Today three Cherokee tribes are federally recognized: the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) in
Oklahoma
, the Cherokee Nation (CN) in Oklahoma, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in North Carolina.
Where are Cherokee tribes located?
They are believed to have numbered some 22,500 individuals in 1650, and they controlled approximately 40,000 square miles (100,000 square km) of the Appalachian Mountains in
parts of present-day Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and the western parts of what are now North Carolina and South Carolina
.
Where does the Cherokee tribe live today?
Most Cherokees live in close-knit communities in
eastern Oklahoma
or the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, but a considerable number live throughout North America and in cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto.
What do the Cherokee do today?
Today, the Eastern Cherokee maintain
traditions of music, storytelling, dance, foodways, carving, basket-making, headwork, pottery, blowgun-making
, flint-knapping, and more. Their language, which was forbidden by the federal schools for more than half a century, is being revived in classrooms and the community.
How many Cherokee tribes are there today?
There are only
three
federally recognized Cherokee tribes in the U.S. – the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, both in Tahlequah, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.
How do I prove my Cherokee heritage?
The tribe will send your information to the Bureau of Indian Affairs which will issue you a
Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood
that certifies your Cherokee tribe affiliation and blood quantum. This certification, otherwise known as a white card, proves Cherokee ancestry.
Who is the most famous Cherokee Indian?
- Sequoyah (1767–1843), leader and inventor of the Cherokee writing system that took the tribe from an illiterate group to one of the best educated peoples in the country during the early-to-mid 1800s.
- Will Rogers (1879–1935), famed journalist and entertainer.
- Joseph J.
How can I find out if I am Cherokee Indian?
The Cherokee Heritage Center has a genealogist available to assist in researching Cherokee ancestry for a fee.
Call 918-456-6007 visit www.cherokeeheritage.org
. If you need further genealogy assistance at other times, the Muskogee Public Library, 801 West Okmulgee in Muskogee, Okla., may be able to help.
How do I get my Cherokee stimulus check?
Cherokee citizens can use
the tribe's online Gadugi Portal
to apply for the funds. Tribe officials encourage citizens to register for the Gadugi Portal now to ease the sign-up process later. The portal can be accessed at gadugiportal.cherokee.org. Applications are available now.
How much money do you get for being Cherokee Indian?
A Cherokee born today would stand to receive
at least $168,000 when
he or she turns 18. The tribe pays for financial training classes for both high school students and adults. It is not a requirement that tribal members drawing checks live on the reservation, though approximately 10,000 do.
What do the Cherokee believe in?
They believed
the world should have balance, harmony, cooperation, and respect within the community
and between people and the rest of nature. Cherokee myths and legends taught the lessons and practices necessary to maintain natural balance, harmony, and health.
What do the Cherokee call themselves?
According to the Cherokee Nation, the Cherokee refer to themselves as “
Aniyvwiya” meaning the “Real People”
or the “Anigaduwagi” or the Kituwah people.
What was the Cherokee housing?
The Cherokee Indians lived in settled villages, usually located near a river. Cherokee houses were
made of rivercane and plaster, with thatched roofs
. These dwellings were about as strong and warm as log cabins.
What are the 7 Clans of Cherokee?
There are seven clans:
A-ni-gi-lo-hi (Long Hair), A-ni-sa-ho-ni (Blue), A-ni-wa-ya (Wolf)
, A-ni-go-te-ge-wi (Wild Potato), A-ni-a-wi (Deer), A-ni-tsi-s-qua (Bird), A-ni-wo-di (Paint).
What tribes did the Cherokee interact with?
The Cherokee Indians traded regularly with other southeastern Native Americans, who especially liked to make trades for high-quality Cherokee pipes and pottery. The Cherokees often fought with their neighbors
the Creeks, Chickasaws, and Shawnees
, but other times, they were friends and allies of those tribes.
What did Cherokee eat?
Cherokee women did most of the farming, harvesting crops of
corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers
. Cherokee men did most of the hunting, shooting deer, bear, wild turkeys, and small game. They also fished in the rivers and along the coast. Cherokee dishes included cornbread, soups, and stews cooked on stone hearths.
