Cherokee Society

Cherokee society refers to the traditional society and culture of the Cherokee (or ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ (a-ni-yv-wi-ya-i) in Cherokee language) people. The Cherokee are a people native to North America who at the time of European contact in the 17th century inhabited the mountain and inland regions of the southeastern United States in areas of present-day Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, before the majority of the tribe was forcefully moved to Indian Territory.

Cherokee society was traditionally organized into seven clans, with Cherokee villages having two governmental units (with one government handling affairs in peacetime and the other during times of war) and a medicine chief, who would resolve disputes between the Red Chief and White Chief should they disagree. Family was central to Cherokee society. During the year, the Cherokee celebrated the Cherokee Moons Ceremonies.

The capital of the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians is Tahlequah, Oklahoma. According to local legend, after the arrival of the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears, the three chiefs of the Cherokee People (Red Chief, White Chief, and the Medicine Chief) had scheduled a rendezvous near present day Tahlequah in order to select a site to settle and use as the seat of local government. When they arrived at the site of present day Tahle-quah, only two of the three chiefs arrived on time. After waiting for the third chief to arrive and gain consensus, the two chiefs went ahead and approved the site and named it "Tahle-quah". In Cherokee, "Tahle" represents the number two and "quah" means "it's enough", or translated as "Two is enough", indicating the two chiefs present constituted a quorum and felt they could make the decision on the townsite for the Cherokee Nation Capital without waiting for the third chief to arrive. The legend does not state which of the three chiefs were not present, but it was believed to have been the White Chief who was late.