Media

The Cherokee Nation has become part of the modern society of America. In 1973, President Richard Nixon indicated that the Cherokees had the right to vote, revitalizing the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation has created many different ways of communicating to their own people as well as highlighting their culture and values to those who do not yet understand how the Cherokee Nation operates. The Cherokee Nation has been encouraged to show their diversity in Media by creating sources that explain their history and culture. Colleges and Universities offer specific scholarships for those who are part of the Cherokee Nation as well.

The Cherokee Advocate.

The official newspaper of the Cherokee Nation since its founding in 1977. Monthly with a circulation of 95,000.

Cherokee Observer.

Independent monthly newspaper.

The Cherokee One-Feather.

The official publication of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians featuring news of interest to the local Cherokee tribe and to American Indians in general.

Cherokee Tribune.

Community weekly newspaper founded in 1934.

Journal of Cherokee Studies.

Covers historical and cultural research of Cherokees.

Cherokee Nation of New Jersey.

Founded in 1997. Seeks to educate people about the American Indian who is of African, Hispanic, Asian, and European mix, and to foster goodwill.

Casinos

In 1988, the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Gambling Regulatory Act, which allowed federally-recognized tribes to open casinos on tribal property, but limited the casino offerings to games that were already allowed under state law. This opened the door for the Cherokee to build a casino in western North Carolina.         On November 13, 1997, the first major casino in North Carolina opened on the reservation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in the western part of the state. The opening was the culmination of nearly a decade's worth of negotiation and compromise between tribal, state, and federal officials.

    

On opening day, the casino's first visitors waited in line outside no matter what the condition of the weather was and waited for hours just to get inside of the casino. As the day went on the crowd grew so large that they needed to make a public appeal for people to stay away. The casino's popularity has remained steady, earning $155 million in annual payouts in 2004, which provided $6,000-dollar annual bonuses to every member of the tribe.

November 1997 -- Cherokee Casino Opens

University of North Carolina

http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/ref/nchistory/nov2007/index.html

Cherokees

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Cherokees.aspx

WAR

The Cherokees were sucked into the French and Indian War in 1756 and in the Revolutionary War in 1775 by the British Army. They used them to help build forts in the their land to fight against the French and the Indians that were on their side. In the Revolutionary War, the British thought it would be a good idea to use the Cherokees as their advantage once again against the Americans. But, in the midst of the wars, hundreds of Cherokee villages were destroyed and were severely impacted by the wars.

The Cherokee were also involved in the Creek War in 1813 to help the Creek defend their villages against American soldiers from letting them take there land. The Natives lost and 

Cherokee members were also in American Civil War in 1861. Some Cherokee troops joined the Union and others joined the Confederacy. It resulted in a war between factions within the Cherokee Nation. 

Part iv: The Revolutionary War, Cherokee Defeat, and Additional Land Cessions

http://ncpedia.org/cherokee/revolutionarywar

The Cherokee and the Civil War

http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History/Facts/24451/Information.aspx

Technology and it's affect on Cherokee Nation

• De Soto was the first explorer to meet the Cherokee Indians while looking for gold and silver
• He believed the Cherokee were keeping knowledge of the location of gold; so he killed many
• Foreigners brought diseases with them that greatly dampened the population
• With creation of new modern medicines and techniques, smallpox and other deathly illnesses have not effected the population as much as before
• Cherokee believed adapting to the European ways were a means for surviving; taught in newly created missionaries
• Cherokee Nation in North Carolina depend on tourism and the casino to keep living well and connected to their customs

"Cherokee Territory- Yesterday and Today." Cherokee Indian Reservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.yvwiiusdinvnohii.net/Chereast/yestoday.htm>.

Coughlin, Ellen K. "The De Soto Expedition." The De Soto Expedition. Learn NC, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1694>.

Multicultural Incursions

Before European settlers came to America, the Cherokee population had no limitations as to where they could flourish. They hunted, fished and grew crops wherever they pleased. At first, the Cherokee groups helped the Europeans to hunt, fish and farm in the new unfamiliar environment. The settlers began to build schools and churches and the Cherokee people began to learn the ways of the Europeans and the younger Cherokee began to build there own mills and little shops to join the white community. But some of the Cherokee people did not like these changes because they felt that they were starting to lose their culture. Cherokee members wanted to establish their own community in Georgia that would make them self governed from the white population. But, Georgia increased its state pressure on the federal government to release Cherokee lands for white settlement. Most settlers did not wait however and began to rush into the Cherokee territory claiming land that was not theirs. It also started to get worse when Andrew Jackson became president in 1830, gold was found on their lands, and the Indian Removal Act was passed. People were swarming in their territory and the Cherokee people were not allowed to protest against anyone intruding on their land because it was now government land. Then in 1836, the government passed the treaty that sealed the deal for white settlers. It was the removal of Cherokees West of the Mississippi in exchange for $5 million and new territory. The Cherokee people fought for a different approach but was never given to them. So in 1838, the Cherokee people were forced West of the Mississippi on a long and rigorous journey to what is now known as the Trail of Tears.

The Cherokee Nation in the 1820

The University of North Carolina 

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newnation/4548

Globalization and the Cherokee Nation

• With early globalization in 1829, gold was discovered on Cherokee land in Georgia
• Cherokee Indians were moved more than 800 miles west of Mississippi 
• Trail of Tears
•         Many died en route or once they arrived due to weakness 
• In an 1866 Treaty, freed Cherokee slaves and allowed them to become American citizens
• Early globalization resulted in de-culturation of the Cherokee Nation

"Trail of Tears." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567.html>.

Population

When Europeans first came into the southeastern United States where the Cherokee thrived, they were accompanied by disease. This was in 1540 and it is estimated that epidemics wiped out at least 75% of the original native population. In 1674, the Cherokee population totaled about 50,000. After further disease (small pox), the population dropped to about 25,000. The Cherokee suffered more loss, costing them about 25% of their population after their "removal" and The American Civil War.  Today, the Cherokee is the second-largest Indian tribe in the United States with more than 300,000 tribal citizens. Over 70,000 Cherokee reside within a 7,000 square mile geographical area in northeast Oklahoma.

Lee Sultzman, Ken Martin. Cherokee History: Population. 

 http://www.tolatsga.org/Cherokee1.html. Electronic Document. Accessed November 18, 2012

The Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center. Our History: What Is the Cherokee Nation Today?.

http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History/Facts/24449/Information.aspx. Electronic Document. Accessed November 18, 2012

Geographic Location

Cherokee culture originated in the southeastern area of what is now the United States. There, the Cherokee culture thrived, continuing to develop as they shaped their government and way of live.
However, when gold was discovered in Georgia in the 1830's, thousands of Cherokee men, women, and children were rounded up for their "removal" from the state. The Cherokee were herded and forced to march 1,000 miles until they arrived in "Indian Territory." The trail is now referred to as "The Trail Of Tears." The new territory is now part of the state of Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation's Jurisdiction is compromised of 14 counties in NE Oklahoma. The jurisdiction includes 6 full and 8 partial counties within Oklahoma tribal statistical areas. The Jurisdiction is estimated to be 7,000 square miles.












The Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center. Our History: A Proud Heritage.
http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History/Facts/24449/Information.aspx. Electronic Document. Accessed November 18, 2012