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History
The Desoto expedition is
believed to have made the
first European contact in
1540 when they met the "Chalaque"
on the Tennessee River.
Although Pardo revisited the
area in 1566 and the Spanish
maintained a small mining
and smelting operation in
the area until 1690, the
Cherokee's location in the
interior mountains kept them
relatively isolated until
after the settlement of
Virginia in 1609. By 1629
English traders had worked
their way west into the
Appalachians and met the
Cherokee. Contact became
continuous with the founding
of the Carolina colonies.
Virginian Abraham Wood tried
unsuccessfully to maintain
his trade monopoly with the
Cherokee and sent two men,
James Needham and Gabriel
Arthur, to the Cherokee
Overhill capital at Echota
in 1673, but the following
year a group of Cherokee met
with rival Carolina traders
along the upper Savannah
River. A treaty with South
Carolina followed in 1684
beginning a steady trade in
deerskins and Indian slaves.
Although contact was limited
initially to white traders,
important changes began to
occur within the Cherokee as
a result. Leadership shifted
from priest to warrior, and
warriors became hunters for
profit.
The most familiar name,
Cherokee, comes from a Creek
word "Chelokee" meaning
"people of a different
speech." In their own
language the Cherokee
originally called themselves
the Aniyunwiya (or Anniyaya)
"principal people" or the
Keetoowah (or Anikituaghi,
Anikituhwagi) "people of
Kituhwa." Although they
usually accept being called
Cherokee, many prefer
Tsalagi from their own name
for the Cherokee Nation (Tsalagihi
Ayili). Other names applied
to the Cherokee have been:
Allegheny (or Allegewi,
Talligewi) (Delaware),
Baniatho (Arapaho), Caáxi
(or Cayaki) (Osage and
Kansa), Chalaque (Spanish),
Chilukki (dog people)
(Choctaw and Chickasaw),
Entarironnen (mountain
people) (Huron), Gatohuá
(Creek), Kittuwa (or Katowá)
(Algonquin), Matera (or
Manteran) (coming out of the
ground) ( Catawba), Nation
du Chien (French),
Ochietarironnon (Wyandot),
Oyatageronon (or Oyaudah,
Uwatayoronon) (cave people)
(Iroquois), Shanaki (Caddo),
Shannakiak (Fox), Tcaike
(Tonkawa), and Tcerokieco
(Wichita).
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Cherokee Prayer
Blessing
may the warm
winds of heaven
blow softly upon
your house may
the great spirit
bless all who
enter there may
your moccasins
make many happy
tracks in the
snow and may the
rainbow always
touch your
shoulder |
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Guess Book Below |
