The Major Basket Weavers

                Did you know the Cherokee could weave a basket bigger than a person?  The Cherokee used baskets and beads for everything.  The Cherokee were famous for their excellent basket weaving. Also, they were one of the six tribes on the Trail of Tears.  The Cherokee were known for food, culture, Trail of Tears, and last lifestyle.   The Cherokee were not powerful and had no weapons. They were peaceful people. 

     Plants from early explorers grew on farms, and the Cherokee were farmers.  One of these plants was corn.  One use for corn was cornmeal, made from corn and oatmeal, which was also grown on farms.  Also, the Cherokee enjoyed fry bread which was made from wheat was traded to by the Cree tribe.  They also used mint, which hunters found on their journeys.

       Next the Cherokee created lacrosse in Eastern America.  Cherokee used beads for everything.  They used them for dances, moccasins, etc.  Also, beads were used to make famous designs which are now in museums.  Also, many baskets the Cherokee made are in museums, too.

Dye made from black walnuts

       Unfortunately, on the Trail of Tears diseases were given to the Cherokee by the Americans.  The Cherokee were kicked out of their land by Winfield Scott.  Most Cherokee had to walk bare foot and the journey was over eight hundred miles.  One of the worst things was that it was winter, and there was only one blanket per ten people.  Over two thousand Cherokee died on the Trail of Tears.

      Next, dances were used to summon good gods and scare away bad gods.  Beads were made for the Cherokee to use in dances.  They also had ceremonial head dresses and costumes. 

     The Cherokee always lived by lakes or rivers so that they could catch fish much easier.  They also had forests nearby to hunt for deer.  The only weapons ever developed by the Cherokee were the spear and the dagger.  Cherokee clothes were often made by deer hide or rabbit fur.  Unlike other tribes the Cherokee used deer and rabbit for everything instead of buffalo because they were nowhere near an area with buffalo.  

      The Cherokee live to this very day on a reservation in Oklahoma.  They are still very peaceful in Oklahoma where Winfield Scott set them.   They also still get together and weave baskets.  As you can see, they still are not powerful, but the Cheroke were peaceful people.             

Works Cited 

Birchfeild, D.  Cherokee.  World: Gareth Steven , 2004.

DeAngelis, Therese.  Cherokee. Minnesota: Blue Earth Books, 2003.                                                       

Herrick, James.  Cherokee.  Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2008.                                        

Stewart, Philip.  Cherokee.  Philadelphia: Mason Crest, 2004.                                                     

Waldman, Carl.  Encyclopedia of Native American tribes.  New York: Facts on File, 2006.