Weapons

From about 10,000 to 500 years ago, the Native Americans did not have the Bow and Arrow.  Instead, they used a Short Spear, about 3 to 4 feet long, made from river reed (similar to Bamboo or Cat Tail) trimmed with two feathers, and tipped with a small stone or bone point (Projectile Points).  The spear was usually thrown with the aid of a Atlatl or throwing-stick, to increase the speed and range.  This was the primary weapon for hunting and war, as the Bow was not invented (introduced) until about the arrival of the Spaniards in the 1500’s.  The Spanish troops learned that the short spear, thrown with an Atlatl, was the only weapon (except a cross bow) that could pierce their body armor.  The average warrior could fire 5 spears to  1 Spanish musket shot. 

Many archaeologists agree that the Atlatl, or spear thrower, has been discovered in European deposits that date back to 30,000 BP.  Since this same weapon system has been discovered in America, they glibly state that the weapon was introduced into America much later (about 8,000 - 10,000 years BP).  The problem is that there was no way for people to continue to cross the land bridge to bring this new weapon to the people of America, as the Land Bridge was underwater at that time.  It is entirely possible that Sandia Man may have developed the Atlatl to give them more range and power for their spears in order to successfully hunt the mammoth.  As the glaciers receded North, the hunters followed, all the way back to Asia, taking their better tools, weapons, and hunting techniques with them.

Other similarities in weapons and tools include the shape of the spear points, and the mounting technique (pitch).  This mounting technique for spear or arrow points was still in use in Europe until 5,000 years ago, but had long been replaced in America for the tip design that allowed tying the tip to the shaft with thin strips of raw skin.  This is understandable, as there was not many natural deposits of pitch (tar pits) available to the inhabitants of America.  Another problem for archaeologists is the type of stone ax used by many coastal Native Americans.  The size, shape, material, and manufacturing techniques are virtually identical to the types found in Europe and described as Celtic.

The Atlatl fell out of use in Asia and Europe when the Bow was developed several thousand years ago, probably in Greece or Egypt.  The bow was not in use in America until about the time of the arrival of Columbus.  When the invaders from Europe engaged the native in warfare, they were greeted by short spears, thrown with great accuracy and power from long distances.  The white invaders thought for a while that the natives were using a powerful long-bow, but the Atlatl had greater range, more power and accuracy than the muskets of the whites.  The average native warrior could throw five ‘arrows’ for each musket shot.

Projectile point designs varied widely as dictated by the material and their use.  Small points with no flutes were used for small game, medium points with flutes were used for hunting large game and for war, large points were used on large spears for large game (bears) and for war.  There does not appear to be one particular type of point design that was used exclusively by the Cherokee.  Virtually every type of stone point used in the US has been found somewhere in Cherokee Territory.  They were quite the ‘techno’ types of their time and would adopt a new design from another tribe, or create a design of their own for a special purpose.  The art of projectile point making (flint napping) almost became a lost art when the Europeans began trading small bits of iron.  The Cherokee were probably one of the first to make Iron Arrows.

The Atlatl shafts were usually made of Ash, Popular, or Hickory due to their spring-like qualities.  The shafts were usually equipped with a stone counter-weight which increased the power delivered to the throw.  Traditionally, Cherokees make their Bows from Hickory as it was readily available and has excellent spring qualities.  The bow-strings were made from braided bear hairs.  After a bow was made and tested, the grip was covered with leather, and a small feather was tied to the bow to act as a wind-sock.  More decorative bows were generally gifts to the chief and used for ceremonial purposes.

Cherokee Canoes were made from large hollowed-out tree trunks.  They had a flat square front with a gentle taper for beaching and a flat bottom.  They were wide enough for two men to sit side by side, and long enough to hold raiding party of about 20 men.  Depending on the depth of the river, they used poles or paddles for propulsion.  Most rivers in the Cherokee Nation were quite shallow, so poles were used when carrying freight, and paddles were used for speed when moving war parties. 

Cherokee carved bone, stone and wood into objects of art.  They had a lively trade with the Seminoles  and other coastal tribes for sea shells, particularly Conch shells and Clam shells.  They carved beautiful breast-plates (gorgets) from the wall of the Conch and Clam shells.  Earrings made of Sand Dollars and Scallop shells were common.  Necklaces were made of carved bone and wooden beads.  Some artists specialized in stone carvings of clan animal figurines used on Ceremonial Pipes and round stone balls used in a game called Marbles. 

Cherokee women made beautiful Baskets from river reeds.  Some were rigid for food gathering and storage, some were flexible for use as warrior’s packs.  Some of the baskets were made water-tight and used directly on the fire for cooking, or by dropping hot stones into the basket to make tea or soup.  Bowls were made from river clay and baked in an open fire.  They were made from contrasting layers and deeply incised to show the contrasting colors. Others were stamped with designs carved on ‘stamping boards’ made of wood and bone.   Corn was roasted in the husk, pounded or ground to a powder for bread and other dishes.  Other Recipes are listed below.  Whiskey and other ‘strong drink’ were unknown until the Scotsmen arrived in the early 1700’s. 

The Green Corn Festival or Ceremony is a Native American harvest celebration. Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Yuchi, and Iroquois as well as other Native American tribes celebrate this ceremony on some manner.

