Culture of Cherokee American Indians Essay

Scholars differ on where the Cherokee subculture came from and when they arrived on their traditional lands in the Southeast. The archaeological record of human occupancy of the Southeast goes back to at least 10,000 B. C. (Muller, 1978, p. 283; Canouts and Goodyear, 1985, p. 181), but this does not mean the Cherokees, or even their very distant ancestors, were there that early. Cherokees, as Cherokees, did not exist nearly so far back in time, nor did they necessarily emerge from the first or even from early occupants of the Southeast. The Cherokees as a more or less distinct American Indian people seem to be at the very most only one or two thousand years old. They may have developed from other American Indian peoples already in the Southeast, or they may have migrated there from another region. The Cherokees say they and other human beings were created after plants and animals were made. Plants and animals were told by the creator–the Cherokees do not know who he or she was–to stay awake for seven nights and watch the world. Most could not do so. Of the plants, only the spruce, cedar, pine, holly, and laurel trees were able to watch so long: that is why they are now green all year. Of the animals, only the owl, the panther, and a few others were able to stay awake: that is why they see at night and prey on those who must sleep. Human beings were then created: â€Å"At first there were only a brother and sister until he struck her with a fish and told her to multiply, and so it was. † Seven days afterward the girl had a child; another came seven days later, then another, and so forth, and the human beings â€Å"increased very fast until there was danger that the world could not keep them. Then it was made that a woman should have only one child in a year, and it has been so ever since† (Mooney, 1982, p. 240). The Cherokees do not now know when or how some humans first became Cherokees. Almost certainly they had their origins in an ancient time, distinct from the present, when things were not as they are now. The Cherokees think they may even have emerged from the ground after other human beings were created, for it is said there is another world under the surface, identical except that the seasons are different. According to the Cherokees, â€Å"The streams that come down from the mountains are the trails by which we reach this underworld, and the springs at the heads are the doorways by which we enter it, but to do this one must fast and go to water and have one of the underground people for a guide† ( Mooney, 1982, p. 240). Some scholars have asserted that this is where the name Cherokee came from–given them by their neighbours. The scholars have argued that Cherokee means â€Å"cave people,† for the Cherokees are said to have come from under the ground (Reid, 1970, p. 3) and also lived in a mountainous land full of caves. The eighteenth-century trader James Adair asserted that the name came from the (apparently Cherokee) word chee-ra, meaning (sacred) fire, forming cheera-tahge, or â€Å"men possessed of the divine fire† (Adair, 1930, p. 237). Probably the name is from the Creek chilokee, â€Å"people of a different speech,† as John W. Swanton has stated; perhaps it is the name from which the form Chalaque was derived (Swanton, 1985, p. 49-50). The anthropologist John Witthoft supported this interpretation, based on his work with Eastern Cherokee â€Å"informants†: â€Å"The name came from the Creek, Celokokalke, ‘people of another language’. † He asserted, â€Å"The Creek name by which the Cherokee were first known to Europeans became the general name for them in the Southeast, and was soon accepted even by the Cherokee themselves; names for other tribal groups have come into existence after a similar fashion† (Witthoft, 1947, p. 305). The Cherokees commonly called themselves Tsalagi or, in the plural, Ani-Tsalagi, perhaps â€Å"corrupted† to form the name Cherokee or perhaps derived from the same word as Cherokee. According to James Mooney, their proper name for themselves was Yunwiya or, in the plural, Ani-Yunwiya. It means, more or less, â€Å"the people,† â€Å"the real people,† or â€Å"the principal people† (Mooney, 1982, p. 15). Tradition played an important role in Cherokee clans. It made sure certain elements of a culture from generation to generation were passed down. Such as, the traditional matrilineal Cherokee family structure, which means descent, is traced through the female line (Conley, 2002). The children belonged to the mother and her family clan. There was not any relatedness with the father and he’s family clan. This family structure provided a safe and secure environment for women and children. Also, it meant the man lived in the wife’s house, surrounded by her clan’s people, so he would not dare to abuse her unless he wanted a tribal beating. Women were largely incorporated into the tribes. Not only was she the head of her domain with mutually respected power and authority, she had equal say in the affairs of war and peace. She was also in charge of the household and nourishment of her family. The women were involved in many functions of