The Cherokees -

Where did they live? The Cherokees made their homes in the rich river valleys of the southern Appalachian Mountains.

What did they grow? What did they hunt? They grew corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers, and tobacco. They also gathered wild plants from the forest. What did they hunt? They hunted squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, bears, and deer. They fished in the many streams and rivers in the Appalachian Mountains.

A Cherokee Home Most Cherokee families had two houses. small Winter House Cone-shaped Box-shaped large Covered with earth Summer House Grass or clay walls Bark roof

Winter House

Summer House

Cherokee Villages Several families of the same clan lived together. Cherokee houses – often as many as 300 to 400 – were built close together to form villages. At the center of each village was a temple built on a high, flat-topped mound.

Cherokee Government Leaders, called chiefs, governed each village. Each village was part of a larger confederation. A confederation was a group of connected villages. A confederation could have as many as 100 villages.

War ! One of the most talked about issues in the confederation was war. Most villages had high wooden fences made of logs to keep out enemies.