They are a group of southeastern people

whose ancestors may have been from the

Ohio River Valley. Which early American

group was from the ORV?

CherokeeWe will learn about the location, homes,

and lifestyles of the Cherokee.

At the end of this

lesson you should be

able to explain what

each of these pictures

are!

LocationOnce their homeland was in western North

Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia. Some still live there, although most of

the Cherokee were forced to move to what is now Oklahoma. This was called the Trail of

Tears. Schema-what do you remember about the

Trail of Tears from second grade?

How do you think it got the name “Trail of

Tears”?

Compare and contrast the Trail of Tears to

reservations.

Homes

They lived in wood-frame houses with walls made of woven vines or branches plastered with mud.

Two Chiefs?!?Each group of Cherokee had two chiefs. One ruled during peacetime, and one ruled during war.

The chiefs helped to guide the people and make decisions, but they did not have complete control over the people. The people had a say in how they were ruled.

Does this type of government remind you of anything?

FoodThe Cherokee women harvested crops of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers.

They also gathered berries, nuts, and fruit to eat.

The men hunted deer, wild turkeys, and small game and fished in the rivers.

This makes them....

Hunter-Gatherers!

Story TellersLike all other Native American people, the Cherokee told many legends to explain how

their world came into existence.

SequoyahIn the late 1700s

and early 1800s, the Cherokee became the ONLY Native

American people in the United States

that also kept written records.

For this, they thank Sequoyah.

Thanks Sequoyah!He heard many stories growing up, and became worried that the stories may get lost. How could stories get lost?

He then invented a set of symbols so that the Cherokee language could be written and read.

It was not an easy task! This was a great achievement. The giant sequoia tress is named to honor him. The tree stands as a symbol of the strength and power of the written word.

Can you explain each of these pictures

and why they are important to the

Cherokee people?

Sequoyah is the man who invented the Cherokee language.

The Trail of Tears is where many Cherokee people lost their lives on their forced march out west.

The Cherokee language.

Let’s watch a quick recap of what we’ve learned this lesson.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.