HOW DID THE CHEROKEE ADAPT TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT
- Slides: 10
HOW DID THE CHEROKEE ADAPT TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT. BY BAILEY BROWN
AGRICULTURE. �The Cherokee were farmers, hunters and gatherers. They grew corn, squash and beans along with pumpkin, melons, sunflowers, tobacco, and other crops. Corn was the most important food. The women made sure they planted enough crops to provide food for two years.
HUNTING AND FISHING. � The Cherokee were wonderful hunters. Legend says… they could hit a fly from 30 feet away. They did not hunt for sport. The men only hunted what they needed to feed their families. Every part of the animal was used. The most important animal was the deer. They hunted turtles for food and used shells for rattles
TOOLS. �They made blow guns, bows and arrows, animal traps, nets to catch fish and spears.
CLOTHING. �Women wore deerskin tops, skirts, and moccasins. Men wore deerskin loin clothes in the summer and added leggings shirts and robes in the winter all made of deerskin.
TATTOOS AND BODY PAINT. �Men commonly decorated their bodies and faces with tattoos or paint.
JEWOLRY/BEADS. �They made jewelry of shells and silver. Women made painted clay beads.
THE DEER GOD. � The Cherokee worshipped the deer god. They told him we only kill what is needed to feed our families and we are sorry. This was important to do. They did not won’t the deer god to be angry with them or the deer god might make all the deer disappear. Just as the buffalo was important to the plains Indians the deer was important to the Cherokee
MEDICINE MAN. � The Cherokee medicine men were very skilled. They knew how to use bark to cure many diseases that the white mans doctors could not cure. They knew how to use roots to make medicine. Some actually studied with white doctors. The more they knew the better they could cure their own people.
ANIMAL SPIRITS. �The Cherokee believed in many animal spirits. They wore animal skins as clothing so the skills of those animals would be shared with them. They believed every thing in nature had a spirit. They prayed to the spirits for good health.