What is freedom? Is freedom really a measureless cognitive state without any boundaries or constraints? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, freedom is “the quality or state of being free or independent”(The Merriam-Webster Dictionary 289). The dictionary also refers to freedom as “a political right or a privilege”(The Merriam-Webster Dictionary 289). The definition of freedom can be broken down even further to include the sociological and historical perspectives within a culture of people in order to determine their specific aspects of independence. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, the very definition of freedom was challenged between the United States government and the Cherokee people. With immigration swiftly growing and imperialistic viewpoints dominating the political atmosphere of the newly formed nation, there were disastrous impacts on the Native American tribes and the lands which they had inhabited. This essay will briefly examine how the Cherokee voice of Corn Tassel and the issue of land sovereignty relate specifically to freedom through their history, culture, and territory.
To open, peering through the historical binoculars provides an intricate view of the Cherokee territory which encompassed much of the Southeastern region of the North American continent. “There were almost 70 independent Cherokee towns, each with its own leaders but united not just by common language and culture but also by a diplomatic process that enabled the people to work together for their common defense and betterment”(Treuer 84-85). With particular attention to how unified the Cherokee people were, from history we can begin to establish a connection from their cultural mannerisms as they addressed the sovereignty of their land. In Native American Testimony, Corn Tassel references land sovereignty in “Let Us Examine the Facts” by stating:
“If, therefore, a bare march, or reconnoitering a country is sufficient reason to ground a claim to it, we shall insist upon transposing the demand, and your relinquishing your settlements on the western waters and removing one hundred miles back towards the east, whither some of our warriors advanced against you in the course of last years campaign.”(Tassel-Cherokee 122)
Notably at a quick glance, this appears to be a very generic statement by the Cherokee leader implying that the Americans retreat, but a profound look reveals there are implied clues strongly present which we can decipher concerning Cherokee cultural history. In the first place, Corn Tassel mentioning previous fighting/or battles from the past gives insight to the sense of unity within the Cherokee warriors. To clarify, in order for troops/warriors to be successful in battles they all need to work as a team; if not, victory becomes a harder task to accomplish. It is this writer’s contention that this sense of communal unity is directly related to the historic urban center of Moundville. History dictates, the Cherokee migrated to the Southeast region from the Northern Great Lakes, and settled across the Mississippi Valley area. “From the 9th to the 16th centuries, Indians in the Southeast built numerous large villages and small cities, dominated by massive earthen mounds that served political, social, and ceremonial functions”(Treuer 72). With this in mind, and attention again back to the statement by Corn Tassel, it is sensible to state that by referencing “retreat” there is a lucid demonstration of openness by the Cherokee people wanting to sustain separate lifestyles from the early colonists while negotiating with them. “Through several treaties, the Cherokee agreed to accommodate white settlers, accepting payment for land and maintaining peace with Europeans most of the time”(Treuer 84).
Finally, it is worth mentioning the theme of balance which Corn Tassel references by inferring to the Europeans to “retreat” or the Cherokee warriors will be forced to defend their lands. The significance of this balance is historically demonstrated among the Five Civilized Tribes which included the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole by their acceptance of European culture. “The tribes believed that their accommodations would earn them acceptance by whites and enable them to stay in their homelands”(Treuer 76). Additionally, this ideology of balancing cultural adoption was reflected across Cherokee culture most significantly through Sequoyah’s Cherokee syllabary system. “It was officially adopted in 1825, and within a few years the Cherokee had a literacy rate higher than their white neighbors and were publishing two newspapers in tribal language”(Treuer 66).
Ultimately, the single theme which embraces Cherokee culture revolves around a balanced approach to everything in life. As established, we see this theme in Cherokee culture prior to “first contact”, and during the post-colonialism segments of history. Given these points, it is prudent that we connect this balanced approach to the Cherokee culture through definition by examining this life doctrine known as duyuktv. The History of the Cherokee Indians:An Introduction to Cherokee History and Culture states:
“At the heart of this culture was the idea of balance, or duyuktv, “the right way.” Men’s hunting and fishing, for example, was balanced by women’s farming. The rights of the individual were balanced with the good of the whole, resulting in great personal freedom within the context of responsibility to the family, clan, and tribe. The size of the townhouse reflected the size of the village because all the people of the village—men, women, children, and old people—had to fit in the townhouse in order to make decisions together. On an individual level, the physical, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of oneself were to be integrated and balanced. Thus one became a “real person,”: Ani-Yvwiya.”(History of the Cherokee Indians)
Upon final analysis, we are left with how the balanced life doctrine of duyuktuv (the right way) impacted the freedom and land sovereignty of the Cherokee people. Interestingly enough, an argument can be made that this balanced approach taken by the Cherokee caused them to overlook the real intentions of the European colonists and even the United States government. After all, the “dual identity” which the colonists were eager to shed during the American Revolution did not go away because the land grabbing, and killing of Native peoples continued well into the Antebellum Era of U.S. History. Another contention can be made that it was this very land grabbing by the government which ultimately broke the Cherokee balanced culture to life. DeWitt Clinton Duncan states, “What a condition! I have 60 acres of land left me; the balance is all gone”(Duncan-Cherokee 266). Furthermore, evidence of the United States breaking the culture of balance of the Cherokee is illustrated in the fictional account of Jim Runningwolf. “There a pieces of land on the books of the Indian Office so divided among heirs that the annual lease income therefrom to any one heir is less than one cent”(Bronson 263). Under these circumstances, it appears as if the Cherokee are attempting to find that balanced approach to life yet again.
Works Cited
Bronson, Ruth Muskrat. “Life On The Checkerboard .” Nabokov, Peter. Native American Testimony . New York,NY: Penguin Putnam Inc, 1999. 262-63.
History of the Cherokee Indians. n.d. 24 December 2017. http://thomaslegion.net/cherokeeindianheritageandhistoryanintroductiontocherokeehistoryandculture.html.
Tassel-Cherokee, Corn. “Let Us Examine the Facts .” Nabokov, Peter. Native American Testimony . New York,Ny : Penguin Putnam Inc, 1999. 121-23.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary . Springfield,MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 2004.
Treuer, Anton. Atlas of Indian Nations . Washington DC: National Geographic , 2013.
