Native American Unit Home - Regalia

Cherokee

A Trace of Cherokee

There was once a lovely woman who was a slave on a plantation down south. She fancied a brave Cherokee man. They had to sneak to see each other because if they were caught they would both be killed. Well, in 1863 President Lincoln signed the proclamation emancipation, freeing all of the slaves in America. They didn't have television or radio back then so news of this moved slowly. But when the brave Cherokee man heard of this freedom he rode to his love's plantation, swept her onto his horse and rescued her. They rode away into the night and lived happily ever after. The brave Cherokee man and lovely slave woman of this story are my great ¬great-great - grand parents and this story has been passed down from generation to generation and told to me by my grandmother. I have chosen to report on the Cherokee to honor my Cherokee heritage.

The Cherokee are a Native American tribe. They lived in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Cherokee ate com, nuts, beans and squash. They hunted bear, deer, and fish for food and clothing.

Before contact with Europeans, Cherokee men wore breechcloths and leggings made from woven fiber or deer skin. They also wore extensive tattoo art and painted themselves bright colors in times of war. Cherokee men usually shaved their heads except for a single scalplock decorated with eagle and turkey feathers, and sometimes they would also wear a porcupine roach. These headdresses were made of porcupine hair, not their sharp quills! Cherokee women wore wraparound skirts and poncho-style blouses made out of woven fiber or deerskin. They all wore moccasins on their feet.

At first the Cherokee men saw that their appearance scared the European settlers so they covered their tattoos with European style shirts and jackets and wore feathered turbans around their head. As the Cherokee continued to work and trade alongside the Europeans they adapted European regalia into their own characteristic style, including long braided or beaded jackets, cotton blouses and full skirts decorated with ribbons, and calico tear dresses.

Their friendship and trade with Europeans would soon lead to the suffering and demise of the proud, strong Cherokee nation. When gold was found in the Cherokee tribal land greed overtook fair and friendly relations and the Cherokee were forcibly driven off of their land with little or no food or clothing. Many Cherokee people died. This cruel journey is still known among the Cherokee as the Trail of Tears. In memory of those lost, I have created a regalia based on early Cherokee design.

First mom and I went to the fabric store to get fabric and feathers. I picked out a light brown cloth that looks like dear skin and has native American designs on it. I also picked out eagle feathers and other colored feathers for a hair piece. Then we cut and sewed a tunic and a belt. Cherokee men actually wore a loin cloth but we've adapted that into a tunic because I didn't want to be freezing. Next I put some beads on a piece of thread and leather and made a necklace and a bracelet. We also made a sash. It has the Cherokee war flag on one side and the Cherokee peace flag on the other side. The war flag has a red background with white stars and the peace flag has a white background with red stars. The stars are shaped like the Naked Bear which we call the Big Dipper or Ursa Major. I got a moccasin set from Ms. Bluemel. They were hard at first but then my uncle helped me out and I realized that once I started one part I just had to go in a pattern. To finish off my regalia my dad tattooed Cherokee designs on me with henna ink (a temporary ink from India).

When I think about the Cherokee people now I think about how they were treated. I wish that they had been treated better and that they could have kept their homes and stayed safe. I'm not a big fan of history but I hope that in the future people can treat each other as friends with smiles, happiness, fun, and laughter.

Native American Unit Home - Regalia