Essay Sample on The Cherokee Indians

Introduction

The Cherokee Indians are among the American Native tribes that originally resided in the southeastern region of America (Cherokee Nation). They initially occupied states such as Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. However, during the year 1829, gold was discovered in Georgia, a factor that played a significant role in altering the geographical location of the Cherokee Indians. The discovery of gold attracted outsiders to Georgia, and they began to covet the homeland of the Cherokee Indians. In addition, the American government created an Indian territory in Oklahoma and began to move all southeastern Native American tribes there. During this process, some of the Native American tribes agreed to move, while others such as the Cherokee Indians defied the government directive in efforts to preserve their heritage (Indians.org). The current paper will examine the history of the Cherokee Indians briefly and analyze who they are as well as the primary issues that they currently face.

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Geographical Location

According to Indians.org, the Cherokee Indians traditionally resided in the southeast region of America. However, they faced a challenge in preserving their original geographical location against the interest of the American government. During the 17th century, outsiders invaded the southeastern part of America hence forcing the Cherokee Indians to surrender their land and property. In addition, the attempts of the American government to remove all Native American tribes from the southeastern part of the country further intimidated any efforts of the Cherokee Indians to preserve their geographical location and heritage. Although the tribe challenged the decision of the American government to evict them in court, their efforts were futile despite having secured a favorable ruling from Justice John Marshall (Indians.org). According to Indians.org, the then president of America, Andrew Jackson, defied an order from the Supreme Court that prohibited eviction of the Cherokee Indians from the southeastern part of the country by ordering the army to evict the Cherokee Indians (Indians.org).

Therefore, the eviction of the Cherokees from southeast America necessitated their relocation to their current geographical location. According to Indians.org, the Cherokees have occupied Oklahoma; the Indian Territory which was established by the American government for them to settle. However, some of the Cherokees reside in other states such as Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia and North Carolina. This group of Cherokees was the one that escaped into the Appalachian hills during the forceful eviction and decided to settle in such states (Indians.org).

Population

According to Crow, the most recent U.S. Census revealed that the population of the Cherokee Indians is approximately 819,105. The census noted an increase in population of the group by 89,000 since the year 2010. In addition, Indians.org explains that the population of the Cherokees would have been higher if they had not been evicted from their original homeland. This is because of the fact that many Cherokees died in the process of their eviction due to the brutal treatment that they received from the American army under the orders of President Jackson. Many members of the tribe also succumbed to diseases on their way to the Indian Territory. In fact, according to Cherokee Nation, the Cherokees who made it through the Trail of Tears to the Indian Territory were approximately 20,000. However, the horrible ordeal did not disorganize the tribe's social structure.

Social Structure

According to Cherokee Nation, the Cherokees have a well-defined social structure which is matrimonial in nature. First, the society follows the clan of their women in that when a man marries, he becomes a member of the clan of his wife. In addition, the society recognizes a clan to be of a higher social group than a family. In this case, members of the same clan are considered to be brothers and sisters. In addition, the Cherokee culture forbids members of the same clan from marrying each other. Moreover, the Cherokee culture is highly receptive to other cultures and it advocates for fair treatment of all people (Indians.org).

Economy

According to Sonian, the economy of the Cherokees is mainly defined by agricultural activities. In the society, men take part in clearing fields and planting beans and corn as well as rearing fish. On the other hand, women take part in harvesting of crops and trading. The community was traditionally known for trading products such as deerskins, leopard skins, snakes skins and game meat among other valuable commodities gotten from hunting.

Language

According to Cherokee Nation, the frequent interaction with people from different cultures during trading has influenced the Cherokees to learn English in addition to their native Cherokee language. This has been achieved through taking their children to the same schools as the Europeans in order to learn English (Cherokee Nation). In addition, Indians.org explains that the Cherokees have adopted English as a common language to point that they have written their constitution in both Cherokee and English.

Religion

The Cherokees are religious people who believe that their original land was at the center of the universe. The common religions among the Cherokees are Christianity and Zootheism (Cherokee Nation). The community believes that the land is sacred, and everything in the universe, whether living or not, has a soul except the bear because it is believed to have magical powers. The Cherokee constitution allows the freedom of worship hence making the tribe highly civilized (Crow).

