When the Cherokee people discovered that something had been stealing their meal at night, they were surprized to find giant dog prints around the house. After much discussion over what to do about the thief, an old Cherokee man suggested that everyone bring noise makers that night, and they would hide beside the meal beaters and wait for the giant dog. That night a huge dog appeared from the West, shining with a silver sheen in the moonlight. He was so big that the old man was afraid at first to give the signal, and the dog began to eat great gulps of the meal. Finally the old man gave the signal and everyone beat drums, shook their rattles, and shouted loudly. The dog was so scared that he ran around in a circle and then gave a giant leap into the sky, and the meal pouring out of his mouth made a white trail across the sky. This is what we call the Milky Way, and what the Cherokee call to this day Gil' LiUtsun' Stanun'yi, meaning "Where the dog ran".

Links to Cherokee Historical Maps

• From the Rare Map Collection at the University of Georgia. This collection includes maps showing the location of the Cherokee Country 1732-1838.
• Lands of the Texas Cherokee - 1836

If you are interested in having some books to read to learn and study the Cherokee People here some links for you to see. History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees by James Mooney -- Detailed, thorough history of the tribe plus traditional stories and religious practices.

Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation by John Ehle -- Ehle's style with an excellent, unbiased history of the tribe leading up to the forced removal.

Cherokee Tragedy: The Ridge Family and the Decimation of a People by Thurman Wilkins -- An excellent work on the Ridge faction of the Cherokee Nation from 1790-1840. This is a "must read" for those interested in the events leading to the Trail of Tears and the assassination of the Treaty Party leaders.

John Ross: Cherokee Chief by Gary E. Moulton -- The life of the most famous Cherokee Chief who served from 1828 to his death in 1866.

Old Frontiers: The Story of the Cherokee Indians from Earliest Times to the Date of Their Removal to the West, 1838 by John P. Brown -- An excellent and thorough history of the Cherokees in the 1700's and early 1800's. Emphasis is on the Chickamauga faction and their raids and warfare with the ever encroaching white settlers. (If you find it, buy it - may be out of print).

The Cherokees by Grace Steele Woodward

Cherokee Removal: Before and After edited by Wm. L. Anderson -- A collection of essays by noted authors on topics relating to conditions before, during, and after the Trail of Tears.

The Cherokees and Christianity, 1794-1870: Essays on Acculturation and Cultural Persistence by William G. McLoughlin

After the Trail of Tears: The Cherokee Struggle for Sovereignty 1839-1880 by William G. McLoughlin -- Discusses efforts of the Cherokee Nation to maintain independence with the complications of internal factionalism.

Redbird Smith and the Nighthawk Keetoowahs by Janey B. Hendrix -- A straight forward account of the Nighthawk Keetoowahs, led by Redbird Smith, and their opposition to the allotment of Cherokee land before Oklahoma statehood. Intended to provide unbiased viewpoints of those for and against allotment.

Fire and the Spirits: Cherokee Law from Clan to Court by Rennard Strickland -- Traces the evolution of Cherokee Law from tribal or clan law to a more Euro-American form.

And Still the Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes by Angie Debo -- This book documents the "orgy of exploitation", graft, and corruption that followed allotment and Oklahoma statehood. "Within a generation the Indians were almost stripped of their holdings, and were rescued from starvation only through public charity."

The Texas Cherokees: A People Between Two Fires, 1819-1840 by Dianna Everett -- The history of a group of Cherokees which left the Western Cherokees and settled in Mexican Texas. They were eventually forced from Texas in a bloody battle with the Texas Army and moved to the southern border of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory.

Mankiller: A Chief and Her People by Wilma Mankiller with Michael Wallis -- Aspects of Cherokee culture and history are interweaved with the story of Mankiller's life.

The Last Cherokee Warriors by Phillip W. Steele -- Actually two separate histories: Part 1 is the story of Ezekiel Proctor, the only "individual" the U.S. Government ever made a treaty with; Part 2 is the story of Ned Christie, an influential Keetoowah branded as an outlaw by the U.S. Government.

The Cherokee Crown of Tannassy by William O. Steele -- "A slightly [very] embellished account of events and designs and adventures as reported by Sir Alexander Cuming in his brief Journal, which appeared in the Historical Register of London for 1731." Cuming ventured into the Cherokee Nation in 1730 with the aid of Ludovic Grant and convinced seven young Cherokees (including future chief, Attakullakulla, the "Little Carpenter") to visit England and King George II.

