cherokee culture

[curioustoknow]

Now please be patient with me as I have asked before I want allowed to know my culture growing up as my family was converted to christianity in the early 1900a during the great depression.

My great grandmother: the things I remember most about my great grandmother was her positivity, her eagerness to play with us kids, and joy in life.

When my great grandmother was 12 years old, her family, which not much is known about them abandoned her. She came home from school to find an empty house. This was not uncommon during the depression as families were starving and dying.

A 40 year old man took her in and married her at the age of 12 I never had the pleasure of meeting this man, but my mother had told me stories of him and before anyone judges what he did, she tells me that he was the kindest, sincerest, wonderful man she ever met.

My lineage comes from highly spiritually adept people called shamans/healers. The media portrays us as magic dealers, consulting with demons, and stuff like that. And some of it has to do with consulting spirits, but not all spirits are bad. And I say spirits very lightly because what they are are other beings that inhabit a different dimension. These beings have the capability to perform extra ordinary feats because they are able to travel between worlds.

My mom would not allow my great grandmother to teach us these things, however she would teach us in indirect ways.

She always played with us with stuffed animals and would explain how each animal had a purpose and an inner being that must be respected. When an animal its killed the whole animal must be used to respect the creation. And after the animal dies,a prayer must be said over it to bless the reincarnated soul.

My great aunt picked up where she left off after she died, which had a huge impact on me. She died at age 82 and not just a few hours before that had been playing basketball with the boys.

Now in cherokee belief, a shaman may our may not be passed through blood. Most times it is though. The next spiritually adept one in the family was her daughter, my great aunt.

My great aunt lived way out in the country in a cedar house. She always had owls living in her house,I remember that clearly. I lived going to visit her. I would catch these little lizards and bring them to her to show her, she would let them go inside the house, because living amongst animals or living creatures in general is part of life and each living soul had a purpose to fulfill. The lizards ate the bugs in the house. And the owls were the lizards

now the next adept person was me. like I was saying before, it may or may not be genetics that creates a shaman, but the positioning of the stars and planets. Everything from the smallest atom to the universe itself affects each other. Even so far away the stars can and do affect the growth of life. My time of birth happened to fall under the changing season on a specific day when the jaguar star shone down...what this means is that anyone born under this star, and genetics help too, will most likely have energetic abilities. The ability to affect and manipulate a persons energy, or aura.

She only taught me healing rituals, not destructive, and I'm not so sure I want to know those.

The belief in God differs from tribe to tribe, but there is a definite belief in creators. Yes, plural, creators of human beings, now the question arises as to if they created humans or just manipulated their genes, which its more leaned to...but also stories are told of them not only manipulating humans, but animals as well.

There its said of a certain lake in Oklahoma, lake eucha (pronounced uchi) that one of these creatures still reside, I used to live near it, never saw it, but its supposed to be HUMONGOUS snake like creature...some people even call it the "Oklahoma octopus"

Totems, are used to commemorate the dead, not to worship.the reason totems are many times made in the form of animals is because each human existence Carries the spirit of an animal through the reincarnation process. When you were born, how you act, and what you look likee are all determining factors in knowing your previous existence. Cherokee children, in the true lifestyle are not named until they reach the age when personality forms, around 7 to 10 years old.

Okay its getting late and I got to work early, if yall have questions feel free to ask,I don't know everything, but I can try to explain as much as I know

[Guest]

Beautiful post!

[N30S1NGH]

Amazing intriguing post ji. I see we already have things in common - reincarnation. Please post more about supreme god in relations to nature.

[Beginner]

Outta curiousityy, u from southern us area? I was looking at the Cherokee nation map

[curioustoknow]

I was born in Texas, and my family lives on the Cherokee Nation Reservation near Tulsa Oklahoma...Unfortunately, I cannot be with them

Thanks guys I appreciate the positivity

[dalsingh101]

What kind of rituals and chanting is done in Cherokee culture?

[Mehtab Singh]

Lived in Stillwater, Oklahoma for 6 years but been in the east coast for 5 years now! Heyyyy neighbour!!!! :D

[curioustoknow]

howdy! I know where stillwater is! My parents live in the reservation just about an hour west of siloam springs

What kind of rituals and chanting is done in Cherokee culture?

I really couldn't tell you, sorry, Like I said, I wasn't allowed to learn about it as a kid, I just learned what I could from the older generations

[dalsingh101]

One of the things I find really cool about Cherokee culture is the names.

I wonder what name I would have got if I was a Cherokee?

Maybe something like 'Chased by dogs'? Because they used to let dogs run around feral on the streets when I was a kid and I was always getting chased by them!!

hee hee

[Mehtab Singh]

It was Sequoyah who drafted the Cherokee alphabet. Ah I remember having an online course on the history of Oklahoma, the 5 civilized tribes and how many of the tribes were all displaced and then also came into the fold of Christianity, gave up their ancient traditions, cut their hair locks and adapted to the western dressing styles. Hey Lori, you say you're Cherokee but also white? How does that work out? Just curious