daily life. It seems as if the women were the tribe, but not for long. Years after the first American contact, European traders living amongst would marry Cherokee women. European traders could not accept that fact of tracing descent through the female line, but slowly the clan system gave into the European style bilateral family, which traced descent through both male and female (Conley, 2002). The Cherokee were not too happy with this movement. It jeopardized the Cherokee’s clan traditional ways of a matrilineal family structure carried on for many centuries. Nevertheless, the Cherokees could do nothing about it. Before the first known contacts, life of the Cherokee nation had grown and thrived for many years in the south-eastern United States in the lower Appalachian Mountains in states such as: Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and parts of Kentucky and Alabama. However, in less than thirty years, after the first recorded contact with outsiders, in particular with Hernado De Soto in his expedition of 1540, the Cherokee Indians reformed their culture. Many adaptations took place which resembled similar American cultures. The Cherokee soon built schools and court systems. This infuriated Andrew Jackson, a supporter of the Indian removal policy. After awhile, George Gist, also known as Sequoyah, established a Cherokee written language, utilizing an ingenious alphabet of 86 characters in 1821 (Ehle, 1925). Soon, this was adopted into Cherokee culture and a newspaper was formed. Again, Andrew Jackson grew more furious. He wanted the Cherokees removed off their lands. In 1830, United States Congress passed an Indian Removal Act pushed by President Andrew Jackson following the recommendation of former President James Monroe in his final address to Congress in 1825 (King, 1979). This act enforced the previous Georgia Compact of 1802, since many were ignoring that removal act. But, many opposed this Indian Removal Act ratified by congress. After debates over this issue, the oppositionist won. However, Andrew Jackson was able to reinforce the act, due to the Treaty of New Echota on Dec. 29, 1875 (Conley, 2002). The signing of the Treaty of New Echota set the stage for the beginning of Cherokee extermination. The treaty signed away the entire remaining tribal territory east of the Mississippi in exchange for five million dollars and the right to occupy lands west of the Mississippi (King, 1979). Major Ridge, John Ridge, Elies Boudinot, and the rest of the Treaty Party doomed the whole Cherokee Nation when they agreed to sign a fraudulent treaty with the federal government, which did not represent the Cherokee Nation as a whole (Martin, 2001). The Ross Party, people who oppose the removal treaty, tried to resist, but nothing else could be done. This removal process started what was to be known as the â€Å"Trail of Tears† or â€Å"Trail where they cried. † This forced migration journey consisted of thirteen groups of consecutive waves led by Cherokee captions that lasted from August 28, 1838 to March 18, 1839 (Conley, 2002). Over the journey many Cherokees died, approximately, four thousand out of sixteen thousand, due to diseases, exposure, or fatigue (Martin, 2001). The history of the Cherokee people is one of defeat and despair. After the first encounters with Americans, the Cherokee Nation was deteriorating. For instance, Cherokee family structures were changing, vast amounts of lands were being ceded to Americans, and Cherokee Indians were forced from their lands. Overtime, this constant chipping away at the Cherokee Nation, lead to the final Indian removal from homelands and the demise of the Cherokee Nation in southeastern United States. References Adair, James. (1930). Adair’s history of the American Indians. Johnson City, Tenn. : Watauga Press. Canouts, Veletta, and Goodyear, Albert C. (1985). Lithic scatters in the South Carolina Piedmont. In Structure and process in southeastern archaeology, ed. Roy S. Dickens Jr. , and H. Trawick Ward, (pp. 180-94). University: University of Alabama Press. Conley, Robert, J. (2002). Cherokee. Portland: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co. pp. 24-5, 44. Ehle, John. (1925). Trail of tears. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. King, Duane, H. (1979). The Cherokee Indian Nation. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press. pp. 16, 129. Martin, Ken. (2001). History of the Cherokee. Retrieved February 13, 2006 from cherokeehistory. com Mooney James. (1982). Myths of the Cherokee and sacred formulas of the Cherokees. Nashville: Charles and Randy Elder. Muller Jon D. (1978). The Southeast. In Ancient Native Americans, ed. Jesse D. Jennings, (pp. 281-325). San Francisco: W. H. Freeman. Reid, John P. (1970). A law of blood: The primitive law of the Cherokee Nation. New York: New York University Press. Swanton, John R. (1985). Final report of the United States De Soto Expedition Commission. Washington, D. C. : Smithsonian Institution Press. Witthoft, John. (1947). Notes on a Cherokee migration story. Communicated by W. N. Fenton. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 37, 304-5.

