The Shaping of Cherokee Women
September 29, 2015
History 111
Growing up in pretty much every history class you take you learn about early America. In early America you hear about how the women’s jobs were to cook, clean, and take care of the children. While the men’s jobs were to earn money, hunt, and go to war. However, in the Cherokee Tribes this was not the case. The women in the Cherokee tribe were different than any other women. They not only did the typical tasks of Native American women but they also were the warriors.1 The women were the ones that not only took care of the houses but they also owned the houses. The women in Cherokee society also had a say in the government. Cherokee Women were just as important in their society as the men.
Cherokee women had many different tasks and duties they had to fulfil. The women were the farmers and they had the responsibilities of putting food on the table and to make sure there was plenty. While the men were gambling, smoking, or talking the women were out in the fields.2 The women grew two types of corn, squash, gourds, pumpkins, sunflowers, watermelons, potatoes, and peas. The owner of the field would build ab enclosure in the center of the field and sing songs to the spirt of the corn. 3 The Cherokee women farmed using sticks and stones. They also had to keep the animals away from the fields because it was common for the animals to escape and ruin all the crops. If the women went on hunting trips with the men, they were in charge of gathering. Depending on the time of the year the women gathered nuts which were used for bread or oil, fruits and berries, wild plants that were used for seeds, leaves roots and stems, collected honey from bee trees, and maple sap to make sugar.4 In the winters women keep indoors and keep fires going, prepared food, and make any ideas they could indoors.5 Women made clothes from different animals hairs from when they shed such as buffalo. They...