The Cherokee, Shawnee and Chickasaw Indians

4th Grade Social StudiesMs. Newson

Standards

4.1.01 Understand the diversity of human cultures.

a. Describe cultures of Native American tribes.• 4.1.spi.4 examine how Native American culture

changed as a result of contact with European cultures. (i.e. decreased population, spread of disease, increased conflict, loss of territory, increase of trade.)

• 4.1.spi.5. identify various racial and ethnic groups in Tennessee at the founding of statehood (i.e. Cherokee, Creek, Shawnee, English, Scottish, French, American born pioneers).

Objective

Students will identify similarities and differences among the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Shawnee Indians.

Directions

Click the button to move forward from slide to slide in order.Click the button to move to the previous slide.Selecting an Indian tribe along the bottom of the screen will move you to a specific section of the tour.Vocabulary words are highlighted for you. Selecting them will guide you to the glossary.

Cherokee Shawnee Chickasaw

The Cherokee Indians• A typical Cherokee village would be home

to around 30 to 50 families.

• The women were responsible for the house, farming, and the family. The men were responsible for hunting and war.

• The Cherokee were a religious people who believed in spirits. They performed ceremonies in order to ask the spirits to help them.

• In 1835 some of the Cherokee signed a treaty with the United States giving the US all of the Cherokee land in return for land in Oklahoma plus $5 million. Most of the Cherokee did not want to do this, but they had no choice. In 1838 the US army forced the Cherokee nation to move from their homes in the Southeast all the way to the state of Oklahoma. Over 4,000 Cherokee people died on the march to Oklahoma. Today this forced march is called the "The Trail of Tears".

Cherokee

The Shawnee Indians• Because of their nomadic nature, their homes

were never permanent structures. They lived in temporary dome-shaped homes called wigwams which were constructed of tree bark and sap, brush, cattails and sometimes hide.

• Although they did not always get along, the Cherokee Indians to the south were very important to the Shawnee. The Shawnee adopted a lot of music and dance from them and regularly traded with them.

• In the early 1800s, disease and war brought the Shawnee population of over 10,000 tribe members to a mere 3,500.

• The Shawnee women were farmers. They grew squash, beans and several varieties of corn on the land around their homes. Women spent a lot of time doing arts and crafts. They are known for their beautiful woodcarvings, pottery and beadwork.

• The Shawnee men were responsible for going to war when necessary, mainly as a means of protecting their family.

Shawnee

The Chickasaw Indians• The Chickasaw were both farmers and hunters.

They farmed the three main crops grown by many Native Americans including corn, beans, and squash. They also hunted game like deer and fished in the lakes and rivers.

• When the United States passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Chickasaw were forced to relocate to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Other Indian nations from the southeast were also required to relocate including the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, and Choctaw. The path they traveled has become known as the Trail of Tears.

• The Chickasaw Indians originally lived in the Southeast in areas of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. In 1832 they migrated to Oklahoma after being forced to sell their land to the United States government.

• The original Chickasaw Indians lived in small villages. Their homes were one room wattle and daub homes made with a wood frame covered with a plaster of mud and straw.

GlossaryAllies - to join (yourself) with another person, group, etc., in order to get or give supportMigrate – to move from one country or place to live or work in anotherNomadic - roaming about from place to place aimlessly, frequently, or without a fixed pattern of movement Reservation - an area of land in the U.S. that is kept separate as a place for Native Americans to liveTerritory - an area of land that belongs to or is controlled by a governmentTreaty - an official agreement that is made between two or more countries or groups