The Zimmerman Case

The Zimmerman Case has had its verdict yesterday and I would have written then, but I was busy building my thoughts. What I should cover first is why the Zimmerman Case is significant. It is not significant because of race, or the right to defend one's self. In defense of my position on the race aspect, the media has tried to portray Zimmerman as white, when, in fact he is Hispanic or as my wife is adamant about, Latino. Apparently, you can't call Hispanics Hispanics any more and you have to call them Latino. Ok, sure fine I don't really care what people want to be called; it has no bearing to me on the individual other than personal preference. So, if the media is not really sure what race Zimmerman is, the issue of race becomes moot, but it does show that there are other motivations in doing so as someone's race is a pretty big way of describing an individual to the public. I suspect that this has more to do with the Immigration Issue than race despite the media is trying to make be seen that way. Showing Latinos as white would go a long way toward naturalizing immigrants in the public's mind. The right to defend one's self, is not an issue either, in that it is a personal responsibility to do so. Following someone does not justify aggression if that person is acting within a prescribed and legal role, in this case, as a member of the community watch. They say Martin was just going out for Skittles and some sort of drink and that was all he had on him when he was being followed out of the area by Zimmerman. If he was going out to get these items, then why did he have these items on him when he was leaving. This seems suspect to me, but actually has little bearing on the point I am trying to make with this. The issue here isn't if Zimmerman should have been arrested, he should not have. It is also not if Zimmerman had the legal right to shoot and kill Martin; he did. Martin acted as the aggressor and forced Zimmerman in to a physical battle, and Zimmerman, in reacting to the battle, did no go for the gun first. He used the gun after Martin used weapon on him (banging his head on to the ground; I have had this happen to me and I have had to do it to others; The ground is most definitely something that can be used as a weapon). The shot was fired, upwards and in to the front of Martin, therefore, the killing was justified. The only real issue that I had with this was if Zimmerman waited too long, but to that end, I wasn't there and so I have no right to an opinion on the judgement concerning the time frame between actual use of the ground as a weapon and the use of a gun. The issue here isn't, as many people want to believe, if the trial was justified. This should have had an investigation in to the shooting, and of that, there is no question, but it was only to justify if the shooting was legal or not, not to determine guilt of Zimmerman or Martin which the media seems to have confused, but the real issue here is if it was a fair trial. The concept of justice is that justice be fair and impartial. The Executive Branch of the government represents the justice system within the United States. The Executive Branch, when considering the implications of justice, has to see things from all points of view and recognize the rights of all parties concerned with the verdict, ie the prosecutor and the defendant, while ignoring all unaffected parties even if they feel they are a stakeholder (parents, relatives and friends). The actual verdict has to be fair within a reasonable consideration of peers. Those peers form the basis for the jury and the jury is chosen by the prosecution, therefore controlling, to some degree the legitimacy of the defense as well as the impartiality of the verdict as the intent of the jurors are to put themselves within the mindset of the defense, but from what is considered a reasonable state of mind. The biggest consideration here has to be that the argument must be presented in such a way as though neither race nor gender should have any consideration on the defense at the time of the crime. If that there is, in fact, a finding that race or gender is a factor, considerations should be made. In the argument of self-defense, the first consideration that should be made is was the defense actually in sort of danger and that danger being loss of life or permanent injury. In choosing women, the prosecution was seeking the sympathy angle for the minor who died as a result of the action resulting in the trial. The biggest factor that is being ignored with the media is that the jurors had to put themselves in, not the position of Martin, but of Zimmerman and therefore Zimmerman acting within his role of public defender (the Community Watch, in this case). This reversal of roles from what the public considers as fair is what, ultimately, destroyed the prosecution’s case. Arguing the case without considerations of race or gender forced the women to wonder what they would have been forced to do in Zimmerman’s role within that of public defender. To that end, they had to ask themselves, would they have been afraid and would they have had the responsibility to defend themselves, not necessarily with lethal force, but by any means necessary. That they would not have necessarily put themselves in to that position had no actual bearing on the subject as that personal choice was removed for them, hence impartiality. The factor of this being a fair trial, is decreed by a panel of peers, initially chosen at random, but decided by the very people trying to prosecute the case. That they choose women, become immaterial as the prosecution has its own agenda from that of the defense. The issue with this wasn't if the case was not fair, or that the verdict was unfair as the situation presented, described a reasonable justification of fear in the situation of Zimmerman. It showed that an assault with deadly force was committed by the documentation collaborated by witnesses. It showed that the use of deadly force was legal and it showed that Zimmerman showed restraint in using that deadly force by the action of deadly weapon (the ground) putting Zimmerman’s life in actual danger as well as the fact that Martin did not disengage his ‘supposed attacker’ but actually escalated the fight and did not seek to flee. In the end, this was a fair verdict, in that anyone in Zimmerman’s position would have used deadly force as long as you do not make any considerations toward race or gender, ie, had it been a woman in Zimmerman’s place, she would have done the same exact thing, but again, this is not the real issue. With this case, the head of the Executive Branch, the head of the justice system within the country, is seeking to show personal bias, and is basing that bias upon race and not reasonable actions within the situation itself as shown by the trial itself.

