The Cherokee tribe is one that is thought to have branched off from the Iroquois sometime before the settlers arrived. The Cherokee spoke a language very similar to that of the Iroquois and the very name Cherokee, a Creek word, meaning "people of different speech" reflects this truth ("Cherokee," 2017). The tribe settled throughout areas of the Appalachian Mountains controlling an area of about 40,000 miles. In the mid-16th century, it is estimated that they approximated 22,500 in numbers ("Cherokee," 2017).
Before any contact from worlds unlike their own, the Cherokee retained a relatively peaceful and modest way of live. The tribe grew the traditional corn, squash and beans. Their villages were separated into war (red) towns and peace (white) towns ("Cherokee," 2017) which had a stabilizing effect. They made pottery, woven baskets, and had stone tools and weapons. They hunted local wildlife for food and clothing.
The first recorded European contact with the tribe was by written account in 1540 by Hernando De Soto. De Soto and his group of Spanish conquistadors made no incident for the Cherokee and moved on to pillage other Indian territory. The next time the Cherokee were met, it was by traders of English descent some years later around 1670 (Bryan, 2012). Over the years the Cherokee people adapted well to European culture through inter-marriage and largely converting to the Christian faith, but that did little to stifle the needs of the greedy. In 1830, president Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act (after gold was found on Indian owned territory) forcibly removing up to 16,000 Indians from their homes. The Cherokee were forced to walk a great distance on foot under horrible conditions to be relocated in Oklahoma. This has become known widely as the Trail of Tears on which an estimated 4,000 Cherokee died ("Cherokee," 2017).
Few Cherokees were able to escape the forced march and today there are two main groups, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina and theUnited Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma. Casinos are the biggest revenue source for their people. The tribe holds events and festivities to promote their history and culture as well as to educate others. An effort is being made to teach the children of the Cherokee their language as it is the last remaining spoken language of all Amerind languages (Waddington, 2006). The federal government currently recognizes 288,500 members of the Cherokee nation (Cherokee Heritage Documentaion Center). The Cherokee make up one of the largest remaining Indian nations.