Native American - Cherokee Culture Project

Peggy Smith, Lubabatu Maimai, Tonya Kelly

Of all the states east of the Mississippi, North Carolina has the largest population of Native Americans.

Of all the states east of the Mississippi, North Carolina has the largest

population of Native Americans.

Of the Native Americans living in NC the largest tribes are the Lumbee and

Cherokee.

Cultural Considerations

Marriage

Looking at the Cherokee Culture the men generally have more than one wife and often marry sisters. They live together as an extended family. Usually there is not a marriage ceremony but an assumption of marriage once the couple has been together

for a certain length of time.

Body Language

Eye contact is avoided as a sign of respect. The Cherokee are suspicious of people who fix their eyes on them. The person may gaze over the shoulder instead.

Touch is considered unacceptable with the exception of the handshake. Body movements are also minimal.

Verbal Considerations

The Cherokee speak in low voices except when in council. If you speak too loudly they will ask if you think

they are deaf.

The Cherokee choose their words carefully and are accustomed to not speaking. The Cherokee practice silence in the following instances: meeting strangers,

courting (dating), children returning from boarding school or other extended absences, and in the presence of

those who are grieving.

To the Cherokee listening is valued over talking. Interrupting a speaker is considered rude and sometimes

there are long pauses between words and replies in conversation.

Medical Considerations

Not all Cherokee will use American Indian health services that are provided. Many are leary of giving personal health history.

They are very guarded about self disclosure as modesty and privacy are highly valued. An aggressive approach to

obtaining information may damage the health care relationship. With touch being inappropriate permission must be asked

before the exam of each area and care must be taken to keep the body covered.

The role of religion/spirituality

Spiritual belief is a part of everyday life. There is an interconnectedness with all things leading to relationship

between man, creator/God and nature. The basic tenets of Christianity are love of God and fellow man, honor, generosity and sharing, compassion, and self sacrifice for the good of the

community.

Family relationships and roles for the Cherokee

Men in the family were in charge of war, hunting and diplomatic relations. Women were in charge of the home, property and

family.

Babies were born into the mother's clan. A man and woman from the same clan could not intermarry. Marriages could be

temporary with a dissolution by either party. If a woman wanted to divorce her husband, she simply put his belongings outside the home. The children stayed with the mother. The

mother's brothers disciplined the children not the father.

The woman owned the home and fields and they were passed from mother to daughter. A woman gets her name and clan from her female elders and keeps it for life. A male child is named a soft cuddly name at birth by the mother. When he

becomes of age the father and uncles give him a new name. when he matures, he leaves to go on a vision quest. The medicine man gives him a new name related to his vision

quest and he keeps it for the rest of his life.

Health Problems

Quick Facts

Cancer

* From 2001-2005, American Indian/Alaska Native men are twice as likely to have liver & IBD cancer as non-Hispanic White men. * American Indian/Alaska Native men are 1.8 times as likely to have stomach cancer as non-Hispanic White men, and are over twice as likely to die from the same disease. * American Indian/Alaska Native women are 2.4 times more likely to have, and to die from, liver & IBD cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic White women. * American Indian/Alaska Native women are 40% more likely to have kidney/renal pelvis cancer as non-Hispanic White women.

Diabetes

* American Indian/Alaska Native adults were 2.3 times as likely as white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes. * American Indians/Alaska Natives were twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes in 2005. * American Indian/Alaska Native adults were 1.6 times as likely as White adults to be obese. * American Indian/Alaska Native adults were 1.3 times as likely as White adults to have high blood pressure.

Heart Disease

* American Indian/Alaska Native adults are 1.2 times as likely as White adults to have heart disease. * American Indian/Alaska Native adults are 1.4 times as likely as White adults to be current cigarette smokers. * American Indian/Alaska Native adults are 1.6 times as likely as White adults to be obese. * American Indian/Alaska Native adults are 1.3 times as likely as White adults to have high blood pressure.

HIV/AIDS

* American Indian/Alaska Natives have a 40% higher AIDS rates than non-Hispanic white counterparts. * American Indian/Alaska Native men have a 20% higher AIDS rate compared to non-Hispanic white men. * American Indian/Alaska Native women have twice the AIDS rate of non-Hispanic white women

Source: US Dept of Health and Human Services. The Office of Minority Health. American Indian/Alaskan Profile

There has been the creation of the North Carolina American Indian Health Task Force in 2004. The task force consists of people from all different backgrounds but was being led by Carmen Hooker Odom, NC DHHS Secretary and Paul Brooks, Commission on Indian Affairs. The goal was to identify health care concerns and possible solutions to treating and education the American Indians in NC. The biggest obstacle is the number of American Indians that do not have insurance. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians do have access to Indian Health Service facilities.

Source: State Center for Health Statistics. www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/

Cherokee Burial Customs

The Cherokee usually bury their dead. The reason behind this is that they believed that the plants fed the animals, the animals and plants fed the people and the people , when they died, should return to the earth and feed the plants. They usually buried the person the next day after death.

Source: AAANativearts.com. Cherokee Culture