Cherokee the Impact of Intolerance

Cherokee

The impact of Intolerance of tribal religion on the Cherokee over the last 150 years

The Cherokee are one of the largest North American indigenous tribes. They are linked to the Iroquoian linguistic family and the Southeast culture area. (Cherokee) "The Cherokee are the only surviving representative of the southern Iroquoian peoples, the split between the ancestral Cherokee and the Northern Iroquoian occurring about 3,500-4,000 years ago" (Cherokee Religion).

Archeological evidence suggests that the Cherokee migrated in the distant past from Texas or northern Mexico as well as the area surrounding the Great Lakes. (Cherokee) They then moved south to the Allegheny and Appalachian mountain regions in modern North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and northern Georgia and Alabama. This was where they were first encountered by Europeans when the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto arrived in the area in 1540. It is also significant to note that this first encounter with the European culture was a smallpox epidemic that killed approximately eleven thousand Cherokees. (Cherokee)

The Cherokee have played a prominent role in American history. They sided with the British in the colonial wars and the American Revolution. A governmental system was established by the Cherokee tribe in 1820, which was similar or the United States and in 1827 "...they drafted a constitution and (were) incorporated as the Cherokee Nation" (Cherokee)

The Cherokee culture and lifestyle was centered on agriculture and the growing of corn, beans, and squash, among others. They were also a hunting culture. This also relates to their religious and spiritual beliefs, which were strongly linked to the land and to nature.

In terms of the structure of the society, the original Cherokee tribe was divided into seven matrilineal clans. (Cherokee) They lived in a number of permanent villages. The extent of the change and acculturation of the Cherokees can be seen in that in the modern era they have occupations that extend from farmers to factory workers.

2. Religious aspects and intolerance

Many critics are of the view that the early history of the United States was characterized by a certain degree of intolerance and prejudice.

America was synonymous with liberty and an opportunity to start a new life, free of religious, political, and economic taboos and tyranny. The military brutality, religious intolerance, and ethnic prejudice of the time were ignored or played down, however, except for the memories and folklore of their victims.

Perlmutter 4)

These assertions are also supported by many studies and historian document. As a report from the International Indian Treaty Council (2008) indicates,

The Native Americans are without any doubt the community facing the most problematical situation, one inherited from a past of denial of their religious identity, in particular through a policy of assimilation, which most Native Americans insist on calling genocide (physical liquidation, religious conversion, attempts to destroy their traditional way of life, laying waste of land, etc.)

Sacred Lands and the Right of Spiritual Practice)

These views also indicate that the prejudice and intolerance of the Cherokee religion has had profound affects on the Cherokee religious culture.

As noted in the introduction, the Cherokee culture is closely linked to the land and to nature. This can be seen in the way that the agricultural activities of the Cherokee are reflected in their religious and spiritual ceremonies. "The Busk, or Green Corn Ceremony, was a time of thanksgiving, rekindling of sacred fires, and spiritual renewal" (Cherokee) Other natural aspects such as plants and animals feature in the mythical and religious structure of the culture.

A central point is that religion and spirituality is intimately interwoven with the cultural reality of the society. It therefore follows that when this religious structure fragments, as has happened since the late 1800s, then this has a concomitant effect on the culture as a whole. For example, the kinship system of the culture is closely linked to the understanding of nature myths and this is interwoven with religion.

In understanding how prejudice and intolerance has affected the religious aspects of this culture, one also has to consider this question in relation to other cultural realties. It is well-known that in the last century there has been a dramatic decline in the Cherokee and other indigenous cultures in the United States. This can be seen in the fact that over time traditional Cherokee culture was severely weakened by various factors. For examples, "In Oklahoma the Cherokee live both on and off the reservation scattered in urban centers and in isolated rural regions." (Cherokee)

This also refers to the influence of contemporary industrial society, which has often been referred to as a central cause for the cultural breakdown of religious traditions in the culture. One also has to bear in mind political events and factors in the 1800s, such as the principle of "discovery," according to which "...the Cherokee Nation (and, by implication, all Indian nations) was not fully sovereign, but "may, perhaps," be deemed a "domestic dependent nation." (Newcomb) These factors resulted in a decline of religious culture with many ceremonies and practices becoming."..no more than artistic conventions" (Cherokee Religion). This also affected the culture in various ways - for example in the loss of the prevalence of their native language.

Acculturation led to a division in the societal and cultural cohesiveness, evidenced by conflict between traditional "medicine men" and elders of the society who opted for western modes of religion and culture. For example, in 1988 Chief Youngdeer stated that, "We hate to lose them, but the old ways don't put bread on the table" (Cherokee Religion). Direct intervention by Christian groups also played a role in dividing the society. In the early years of the nineteenth century a split within the Cherokee nations occurred as a result of missionary interview between "...those who pursued the path of acculturation -- commonly referred to as "progressives" -- and those who clung to traditional religious, social, and political values -- the "conservatives" (Minges 37). This led to a disintegration of cultural cohesion and greater dependence on the dominant white culture. (Minges 37)