CHAPTER 1 Homelands The Cherokee lived in the Appalachian Mountains for thousands of years This area is in present-day Tennessee Virginia West Virginia Kentucky North Carolina South Carolina Georgia and Alabama The Cherokee homelands had low mountains covered with forests The forests were full of deer turkey bear and other small game The streams and rivers were full of fish The Cherokee call themselves Anigaduwagi They watch over the earth and protect it 4
The Appalachian Mountains are made up of several mountain ranges including the Great Smoky Mountains 5
CHAPTER 2 Society The Cherokee lived in villages along streams and rivers Often each village had several hundred homes It also had its own council and chiefs In the center of the village was a large round council house and a public square There the Cherokee discussed important matters The government was a democracy It was based on people being equal The clan system is important to Cherokee society There are seven Cherokee clans They are the Wolf Deer Bird Paint Longhair Blue and Wild Potato These clans connect the people to nature They also make the Cherokee one large family Cherokee society was matrilineal This means ancestry and kinship were traced through the mothers Women were often the leaders and decision makers in traditional society 6
THE CHEROKEE HOMELANDS WASHINGTON MAINE MONTANA NORTH DAKOTA OREGON MINNESOTA VERMONT NEW HAMPSHIRE MASSACHUSETTS IDAHO SOUTH DAKOTA WISCONSIN NEW YORK WYOMING MICHIGAN RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT NEW JERSEY IOWA PENNSYLVANIA NEVADA NEBRASKA OHIO UTAH ILLINOIS INDIANA DELAWARE MARYLAND WASHINGTON DC WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA COLORADO KANSAS MISSOURI CALIFORNIA KENTUCKY NORTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE ARIZONA OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS Appalachian Mountains NEW MEXICO SOUTH CAROLINA MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA GEORGIA TEXAS ALASKA LOUISIANA FLORIDA THE CHEROKEE HOMELANDS HAWAII
