The word "Cherokee" comes from a Creek word "Chelokee" which means "people of a different speech."  In their own language, the Cherokee originally called themselves the Aniyunwiya (principal people) or the Keetoowah (people of Kituhwa).  Although they usually accept being called Cherokee, many prefer "Tsalagi" from their own name for the Cherokee nation (Tsalagihi Ayili).  The Cherokee have been divided into three divisions depending on location and dialect.  They are:  Lower, Middle, and Over-the-Hill.  Other bands were: Atali, Chickamauga, and Qualia.

At the time of contact with the white man, the Cherokee's were a settled, agricultural people living in about 200 fairly large villages.  A typical Cherokee town consisted of 30-60 houses and a large council house.  The large council houses were frequently located on mounds from the earlier Mississippian culture.  Used for councils, general meetings, and religious ceremonies, the council houses were also the site of the sacred fire (which the Cherokee's had kept burning from time immemorial).  During the early 1800's, the Cherokee adopted their government to a written constitution.  They established their own courts and schools, and achieved a standard of living that was the envy of their white neighbors.  Particularly noteworthy was the invention of written language by Sequoyah in 1821.  Utilizing an ingenious alphabet of 86 characters, almost the entire Cherokee Nation became literate within a few years.  A Cherokee newspaper (the Phoenix) began publication in the native language in February, 1828.

Although the leadership of the Cherokee steadfastly maintained their independence an land base, they felt it was important to reach an accommodation with the Americans.  They refused Tecumseh's requests for Indian unity in 1811, ignored a call for war from the Red Stick Creek in 1813, and then fought as American allies during the Creek War.  Eight hundred Cherokee under Major Ridge were with Andrew Jackson's army at Horseshoe Bend in 1814; and according to one account, a Cherokee warrior saved Jackson's life during the battle.  If Jackson was grateful, he never allowed it to show.  He demanded huge land cessions from both the Cherokee and Creek.  The Cherokee government became more determined not to give up any more land, but things were moving against them.  By 1822, Georgia was pressing Congress to end Cherokee title within its boundaries.  With the election of Jackson as president in 1828, the Cherokee were in serious trouble.  Gold was discovered that year on their land, and miners began swarming in.  With Jackson's full support, the Indian Removal Act was introduced in Congress in 1829.  It met some opposition from Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, but they were only able to delay its passage until 1830.  Meanwhile, Jackson refused to enforce the treaties which protected the Cherokee homeland from encroachment.  Georgia citizens were free to kill, burn, and steal.  The Cherokee decided to take their fight to the US courts.  They won both cases brought before the Supreme Court, but it was a hollow victory.  Without Jackson's federal support, the laws could no be enforced to protect them.  What followed was known as the "Trail of Tears."  This tragic story is covered separately.  Please go back to the table of contents t learn of this blot on American history.

In 1674, their population was around 50,000.  A series of small pox epidemics cut this in half, and it remained fairly stable at about 25,000 until their removal to Oklahoma during the 1830's.  The American Civil War was the next disaster, and cost the Cherokee 25% of their population.  No other group of Americans (white or Native) suffered as severely during this conflict.  Today, the Cherokee's are the largest Native American group in the United States.