CHER'OKEE (N. Amer. Indian. 111)1:11111 field). The largest and most important native tribe of the eastern United States. They are of remote Iroquoian affinity, and formerly occu pied the mountain region of the Carolinas, Ten nessee, Georgia, and Alabama, in numerous permanent villages of substantially built log houses. They depended chiefly upon agriculture. and raised large cropm of corn. pumpkins. and beans. De Soto passed through their country in 1540, and for three centuries later they were prominent in the history of the South, taking precedence during the period over all the other tribes of that region. They espoused the British cause during the Revolution. but in 1785 made a treaty of peace with the United States. and at once took up the road to civilization. at taining in a very short time a high degree of prosperity and advaneement. This was largely due to the work of devoted missionaries, and to Inc presence of a respectable mixed-blood element. the descendants of former British traders. In 1820 they adopted the regular civilized form of government, and seven years later formulated a constitution under the style of the 'Cherokee Na tion.' In the interval, Sequoya (q.v.), known also as George Guess, hail devised for the lan guage an alphabet, which was offieially adopted by the Cherokee Government. Within a short time a national press was established. and a considerable body of printed literature appeared in the native language.
Meanwhile. however, gold had been discos erect in the t lierokee country. and at once strong pressure was brought to bear to compel the removal of the Indians. Notwithstanding a decision of the Supreme Court upholding the autonomy of the Cherokee Nation, the State of Georgia extended her laws over their country. and President Andrew Jackson refused to inter fere in their behalf. Despite the repeated and protests of more than nine-tenths of the Cherokee Nation. a treaty was negotiated with a small faction which bound the tribe to remove within three years beyond the Missis sippi. whither a small portion of them had removed some years before. The Cherokees re
pudiated the instrument. and in 153S they were removed by military force. several thousands dying on the march or from hardships incident to the removal. Throughout this crisis the great leader of the patriot party was the chief John Ross (q.v.). who served as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation from his first election in 1S2S to his death in 1866. On their arrival in the Indian Territory they reestablished their Government, with Tahlequah as the capital. The outbreak of the Civil War in Htil brought di vision to their councils, calamity and misery to their people, the trihe being about equally di vided in sentiment, and furnishing large con tingents to both the Federal and Confederate fon-es, each contending army in turn sweep ing the Cherokee country until it was left almost a desert waste. At the close of the war they entered into a new treaty with the United States, by which they agreed to free their negro slaves and admit them to full Cherokee citizen ship. Since then their history has been chiefly a narrative of successive acts in the hopeless strug gle to preserve their national existence from the overmastering grasp of the white man. In 1892 they sold their western territorial extension, known as the 'Cherokee Outlet.' Since then, by rapid successive acts of Congress, their tribal autonomy has been curtailed until hardly more than a shadow remains, and allotment and com plete absorption into the white man's govern ment are but a question of a short time. Under their present national Government they have an elective principal chief, a Senate, and a House of Representatives, and a complete system of public schools. The Cherokees of pure and mixed blood, exclusive of adopted citizens and repudiated claimants. may number perhaps 20.000, besides 'Munn some 1400 more, known as the Eastern Band, reside on or adjoining a reservation in west ern North Carolina, being descendants of those who escaped and tied to the mountains at the time of the removal.