Cherokee Beliefs & Spirituality
The Cherokees, or Ani’-Yun’wiya, “the real people,” lived for hundreds of years in parts of present-day Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. They are one native culture that we know a great deal about because of the work of explorers and missionaries like James Mooney. In the 1880s, Cherokee elders in the North Carolina mountains allowed a white man named James Mooney to observe and record information about their culture. The Cherokee myths that Mooney gathered and wrote down in English help explain the world of the Cherokees. These myths show that, for the Cherokees, the world was primarily a relationship of proper balance.
To the Cherokees, the Earth was a flat disc of water with a large island floating in the middle. The Earth hung by four cords — one each in the north, east, south, and west — from a sky arch made of stone. This was the Middle World, where the plants, animals, and humans lived. Above the sky arch was the Upper World. This was where the guiding and protective spirits of humans and animals lived. These spirits could move from the Upper World to the Middle World and back to help the humans keep balance and harmony on the Earth. Below the Earth was the Under World of bad spirits. Bad spirits brought disorder and disaster. They could rise to the Middle World through deep springs, lakes, and caves. When these spirits caused trouble, Cherokees called on the spirits from the Upper World to help restore balance and harmony to the Middle World.
Everything in the Cherokee environment — from corn, tobacco and animals to fire, smoke, creeks and mountains — had an intelligent spirit and played a central role in Cherokee myths as well as daily practices. Native peoples did not view themselves as separate from their environment — they were a part of it. They did not try to rule over nature but instead tried to keep their proper place within it. In order to respect and cooperate with all of nature, the natives found ways to preserve its parts. When Cherokees gathered medicinal plants in the forest, they only harvested one in four of the plants, leaving the other three to grow undisturbed for future use. All of these practices contributed to the balance of their world. The Cherokees believed that if the balance of nature was upset, everyone would have trouble. They feared a loss of balance could cause sickness, bad weather, failed crops, poor hunting, and many other problems. Humans were responsible for keeping the balance within themselves and between the animals, the plants, and other people. The Cherokees looked to the guiding and protective spirits of the Upper World to help keep balance and harmony on the Earth. They also maintained order on the Earth by participating in daily prayers, rituals, and seasonal ceremonies. One ritual, called “going to water,” was performed on many occasions — at the new moon, before special dances, after bad dreams, or during illnesses. Going to water cleansed the spirit as well as the body. The ritual was performed at sunrise. Cherokee men, women, and children would face the east, step into a river or creek, and dip under the water seven times. When they emerged, they would be rid of bad feelings and ready to begin anew, with a clear mind.
The annual Green Corn Ceremony also symbolized a fresh start. It was held each year at harvest time. First, any unused corn from the previous year’s harvest was collected and burned. Afterward, the town’s sacred council fire, which had been used for the past year, was put out. A new fire was then started, and the community gave thanks and forgave each other for all their quarrels and crimes of the past year. Finally, the women, who were the farmers in the Cherokee culture, presented the first fruits of the new year’s corn harvest and celebration began.
Native American peoples did not use a word such as “religion,” but, every part of their world had a sacred connection or religious meaning. Their ideas of religion were vital to them. They believed the world should have balance, harmony, cooperation, and respect within the community, between people and the rest of nature.
To the Cherokees, the Earth was a flat disc of water with a large island floating in the middle. The Earth hung by four cords — one each in the north, east, south, and west — from a sky arch made of stone. This was the Middle World, where the plants, animals, and humans lived. Above the sky arch was the Upper World. This was where the guiding and protective spirits of humans and animals lived. These spirits could move from the Upper World to the Middle World and back to help the humans keep balance and harmony on the Earth. Below the Earth was the Under World of bad spirits. Bad spirits brought disorder and disaster. They could rise to the Middle World through deep springs, lakes, and caves. When these spirits caused trouble, Cherokees called on the spirits from the Upper World to help restore balance and harmony to the Middle World.
Everything in the Cherokee environment — from corn, tobacco and animals to fire, smoke, creeks and mountains — had an intelligent spirit and played a central role in Cherokee myths as well as daily practices. Native peoples did not view themselves as separate from their environment — they were a part of it. They did not try to rule over nature but instead tried to keep their proper place within it. In order to respect and cooperate with all of nature, the natives found ways to preserve its parts. When Cherokees gathered medicinal plants in the forest, they only harvested one in four of the plants, leaving the other three to grow undisturbed for future use. All of these practices contributed to the balance of their world. The Cherokees believed that if the balance of nature was upset, everyone would have trouble. They feared a loss of balance could cause sickness, bad weather, failed crops, poor hunting, and many other problems. Humans were responsible for keeping the balance within themselves and between the animals, the plants, and other people. The Cherokees looked to the guiding and protective spirits of the Upper World to help keep balance and harmony on the Earth. They also maintained order on the Earth by participating in daily prayers, rituals, and seasonal ceremonies. One ritual, called “going to water,” was performed on many occasions — at the new moon, before special dances, after bad dreams, or during illnesses. Going to water cleansed the spirit as well as the body. The ritual was performed at sunrise. Cherokee men, women, and children would face the east, step into a river or creek, and dip under the water seven times. When they emerged, they would be rid of bad feelings and ready to begin anew, with a clear mind.
