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ANI TSALAGIHI AYELI -
The Cherokee People and Their Nation

by Mike Austin

“The Cherokee vision of the earth, the universe, the past and the future is a perpetual circle. What holds true today and what still lies ahead is part of an unending molten ribbon, along which the past is just as alive as the present. Today we have closed the broken circle, not only for ourselves and our children, but for the next seven generations. This complies with our sense for an everlasting community, which is expressed by the motto “Danita ga” – “We stand together, we are one”. With the signing of the historic “Self-Governance Agreement” (1990) between the United States and the Cherokee Nation, the Cherokee People have again gained the right to determine their own destiny.”

John Ketcher, Cherokee Nation Councilman, Vice Principal Chief 1989 – 99

The Cherokee with 280 000 people are the second largest Indian people in North America , the largest without a reservation.

 The Cherokee Nation (CN) landbase comprises an area of 7 700 square miles/18 200 square kilometers in northeast Oklahoma, which is managed as a so-called “Jurisdictional Service Area” – a legal construction that was established by U.S. Congress in accordance with the Self-Governance Act as a “Sphere of (autonomous Indian) jurisdiction”.

The capitol of the modern CN is Tahlequah, a town of 20 000 people, that was founded in 1839 in the heart of Cherokee country. Today Tahlequah is the management center of a vibrant network structure, which administers political, economic, educational and social- medical services.

There are numerous theories on the origins of the name „Cherokee“. Probably the most likely is that “Cherokee” is a modern form of the archaic name “AnCheero-kee”, meaning “Fire People” in an extinct dialect. Today the Cherokee call themselves “Ani Tsalagi” – “People of the Cherokee” and their nation is “Tsalagihi Ayeli” – “Nation of the Cherokee”.

The Cherokee had lived in the southern Appalachian Mountains region in the southeast of North America since mythological times, when they were confronted with Europeans for the first time in 1540. The Spaniard Leonardo de Soto reported to the Spanish crown that the Cherokee lived in a political system made up of a federation of towns on an equal cooperation basis. Their society was of matrilinear orientation and their economy consisted mostly of agriculture with corn, pumpkins and beans. In addition, they managed an extensive trade network, and their woodcarving, basketry and pottery were highly developed. Their religion taught about a creator being, whose spirit permeated the world and inspired it with sacredness.

Intensive and lasting contact was not established until the end of the 17^th century, when the Cherokee entered into formal trade relations with the English colonists. In 1730 a Cherokee delegation visited Great Britain . During this visit a trade agreement was negogiated, which also decided on a diplomatic exchange between London and the Cherokee capital Itsati. In 1738 a smallpox epidemic decimated the Cherokee population by half. During the following decades they increasingly and massively were put under extreme pressure by the settlers pushing westward. Finally the Cherokee entered into a military alliance with Great Britain during the American Independence War. After the establishment of the United States , the Americans sought revenge with targeted genocidal campaigns, that eliminated two-thirds of the Cherokee settlements and their inhabitants. In the course of these genocides the Cherokee Nation lost in total about 80% of their traditional landbase. In 1783 they were hit with a second disastrous smallpox epidemic, and the old order of the Cherokee world until then vanished forever.

Nevertheless, at the threshold of the 19^th century the CN had developed into a country with an outstandingly healthy state of economic prosperity, much in contrast to the war-ravaged United States . The CN also operated a well organized school system and founded a national academy in 1825. As no other people, they used the civilitory and technical progress of the Euro-Americans and became acquainted with it with breathtaking rapidity. Moreover, they developed their own Cherokee alphabet, a vital advantage for survival.

The Cherokee attorney, silversmith and future Principal Chief Sequoyah had realized the fundamental importance of a written language and the advantages such knowledge would bring. After working on this idea for several years, he introduced a syllabary to the Cherokee Parliament that could express the Cherokee language in 85 letters.

Within a few years nearly all Cherokees could read and write in their own language. At the same time only 30% Euro-Americans were capable of reading and writing. In 1828 the “Cherokee Phoenix”, one of the first bilingual newspapers in the Americas , was published for the first time. After almost 180 years it continues to be one of the most important information medium of the Cherokee.

The Cherokee had hoped that they could continue to live in their traditional homelands as a modern state equal to all other countries. Therefore, they did not feel affected by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The forceful ethnical cleansing of the winter of 1838-39 led to a national catastrophy that would bring the Cherokee to the edge of their existence as a people. In addition, a suit of the Cherokee Nation against the United States , which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, made no difference. During late summer of 1838 U.S. soldiers came into the CN illegally to conquer them. The surviving Cherokee were herded together and held in concentration camps until December 25^th of the same year when they were brought to Indian Territory (IT) on forced marches. The already substantially weakened population was not capable of dealing with such a dramatic effort in the middle of winter and so 25% of all those affected died on the way. After arriving in IT many more died of the consequences of these death marches that have come to be called the “Trail of Tears” of the Cherokee. The Cherokee themselves call this tragedy “Nuna da’ul Tsuni – The Trail on which we screamed (in indignation)”.