The Cherokee People: The Story of the Cherokees from Earliest Origins to Contemporary Times by Thomas E. Mails -- Covers Cherokee society, religion, traditions, tribal organization, etc. Lots of illustrations.

Links to Native American places of interest:

• Cherokee History on First Nations. Lee Sultzman, First Nations' Historian, has composed an excellent overview of the history of the Cherokee. This page includes the most thorough chronology of treaties and other events that shaped the history of the Cherokee.
  
  
• Fire in the Mountains: The arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the Cherokee Country by Donald Sheppard and Jeremiah Wolfe on www.floridahistory.com.
  
  
• Primary Sources A list of primary and secondary sources for Cherokee research. Developed and maintained by Darlene Wilson, a University of Kentucky graduate student in Appalachian History.
  
  
• North Georgia History on Randal Golden's Cartersville GA website
  • Cherokee History
  • Sequoyah
  • New Echota
  • The Cherokee Phoenix Newspaper
  • Northwest Georgia's Chieftains Trail includes Native American historical sites.
  • North Georgia's Bartram Trail traces the path of botanist John Bartram 1765 and 1766 through the Cherokee Country.
  • Trail of Tears
  
  
  
• Pictures of Our Nobler Selves: the history of Native American journalism with emphasis on the writings of Elias Boudinot, John Rollin Ridge, and Elias Cornelius Boudinot. It begins with an excellent history of the Cherokee Phoenix newpaper. [from the First Amendment Center website]
  

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• Cherokee Time-Line
• Cherokee Language and History Tapes

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• Sequoyah: author of the Cherokee syllabary.
• Sequoyah's Talking Leaves: An article about Sequoyah by Priscilla Omega.
• Chief Whitepath's Cabin The restored cabin of Chief Whitepath, relocated to Gainesville GA from its original location in Ellijay GA.
• Cherokee Archaeology-- North Carolina Archaeological Society
  • North Carolina Archaeological Society
• Prehistory of the Upper Cumberland River Drainage in the Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee Border Region

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• Cherokee Treaties produced by the Oklahoma State University Library
• The Treaty of Hopewell 1785 (preceded on this page by The Shawnee Treaty at Great Miami 1786)
• Report on the Indian Affairs in the Southern Department 1787
• Congressional Proclamation on the Treaty of Hopewell 1788
• A Brief History of the Trail of Tears
• John Burnett's Story: As a young man, John Burnett was a U.S. soldier who participated in the removal of the Cherokee over the Trail of Tears. On his 80th birthday, he recorded the sad story of his experience.
• J.W. Moore, 1869: This is a letter written by J.W. Moore in 1869 describing his experiences with the Cherokee. It is taken from Emmett Starr's book "Cherokees West 1794-1839".
• Civilization or Extinction? An essay by Lucy Maddox on Georgetown University's American Studies website.
  
  
• History of the Texas Cherokee
  
  
• A Guide to Cherokee Confederate Military Units, 1861 - 1865 by Lars Gjertveit
• History of the 10th Kansas Volunteer Infantry in the American Civil War.
  
  
• Sam Starr: A Short and Violent Life By Michael Koch. Sam Starr and Frank West killed each other in a shoot-out in 1886. Both are Cherokee and were second-cousins (common great-grandparents). Sam Starr's wife was the notorious "Queen of the Outlaws", Belle Starr. [btw, Frank West is my great-great-grandfather].
• The Frontier Indian Police in four parts.
  
  
• The Text of the Dawes Act -- The Dawes Act or General Allotment Act of 1887
  • Native American Documents Project California State University, San Marcos

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  Papers by Patrick Minges: Patrick Minges is a Ph.D. candidate at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. His dissertation is being posted as a work in progress to allow opportunities for input from sources and resources knowledgeable about the issues involved. (Due to their length, you may want to download them and read them offline). Please contact him at [email protected] with comments and suggestions.
• Dissertation Prospectus
  • Chapter 1: Red, White, and Black in the Old South (draft)
  • Chapter 2: Red, White, and Black in the Old South (draft)
  • Chapter 3: Red, White, and Black in the Old South (draft)
  • Chapter 4: Red, White, and Black in the Old South (draft)
• "Who are You? I am Keetoowah's Son": Cherokee Nationalism and the Civil War
• Beneath the Underdog: Race, Religion and the "Trail of Tears"

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• God and the Land: Natural Theology and Natural History - Gerald Smith, University of the South.
• Western History Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri-Columbia

Tears That Flow Today