The annual Green Corn Ceremony also symbolized a fresh start. It was held each year at harvest time. First, any unused corn from the previous year’s harvest was collected and burned. Afterward, the town’s sacred council fire, which had been used for the past year, was put out. A new fire was then started, and the community gave thanks and forgave each other for all their quarrels and crimes of the past year. Finally, the women, who were the farmers in the Cherokee culture, presented the first fruits of the new year’s corn harvest and celebration began.
Native American peoples did not use a word such as “religion,” but, every part of their world had a sacred connection or religious meaning. Their ideas of religion were vital to them. They believed the world should have balance, harmony, cooperation, and respect within the community, between people and the rest of nature.
The Clans
The Cherokee have 7 clans:
1. Ani'-wa'`ya (Wolf)
2. Ani'-Kawĭ' (Deer)
3. Ani'-Tsi'skwa (Bird)
4. Ani'-wi'dĭ (Paint)
5. Ani'-Sah'a'ni
6. Ani'-Ga'tagewĭ
7. Ani'-Ga-tâgéwĭ
The names of the last 3 cannot be translated with certainty. There is evidence that at one time there were 14 clans, but by extinction or absorption they have been reduced to their present number. The Wolf clan is the largest and most important. The "seven clans" are frequently mentioned in the ritual prayers and even in the printed laws of the tribe. They seem to have had a connection with the "seven mother towns" of the Cherokee, described in 1730 as having each a chief, whose position was hereditary in the female line.
1. Ani'-wa'`ya (Wolf)
2. Ani'-Kawĭ' (Deer)
3. Ani'-Tsi'skwa (Bird)
4. Ani'-wi'dĭ (Paint)
5. Ani'-Sah'a'ni
6. Ani'-Ga'tagewĭ
7. Ani'-Ga-tâgéwĭ
The names of the last 3 cannot be translated with certainty. There is evidence that at one time there were 14 clans, but by extinction or absorption they have been reduced to their present number. The Wolf clan is the largest and most important. The "seven clans" are frequently mentioned in the ritual prayers and even in the printed laws of the tribe. They seem to have had a connection with the "seven mother towns" of the Cherokee, described in 1730 as having each a chief, whose position was hereditary in the female line.
Cherokee Family Structure
Long before the arrival of the white man, women enjoyed a major role in the family life, economy, and government of the Cherokee natives. Coming from male-dominated European countries, the white men who discovered Cherokee natives were surprised by the rights and privileges of the women and by the fact that women were the heads of Cherokee households. The Cherokees lived in extended families with several generations living together in different dwellings. Theirs was a matriarchal society in which possessions and children were passed down through the females in the family. The family had a small garden near their houses and cultivated a particular section of the large fields which lay outside the village. Although men helped clear the fields and plant the crops, the women did most of the farming because men were usually at war during the summer. The women used stone hoes or pointed sticks to cultivate corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, and sunflowers. The children, supervised by elders, sat on platforms in the fields and chased away any crows or raccoons that tried to raid the fields. In the winter when men traveled hundreds of miles to hunt bears, deer, turkeys, and other game, the women stayed at home. They kept the fires burning in the winter houses, made baskets, pottery, clothing, and other things the family needed, cared for the children, and performed the chores for the household. Women also had a voice in government. The Cherokees were more egalitarian than their native predecessors and made decisions only after they discussed an issue for a long time and agreed on what they should do. The council meetings at which decisions were made were open to everyone including women.
Cherokee Language
Sequoyah developed a written alphabet for the Cherokee.
In the Early 1800s, the Cherokees began a period of change. Slowly, the natives began to integrate many of the white man's ways and accept that many of their original freedoms and traditional ways were gone and would never be recovered. The Cherokee Nation was established with a democratic government composed of a Chief, Vice-Chief, and 32 Council Members who were elected by the members of the tribe. A constitution and code of law were drawn up for the nation. During this time (1819), Sequoyah, also known as George Guess, invented a system for writing the Cherokee language called a syllabary. There are 86 characters or symbols in Sequoyah's syllabary, and each symbol represents a syllable rather than a single phoneme as in English. Any person who could speak Cherokee could also read and write it after learning the 86 symbols. The Cherokee Council passed a resolution to establish a newspaper for their nation. A printing press was ordered, the type cast for the cherokee syllabary, and the "Cherokee Phoenix" was in business. There are far too many syllables in English (tens of thousands) for an English syllabary to be usable, but the 86 characters in the Cherokee syllabary are completely functional for writing the Cherokee language.
A Disappearing Tradition?
In this video, Cherokee elders speak about the diminishing use of their cultural language. With very few young people speaking Cherokee, there is a real possibility that this important facet of their culture could soon disappear.
For More Fascinating Information on Native Americans....
In 2009, PBS aired an epic 5-part series entitled, "We Shall Remain". You can watch this fantastic and educational series in parts by clicking here: