the year, such as harvest time.
Each village was run by two chiefs. The White Chief, or Most Beloved Man helped the villagers make decisions concerning farming, lawmaking, and disputes between individuals, families, or clans. He also played a large role in religious ceremonies. The Red Chief gave advice concerning warfare. One such decision was choosing who would be the War Woman, an honored woman chosen to accompany braves on their war parties. The War Woman did not fight, but helped feed the men, offered them council, and decided which prisoners would live or die. The Red Chief was also in charge of the lacrosse games which were called
"little wars." Lacrosse was played within tribes and against other tribes. It is one of the first known friendly competitions between Indian tribes.
Hernando de Soto was the first European explorer to come into contact with the Cherokees, when he arrived in their territory in 1540. The Europeans were very impressed with the highly advanced cultures.
Relations with outsiders started off

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