We Are One Native

Cherokee Women: Equal Partners in Society Cherokee women enjoyed equal status with men in their society. They were eligible for the title of War Women and participated in councils as equals. This led Adair, an Irishman who traded with the Cherokee from 1736-1743, to accuse the Cherokee of having a "petticoat government". The Cherokee people followed a matrilineal system, where children grew up in their mother's house. An uncle from the mother's side taught boys essential skills like hunting and fishing. Women owned the houses and furnishings. Marriages were carefully negotiated, but women could initiate divorce by placing their spouse's belongings outside. Cherokee women worked hard, caring for children, cooking, tending to the house, tanning skins, weaving baskets, and cultivating fields. Men assisted with some household chores like sewing but focused primarily on hunting. Cherokee girls learned various skills, including warfare, healing, basket weaving, storytelling, trade, and dance. They became mothers, wives, and custodians of their heritage. The Cherokee people's ability to adapt was largely attributed to the women, who formed the core of their society.

Walk gently, the land remembers every step
Beneath your feet sleep stories and songs
Bones of the ancestors hold the circle of time
The earth is not silent, she is listening
Every footprint is a promise to return
Wisdom grows where respect is planted
The old ones speak through soil and wind
Honor is measured by how lightly we walk
The past breathes beneath the present
To walk with care is to walk with spirit