Vocabulary: Frontier, Scots-Irish, Green Corn Ceremony Cultures in Tennessee Vocabulary: Frontier, Scots-Irish, Green Corn Ceremony

Dates to Know The United States became its own country on July 4, 1776. On June 1, 1796 Tennessee became the 16th state in the United States.

The People of Early Tennessee In the 1800’s more than half of the residents of Tennessee were from Europe (English or Scots-Irish). 1/5 of the population was enslaved Africans. Only three tribes of Native Americans remained in the state (Chickasaw, Creek, and Cherokee)

Lifestyles in Early Tennessee Most Early Tennessee settlers on the frontier were farmers. They brought in livestock like cattle and hogs. They chopped down forests to make fields. This caused the wildlife population to decrease. Native Americans began raising livestock, too, because there were fewer deer.

Scots-Irish Settlers Because of religious turmoil back in England the Scots-Irish moved from Scotland to Ireland. When England took over Ireland, they moved to Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They built log cabins out of lumber they chopped down to clear fields. They grew wheat, potatoes, corn, cattle and hogs, along with a few other farm animals. Along with farming, the settlers of Tennessee became excellent hunters.

Native American Cultures At the time of statehood, Native Americans were using European-made goods. They hunted with guns, raised livestock like the settlers, and wore European-style clothes. They still planted the traditional crops of their people: corn, beans, squash, sunflowers, and melons. They still retained some of their own cultural traditions, like the Green Corn Ceremony.

The Green Corn Ceremony Each year in July or August, the Natives of Tennessee would have a New Years Celebration called the Green Corn Ceremony. They would give thanks for the harvest of “green corn.” At the beginning of the ceremony all the tribes fasted, which means they didn’t eat. They drank a special juice made out of herbs in order to purify their bodies. When all the tribes got together it was a time to forgive others for mistakes they made in the past. After all this was done, they would feast on the new harvest.

Questions about Chapter 4 About how much of the population of Tennessee was made up of white settlers? What were the five crops that the Native Americans grew in Tennessee before the settlers came? What did the Green Corn Ceremony honor? What job did most settlers have n the frontier? Who were the Scots-Irish immigrants? Why did the Native Americans start raising European livestock like cows and pigs?