The ceremony is typically held during the full moon when the first corn crop is ready to harvest. The exact date cannot be determined ahead of time; it's all up to the corn. It is a time of thanks and forgiveness. A thanksgiving for the crops and old grudges are forgiven. The ceremony lasts for several days. The holy man as a symbol of health, life, and spiritual power tends a sacred fire. The first few days, known as the Busk, people fast, cleanse themselves, and their homes. Men and women then drink an herbal concoction, the "Black Drink" that help cleanse and purify their bodies. Then the first corn harvest is tasted followed by dancing, singing, playing, and feasting. Many foods are included in the feast with an emphasis on corn: roast corn, corn tortillas, corn soup, corn bread….

 A ball game is quite popular in which teams of boys and girls try to hit a target on a large pole, the original source of our lacrosse. The game varies, of course, from tribe to tribe.

Ball Games

A-ne-jo-di (Stickball)

The game resembles the modern European game of lacrosse, using ball sticks which are handmade from hickory.  A small ball, made of deer hair and hide, is tossed into the air by the medicine man.  The male players use  a pair of the sticks, and female players use the bare hands.  In earlier times, only the men with the greatest athletic ability played the game.  The game was oftentimes played to settle disputes, and the conjurer for each team often became as important to the team as the players themselves.

 Seven points are scored when the ball strikes a wooden fish on the top of a pole approximately 25 feet in height, and two points are awarded when the ball strikes the pole.

Sawǎnu'gǐ or Cherokee Ball Player, picture by James Mooney, from his book

"History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees"

In earlier days, there would be a dance before the ballgame. The ballplayers were the participants of the dance, along with seven women dancers.  Each woman represented one of the clans.  Throughout the dance, the women would step on black beads which represented the players of the opposing team.  The conjurer had placed these black beads on a large flat rock.  Today, stickball is an important part of the days activities at ceremonial Stomp Grounds, being necessary to play before the Stomp Dance can ever begin. It is also a recreational sport at other times between community teams.  There are also intertribal teams made up of players from Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Yuchi, Natchez, and other area communities.

  

 

Di-ga-da-yo-s-di (Marbles)

Cherokee Marbles is a game of skill, still played in the form of tournaments.  Also a skill is the art of making the marbles themselves.  The marble game dates back to approximately 800 a.d., and is a complex game of skill and strategy played by adults on a five-hole outdoor course.

 Until the early part of the 20th century, players used marbles chipped from stone, smoothed into round marbles about the size of billiard balls.  Today, there are  still some traditional marble makers, but most tournaments utilize billiard balls for play.

 The game is played on a field approximately 100 feet long, where there are five holes about two inches in diameter, 10 to 12 yards apart, forming an L-shape.  Any number of  players may play, but each team must have an equal number.

 Each player uses on marble and must keep track of its location as well as the opposing players marbles.  The players toss the marbles at the holes with the object of advancing by landing in each hole in sequence and returning to the starting point.  Players must toss their marbles and knock the opposing players’ out of the way in a prescribed manner.  The first team to complete the course is the winner.

Music

The traditional musical instruments of the Cherokee consist of :

The water drum which is a earthen pot or kettle with a skin stretched over the top of it. An inch or so of water or other liquid is placed inside before playing.

The River Cane flute, which in 1835 was reported to have been approximately one foot long, and had 6 holes.

Trumpets were sometimes made from buffalo horns, and sometimes from long neck gourds or the thigh bone of the crane. Conch shells were used in very early times.

Turtle shells are used for ceremonial rattles; a single rattle to be held in the hand for use by men, and turtle shell shackles worn on the legs of women. Sometimes the ceremoinial hand rattles are made of gourd, as well. (from the Cherokee Nation webpage )

A text by Charlie Orme:

Native American music is very unusual, far from conforming to the common stereotype in the minds of others. It exhibits an enormous amount of variety not commonly realized by most people. It plays a mainly functional role in their culture.

All Native American music is generally categorized in two ways: instrumentation and lyrical content. The melody of Cherokee Indian music is generally played with a flute. This flute is carved out of wood, and has a light, melodic sound that seems to float in the air. This gives the songs an interesting sound unique to Native American music. Part of this sound comes from the fact that Native American music uses a fascinating scale, known as the tonal (or Indian) scale. This scale sounds very odd because most people are used to the standard Ionian major scale, with the whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half step foundation and the do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do progression; but to the Cherokee people, it sounds perfectly normal, and the Ionian major scale sounds weird. Flute melodies may be sung, but harmony (two of the same, similar, or complementary melodic lines being sung or played simultaneously) and polyphony (two different melodic lines played or sung simultaneously) are almost unheard of.

Other Native American instruments include the Pow Wow drum, the rattle, flutes and flageolets, whistles, simple trumpets and/or reed instruments. Those most widespread are percussion instruments, including drums. Native American (including Cherokee) drums are made from animal skin stretched across a large gourd, and have a deep, rich sound not found in today's ordinary drum sets. The drums are very important; they provide the rhythmic foundation for Cherokee and all Native American music.

Among other percussion instruments, the idiophones are represented by rattles, musical rasps, sticks beaten together, beaten planks, rods, and slit drums. (An idiophone is an instrument whose sound is simply the vibration of its elastic constituent material, unmodified by any special tension; for example, a bell, gong, or rattle would be an idiophone, whereas a drum would not.) Membranophones (drums with skin heads) are also used commonly. Another important part of the Native Americans' music is the singing. Whether rhythmic chanting or high-pitched yodeling, this part of the music truly completes the song.

Lyrics

In conclusion, the music of the Cherokee Indians is unique, possessing a musical richness and emotional depth not often found in other music. It is very interesting to look into other cultures' music; looking into the music of the Cherokee gives an engaging glimpse of the culture.