What's a good book about Cherokee culture?

[Ladyhawk]

I have enough Cherokee blood to be considered Native American and I would like to know about the lost culture of some of my ancestors.

(It doesn't take much Native American ancestry to make you a Native American. My hair is light and my eyes are blue.)

[sundog]

1. There is lots of good stuff on the net...

start there.

A great Cherokee figure to read about is Wilma Mankiller.

Also, if you have Netflix, order the "500 Nations" dvd series. It is a pretty comprehensive overview of Native history.

[susanna]

2. Agree on Wilma Mankiller; haven't seen 500 Nations...

From yet another light-haired blue eyed Cherokee descendant. :-)

I have a great book I picked up at Cherokee Nation Museum in NC; I'll see if I can find the title. I'll post here (or PM you if the thread dies).

[sundog]

10. Equally significant is Native America since the 1960's...

specifically on the Inter-Tribal level: how contemporary generations are carrying on tradition with today's technology.

There is still a tendency for the masses (even in an attempt at political correctness) to view the Native as trinket in a shop window.

There are larger stories which are seldom told: the dichotomy between political power holders on the Rez & traditionalists, the cycle of poverty, the urban Native struggling to maintain the spirit of the elders while surviving in a gradually increasing mono culture.

Two good current writers are Vine Deloria, Jr. & Sherman Alexie.

A few good movies that come to mind are "Incident at Oglala" & "The Business of Fancydancing."

Definitely get "500 Nations" if you can. :)

[Dancing_Dave]

11. True about the technology

One example would be my friend Steve Cox in Memphis who makes very state of the art Native American recordings. The music that made him world famous at mp3.com (under the name of "Voice of Golden Eagle") mixed Cherokee flutes and drums with New Age/Ambient/Electronica touches of atmospheric synthesizer. People often describe it as energizing, healing and uplifting.

Another example would be Native Americans who build skyscrapers in places like New York. Some tribes seem to have no fear of hights, they can serenely walk along a narrow steal girder a hundred stories above the streets. Most of us would panic in that situation, and thus fall.

[susanna]

13. Thanks!

I will check out your suggestions. I am always open to understanding my ancestry. I appreciate the tips.

[donheld]

12. Did Wilma have a daughter named Ima?

[sundog]

14. don't know

here's a brief story:

http://www.powersource.com/gallery/people/wilma.html

[sendero]

3. Me too...

.... I am 1/8 Cherokee by blood. I'm green eyed but I do tan very well :) I too have been interested in Cherokee and Indian culture in general.

I've searched on Amazon, but did not find anything that really stood out.

What I'm interested in more than anything is the day to day life of the Cherokees. I'll be reading this thread :)

[susanna]

4. It's funny you say that...about tanning.

My family is German/English on dad's side, Cherokee/Scot/Irish on Mom's. In the winter, I have the whitest Irish skin you can imagine with reddish hair, but in the summer, I'll tan an even gold/brown without too much trouble, even when I wear 35 SPF! (I'm the only one in the family who tans easily sans freckles, which makes it kind of weird.) Genetics is a crapshoot, I guess. :-)

[susanna]

5. The book I mentioned in my earlier post is available on Amazon...

It's by James Mooney and George Ellison, titled "History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees: Containing the Full Texts of Myths of the Cherokee (1900 and the Sacred Formula)."

It covers spirituality, rituals, history and culture. It's really phenomenal reading. It took me a LONG while; it is quite complex reading, but with a lot of interesting information.

Hope this helps!

[Dancing_Dave]

6. GREAT Contemporary Cherokee Music!

From a friend of mine in Memphis. I was actually the first to promote his music on mp3.com, where he ended up reaching nearly a million people. I felt very honored to be involved in such a development.

http://music.download.com/voge/3600-8829_32-100567486.html

On the internet, he's known as "Voice of Golden Eagle", you can run a google search and find a number of other sites with his music and info about him too.

Steve Cox is about half Cherokee, but he doesn't know exactly how much. You know, 60 or more years back quite a few people tried to cover-up their Native American heritage, it had a stigma in many places, so now people looking for that heritage find some missing links and uncertainties in their anscestry.

Really, it doesn't matter, this music is as universal as "Amazing Grace"...(I assume you've the story of how the Cherokees actually gave us that melody).

[susanna]

9. You don't say...

"You know, 60 or more years back quite a few people tried to cover-up their Native American heritage, it had a stigma in many places, so now people looking for that heritage find some missing links and uncertainties in their anscestry."