Pearl Harbor Raid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 10

Project Management - Essay Example oppages in delivery of passable resources to set up project requirements; budgetary and workers transforms; and, imperfect research or knowledge of the project manager. These risks guide quickly to holdup in release dates and financial plan overages that be able to harshly weaken assurance in the development and in the project manager (Martin et al, 2004). There are lots of risk those are attached to the project development and cause a serious problem for the better management and administration of the project. These risks are also the main cause for the breakdown of the most of the projects. From project management viewpoints, project managers have to find out the most recent insights, methods, and developments in project management field. This will provide him a better understanding regarding the efficient project management and solutions for emerging risks (Johnson et al, 2005). Good qualities of project risk judgment. If a project manager is able to distinguish the key stakeholders and make sure that they evidently recognize the project scope and main objects of the project (Anderson). Project management basically comprises the phases that independently add to the achievement of a task. These stages are independent but mutually related. Here in the first stage we conduct a detailed analysis the problem situation and device an appropriate solution for that stage. Then we plan for the achievement of our goals. This plan includes the cost and human resource allocation for the project management. Here we also carry out a risk measurement study to find out the potential risks in the project. The quality assurance stage is aimed to assure the quality of the project and determine if the expected results have been achieved. The final stage of the project management involves the analysis of the results accessed for the project implementation to declare the project success or failure (Monk and Wagner). This project is about the implementation of the wireless sensor

