Before Europeans arrived on this continent, our Cherokee ancestors inhabited the southeastern woodlands for thousands of years. Our ways of life looked very different from today’s, rooted heavily in nature and taking care of the world we lived in.

In this Cherokee Almanac, we take a look back at our tribe’s earliest encounters with non-Indigenous people.

The introduction of smallpox to the southeastern United States challenged Cherokee survival. Despite loss of life, Cherokee people upheld traditional and innovative ways of healing our communities. In this Cherokee almanac, we explore the agency Cherokee people had and continue to practice when it comes to the health and well-being of our people.

Before we had written laws, justice was determined through a consensus of our tribe’s clan structure. In this Cherokee Almanac, we take a look at Cherokee systems of justice and their evolution over time.