Primary Issues Facing the Cherokee Indians

According to Soap, despite the civilization of the Cherokee tribe and its social as well as economic prowess, the group still faces serious challenges. The challenges of the Cherokees are caused by the mismatch that exists between their culture and the American social setting. Indians.org further explains that although a significant percentage of Cherokee Indians are literate, very little percentage succeeds in the American job market especially in the healthcare setting. Therefore, members of the community are poorly represented in the healthcare sector hence discouraging majority of the community members from visiting the American hospitals for treatment. In addition, the Cherokees have held on to their education system which they consider to be superior to the one set by the American government. However, the Cherokee education system is not aligned with the American market needs. Therefore, this factor has rendered many of their literate youths still jobless because their knowledge and skills are not responsive to market needs (Soap).

Conclusion

The Cherokees have mainly occupied the Oklahoma State which is regarded as Indian Territory, and their population is approximately 819,105. They mainly depend on farming and hunting as their main economic activities, and they embrace Christianity and Zootheism as their common religions. The Cherokee culture his highly receptive to other cultures, and it supports a matrimonial social structure. However, despite the social and economic prowess of the community, its members still face the challenges of poor representation in the healthcare sector as well as a mismatch between the Cherokee education system and the American market needs. This factor has created a state of joblessness among the Cherokee youths.

Analysis of Sources

Cherokee Nation. "Our History". Cherokee Nation, http://www.cherokee.org/About-The-Nation/History/Facts/Our-History. Accessed 17 January 2019.

This article is written by an organization known as Cherokee Nation addressing the members of the public regarding the history of the Cherokee Tribe and the struggles its members went through as well as its progress in the current era. The authors are Cherokees hence they address issue from the Cherokee point of view. Unlike Todd Crow and Charlie Soap who have only focused their articles of documenting the problems of Cherokee Tribe in regard to their eviction from southeast America and the epidemics of hunger and disease that the Cherokees faced, Cherokee Nation have paid attention towards explaining the struggle of the Cherokees in preserving their heritage and how the tribe still remains united despite the challenges it has faced. The article is very useful because it addresses a wide range of issues regarding the Cherokees such as their history, culture, governance and economy among others.

Cherokee Nation. "Our History". Cherokee Nation, http://www.cherokee.org/About-The-Nation/History/Facts/Our-History. Accessed 17 January 2019.

This article is written by an organization known as Cherokee Nation addressing the members of the public regarding the history of the Cherokee Tribe and the struggles its members went through as well as its progress in the current era. The authors are Cherokees hence they address issue from the Cherokee point of view. Unlike Todd Crow and Charlie Soap who have only focused their articles of documenting the problems of Cherokee Tribe in regard to their eviction from southeast America and the epidemics of hunger and disease that the Cherokees faced, Cherokee Nation have paid attention towards explaining the struggle of the Cherokees in preserving their heritage and how the tribe still remains united despite the challenges it has faced. The article is very useful because it addresses a wide range of issues regarding the Cherokees such as their history, culture, governance and economy among others.

Crow, Todd. "Census Shows Increase in Cherokee Respondents". Cherokee Phoenix, https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/Index/5990. Accessed 17 January 2019.

Crow has addressed his article to members of the public showing the difference in population among the Cherokees between the 2000 U.S Census and the 2010 U.S. Census. Although the article is useful in that it traces the population change of the Cherokees over a decade, the author does not show the reasons associated to the population change. In addition, the author does not pay attention to the initial population of the Cherokees in the 17th century and how encroachment into their original land affected it.

Indians.org. "Cherokee Indians". Indians.org, http://indians.org/articles/cherokee-indians.html. Accessed 17 January 2019.

This article is written by the Indians.org; an organization which is not specifically composed of Cherokee authors. The authors have addressed members of the general public, and their main aim is to explain the culture of the Cherokees from an external point of view. The article is useful in that it traces the major cultural changes that have occurred among the Cherokees since the 14th century. The authors explain how interactions between the Cherokees and the American government as well as other outsiders have affected the tribe's culture.

Soap, Charlie. "Opinion: Pressing Issues Face Cherokee Nation in this Historic Election". Cherokee Phoenix, https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/index/9227. Accessed 17 January 2019.

Soap addressed his article to the American political leaders highlighting the main problems that the Cherokee Nation faces. The author presents healthcare, education and housing as the major challenges that the Cherokees face, and urges the American political leaders to pay attention towards them. However, unlike Smith Sonian and Cherokee Nation who recognize Cherokees as self-reliable people who embrace their culture and have strong social institutions, Soap portrays the Cherokees as primitive people who need help from the American government. Although his article is significantly useful in that it documents the problems caused by cultural mismatch between the Cherokees and t...