Wednesday 12 February 2014

Cherokee Indians

http://www.cherokee.org/

The Native American tribe I've chosen to look at is that of the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokee tribes are situated in the south-east of the United States, within the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and East Tennessee.
This website is about the Cherokee Nation, which is a federally-recognised government of the Cherokee peoples. It is the largest of three recognised Cherokee tribes in the United States, and is based primarily in Oklahoma. It has an overall population of nearly 300,000. The Cherokee tribe was originally called one of the "Five Civilised Tribes", as they had assimilated aspects of European way of life. They became one of the first major non-European ethnic groups to be given US citizenship. Historically, their culture has been traditional, with men participating in warfare, and with tribes partaking in religious activities such as healing and purification.
The Cherokee Nation controls Cherokee Nation Businesses, which is a holding company with companies in gaming, construction, defence, health care, real estate and technology. Their estimated economic impact on the economy is $1.06 on the states economy, and $401 in salaries creating over 13,000 jobs. 
Today, the Cherokee Nation is concerned in many social aspects, and environmental. The Nation has led the Inter-Tribal Environmental Council, which aims to protect the health of American Indians,  by promoting natural resources. To accomplish this mission, ITEC provides technical support, training and environmental services in a variety of environmental disciplines.
There is also the ongoing issue and controversy over the Cherokee freedmen. During the American Civil War, the Cherokee tribes sided with the abolition of slavery, and the Cherokee Freedmen were made members of the tribe. However, there is argument as it was deemed you could only be a Cherokee by blood, and therefore the Freedmen were stripped of their citizenship. It has recently been ruled that the Freedmen was denied their rights over tribal citizenship, and right to vote.
The Cherokee Nation state their mission for the future to be this, as found on the website -  "The Cherokee Nation is committed to protecting our inherent sovereignty, preserving and promoting Cherokee culture, language and values, and improving the quality of life for the next seven generations of Cherokee citizens."

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Nation

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