We didn't begin our serious search on that branch of the family tree until my grandfather died. He was seriously against genealogical research on his side of the family; we finally figured out why. To him, it wasn't something to be proud of. :-(

[lastknowngood]

7. The trail of tears is a great history of "resent" time i.e after the

purge. I have several books but can't get to them now. The Cherokee nation has a website however realize the Oklahoma bands are distinctly different in some ways as with all people of the land they adapted to the environment. The Carolina bands have saved a lot due to the written Cherokee language. Many Cherokee escaped the trail of tears in the Ozarks in Arkansas. When they arrived there many had already died and they had lost hope, but on seeing the Ozarks which matched their traditional home many took the chance and escaped. A large percentage of the people in that are are of Cherokee decent.

[Ladyhawk]

17. My family is from Missouri.

Both my parents have Native American blood. My mother has done the research and she's pretty sure her ancestors were Cherokee.

My father's family is from Texas and Missouri (I think), so I don't know for sure which Native Americans were his ancestors.

Interestingly, my father was a third cousin to Elvis Presley, too. My maternal grandmother's name was Presley. My father's middle name was Presley.

[Maddy McCall]

8. If you want a really good overview, from ancient to present time...

you have to get Wilma Mankiller's autobio, A Chief and Her People.

I'm an historian, and, as an intro, it's the best you can find.

[welshTerrier2]

15. Medicine Wheel ... a song by Kate Wolf

i wish you could hear this ... it's truly haunting ...

Medicine Wheel

When the morning breaks
and the sunlight warms my soul
In the East the Eagle flies
and the Red-tail proudly soars
I'm on my way
To the place of the Spirit one
Grandfather hear me now
I am on fire.
Let the sundance guide my feet to your desire
Give me visions for my eyes
and words like gold
that shimmer in the sun
Hy-ah, hy-ah, hy-ah

When the sun goes down
and it grows too dark to see
I look within to the Shaman's mysteries.
I'm on my way
To die and live again
Grandmother Earth I cry
give me rest.
I take my place with a woman in the West
Show me the Raven and the Bear,
The way of herbs and the black obsidian
Hy-ah, hy-ah, hy-ah

Turn towards the south
like the water I will run
In innocence and trust
the moonchild's song is sung
I'm on my way
to the place of the sacred plants
My emotions and my will at their command
Where the Turtle's voice
is heard upon the land
Where the wise Coyote prowls
the Rattlesnake will call me to the dance
Hy-ah, hy-ah, hy-ah

In the deepest night
the stars watch over me
Old woman of the North
my mind seeks clarity
I'm on my way
to the place of the northern winds
Let the thunder and the lightning carry me
Lay my thoughts to rest
and send me into sleep
With the Hawk and the Buffalo
my dreams white crystal,
magic medicine
Hy-ah, hy-ah, hy-ah, hy-ah, hy-ah

[welshTerrier2]

16. Brother Warrior ... a song by Kate Wolf

i love this one too ...

Brother Warrior

Gentle warrior, with your heart like gold and a rainbow in your eyes
Brave companion, do you see a world shining in the sky?
With your body dancing like an arrow, spreading joy beneath your feet,
And your hands that wave like tall grass in the wind as you speak.
With the shyness of a small child and the wisdom of a sage,
I tell you now, there is no reason to be afraid.

Brother warrior, there are none of us who walk this path alone.
Spirit healer, it's the only life that we have ever known.
I see your smile in the sunlight, I hear your song in the rain,
And I hold you here inside me, I feel your love, and know your pain.
At this time when the earth is waking to the dawn of another age
I tell you now, there is no reason to be afraid.

/ INSTRUMENTAL – electric guitar /

We are crying for a vision that all living things can share
And those who care are with us everywhere.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. I've noticed that when you meet a culturally white person who

has Native American ancestry, the tribe is almost always Cherokee. (I've met one person who was part Pawnee, but Cherokee is by far the most common tribe mentioned.)

I wonder if anyone on DU is related to any other tribe.

(I don't have any Native American ancestors. None of my ancestors were in this hemisphere before 1890.)

[elsiesummers]

19. Yeah I wonder too - my gr grpa was 1/2 Cherokee (have pics of him)

plus bits and pieces from elsewhere in the family - but you know, even though I'm mostly Scottish and Irish bit it never seems as interesting - and I don't know anything about any of these cultures!

The most interesting things are always the least important - the little bit of Cherokee heritage which is vastly outweighed by Irish and Scottish habits that I don't even know I have, the couple of pirate ancestors (they always seem soooo interesting). It would be more useful to know more mundane facts - like an reason behind a craving of salty foods, or why tropical heat is unbearable.

I guess that's what it really means to be American - to not know anything about any original cultures - giving up ethnicity, over generations, for uniformity and belonging.