Based on the promise of the United States that they could live here unmolested from this time on, the Cherokee went about to rebuild their nation once more. Ironically, until the U.S. Civil War and the Allotment Act, which dissolved the CN temporarily, this time became known as the “Golden Age of the Cherokee”. Already during the first year after arrival in IT they established national and societal structures to rebuild an existence worth living. The Americans had little understanding or tolerance for this in their national aspirations to conquer the continent coast to coast. In the wake of this, the Cherokee again lost all they had rebuilt at the end of the 19^th century to the new State of Oklahoma .

As many other indigenous peoples too, the Cherokee kept up illegal governmental structures in the underground against the will of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). In 1948 a conference of all Cherokee leaders was held to discuss strategies on continuation of the nation and the people. This was a first step to establish strategies for the next century and beyond. In consequence the Cherokee lobbied the BIA for support and financing of a factory for small appliances whose profits they were able to increase to one million US-$ in only a few years. This constituted the financial basis for a number of suits against the United States that during the following years brought in 800 million US-$ in total for lands lost between 1838 to 1907. With these monies it was again possible for the Cherokee to establish structures which would be the foundation of the modern CN of today. A more liberal U.S. Indian political situation at that time made it possible that the Cherokee once more could elect their own leaders and a “tribal” council. With the knowledge about the importance of a successful economy to prevail in the realities of American demands, they pursued a variety of economic initiatives to afford to provide quality educational and social-medical services.

Today the CN has an annual gross income of 500 million US-$ and is the largest employer in eastern Oklahoma and adjacent regions. This affords a large number of offers on programs that allow for a good life’s quality and cultural security in an overwhelmingly dominant American society.

Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller (1986-95) especially has brought about many significant changes with her engaged efforts. She managed to obtain an increasing independence from monies of the United States . With her successful government activities, which have been acknowledged nationally and internationally, she also showed Cherokee women a new self-image, which actually has always been an important aspect of Cherokee identity.

Furthermore, under Chief Mankiller the Self-Governance Agreement had been formulated and signed. In addition during her administration, outstanding lawsuits against the U.S. Government were brought to a conclusion and reparation monies were paid out.

Especially during the 1990s when efforts of the decades before were taking effect, the CN and the Cherokee People experienced a substantial recovery that has carried them into the 21^st century with a particular confidence. The small appliance production, which had been established in the 1950s, constituted the basis of Cherokee Industries. It has grown into a variety of wide-ranging branches, most of all in electric installation, wire and fiber optic cable production, in addition to medical, construction and ecological services. In 2002 the CN established a new production center for kitchen furniture and fittings whose products are distributed nationwide.

In the course of increased diversification of the Cherokee economy, Cherokee Enterprises was also founded in the 1990s to manage additional businesses professionally. Cherokee Enterprises operates casinos, touristic businesses such as hotels and restaurants, grocery stores and gift shops, smoke shops and gas stations, in addition to their own CN vehicle license plates. Moreover cultural initiatives such as the museum complex and the theater with its international programs are part of these CN projects. The CN also manages an extensive net of housing for its citizens that has developed into a seperate business branch generating jobs and income.

Through the reparation law suits the CN was awarded ownership of their 75 mile/120 kilometer portion of the Arkansas River . During the 1970s the river was enlarged to accommodate ocean-going ships and in partnership with Oklahoma an inland harbor near Tulsa was built. At the same time, the CN built its own power station there to ensure its own energy needs. Profits from oil and mineral resources found along the river generate additional income. Finally the CN purchased the stock majority of the Bank of Tahlequah again and so manage their own monies and re-invest it. As a consequence, it has become possible for the CN to award reasonable loans for private business initiatives of their citizens.

A substantial component of Cherokee strategy to ensure the best possible competitiveness of the Nation and its citizens is a network of bilingual educational institutions and social-medical centers. The CN has regained full control of all its important areas with the Self-Governance Agreement of 1990 and manages its own schools, hospitals and clinics. Their re-established social system is especially close to life and its citizens, and is superior to the American. Furthermore, the CN is a main partner of Northeastern University in Tahlequah.

The CN and its citizens are one of the many peoples of Oklahoma and of America who have not only survived the American genocide but have also re-established a life worth living. During the legislature period of 2002 Cherokee Parliament and Principal Chief Chad Corntassel Smith (1999-) formulated a 100 year plan that defines strategies to fulfill the ancient visions for the coming generations. Just as the mythological Phoenix , the Cherokee have risen out of the ashes to continue on in the everlasting community of their sacred circle. Danita ga.

Internet links for further information and pictures

- www.cherokee.org >Homepage of the  Cherokee Nation
- www.cherokee-nc.com >Homepage of the  Cherokee-Nation  in North Carolina
- www.allthingscherokee.com >More  Informationen on many  Cherokee aspects