Questions on the case of WELLS FARGO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions on the case of WELLS FARGO - Essay Example In the California financial code, there is a provision that ensures parity where the commissioner is allowed to issue commands in regulating a California chattered bank to conduct any activity that is allowed for a national chattered bank (FindLaw, 2011). In the determination of whether a federal statute preempts a state law, there is the general presumption that the supremacy clause of the constitution to the United States federal statutes does not preempt the historic powers of the state police. This can only happen if the preemption has the clarity of the United States congress purpose. The general presumption in opposition to preemption, we narrowly interpret the accurate language of the national law or regulation to determine whether a meticulous state law declaration is preempted ((White Paper 2010, 11). State banks are authorized to conduct activities that are not allowed for national banks. This shows that even if Wells Fargo Bank was a Californian chartered bank, it could ha ve taken its case to the court of appeal. If the national chattered bank was able to do that, the California chattered bank was able to do the same. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) conduct examinations in the bank alternatively. The alternation of examination programs, which is either, in a twelve or eighteen month cycle allows the bank to have privacy by keeping intruders off the bank (White Paper 2010, 1). Had 16 F.R. 1904 not included the statement that â€Å"the regulation is a clarification of existing law," the case could have taken a different turn because it could have favored the plaintiff. In this case, Smith did not get any favor for the section stipulated that the case was clarified (FindLaw, 2011). Smith was not lucky because the disclosure he accused the bank to have been preempted in the same ruling. In that regard, the case of advertising being misleading was not favored by the court. If the section was not clarifies, smith could have been favored because the advertisement could have been claimed as misleading. On the other hand, smith did not have any evidence because he did not provide any advert which had affirmative misinterpretation. Smith’s allegations could not have been overruled if he had the advert which was misinterpreted by customers as he claimed (White Paper 2010, 2). The police powers would still have protected the consumer because they are supposed to protect the regulation of consumers and the bank or financial institution. The plaintiff would have been in a very happy mood but, his expectations were turned down because of the insertion of that phrase about clarification. The ruling would have affected the bank in hard manner because colossal amount of money could have been paid as fine due to the ignorance of rules in the bank. The plaintiff could have received benefits but, now he was forced to bear with the circumstances (Portfolio Media, Inc., 2010). Truth in Savings A ct (12 U.S.C. 4301 et. seq.), it is also known as TISA which an acronym. It is a federal law in the United States which was passed on December 19th, 1991. The act was a part of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991. It establishes the uniformity of the terms that regard interests and fees which are paid in the process of opening accounts and passing information (Cfpb, 2011). The United States congress was behind the passing of the law as it noted that it was determined to enhance

What are the environmental consequences of offshore drilling Research Proposal

What are the environmental consequences of offshore drilling - Research Proposal Example ost difficult and more than for land-based fitting and much of the improvement in the offshore petroleum sector revolves around overcoming these challenges. This includes a significant necessity of â€Å"Manned facilities have to to be kept above sea-level.† This can be only achieved with vast constructions with their foundations on the sea bed, like â€Å"the Troll† – A platform stationed on a depth of 300 meter. With height of 472 meter, it can be acknowledged as the biggest man-made movable construction. Type of other platforms including floating types only anchored to the sea-floor. These floating platforms trim down the construction costs but the additional security measures are required as well as apparatus for nulling out heave due to strong waves. In both of oil ridges, the ocean adds numerous hundred meters to the liquefied column in the drill string increasing â€Å"bottom hole pressure† as well as escalating the required amount of energy to lift sand and cuttings for oil-sand separation on the platform. as of modern times the emphasis of oil companies is to conduct maximum production subsea for instance amenities to split sand from oil and re-inject sand prior to pumping up to the platform. In this proces s there are no installations visible above the sea-level. Subsea installations enhance the goal of the petroleum industry of exploiting natural resources at gradually deep waters that have been inaccessible in the past. It also evades several challenges related to sea ice as in the Barents Sea. An offshore oil ridge can also be defined more or less as a small world with support utilities like cafeteria, resting quarters and administration located offshore. In the North Sea, the employees are transported on the platform by helicopter for a 2-week shift. This in turn means higher air pollution. Materials and wastes are transported by the means of ship and it is required to be delicately maneuvered due to the inadequate floor area on the platform. As of

African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art - Essay Example The paper "African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art" explores the role of African art in Pablo Picasso's art and in the culture of the whole world. The history of African masks dates back to before the Paleolithic era. A major feature used by the Africans to represent culture was through the use of masks in ceremonies, feasts and rituals. Furthermore, the traditional African masks exemplified heroes, ancestors, spirits, codes of conduct and animals. Usually, the raw materials used to make the masks include wood, pottery, textile, bronze and copper. The substitute details in the masks would be made using sea shells, egg shells, animal feathers, horns, hair and bones. Because of the belief that the masks represented the spirits, the makers were regarded as superiors in the village. Also, the art and talent of making masks was believed to be passed in the family hence was considered a part of inheritance. On the other hand, the history of African art by Pablo Picasso dates back to the 19th century during the colonization of Africa especially the North and West coasts by France. The scramble and partition of Africa prompted the expeditions and the travels of West elites in search of riches and adventures which resulted to the promotion African art. After painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Picasso’s paintings were influenced by the two figures on the right side which basically were based on African art. Most of the African arts at that time were being interpreted to be signs of slavery, cannibalism, and mistreatment.