Cherokee_Essay

 =Essay =   Celeste Billung-Meyer (back to rise)

The Importance of Balance
In this day and age, it is important to understand and preserve our world’s balance. Currently we are not living very sustainable lifestyles and the effects of that are starting to show. The Cherokee understood the importance of balance and it was included in their traditional culture. Socially, men and women had equal amounts of power. Environmentally, the Cherokee would always give something in return for what they took and they only took what was absolutely necessary. Spiritually, they believed in many different beings. The Cherokee lived very balanced lifestyles and were able to use their resources effectively.

From the beginning, the Cherokee had an equal division of power between men and women. Women were in charge of farming, gathering and social decisions for the tribe. Men were in charge of hunting, fishing and political decisions for the tribe. Medicine healers could be either male or female and advice from any elder was honoured. The white settlers, however, did not endorse these values and it has taken a very long time to get women the rights that they have today. There are even some places in the world that continue to fight against women’s rights.

In our world, currently, we are facing many environmental problems. However, the Cherokee never faced the majority of these. The Cherokee would only take from the earth sparingly and if it was absolutely necessary. They firmly believed that when you take something you must leave something in return. For example, when taking medicinal herbs, the Cherokee would leave a bead behind in that place of that herb. The Cherokee also believed that nothing should ever be wasted. If a deer was killed, everything from the animal would be used; the meat for food, the pelt for clothes and the bones for tools. The Cherokee grew their own crops and raised their own animals, they were completely self- sufficient. These days, we transport food half way across the world when we could be growing our own or at least growing it locally. We could learn a lot from the ways of the Cherokee, especially in these troubled times.

Spiritual balance is often thought of as ‘inner peace’; unity with the earth and harmony with those around you. The Cherokee seemed to have a version of spiritual balance. They believed in many different things, such as; little people, sacred animals, numbers (4 and 7), sacred directions (north, east, south, west, sun, earth, self), witchcraft (good and bad) and ghosts (spirits of those who had passed away but chose to remain on earth). The Cherokee found ‘unity with the earth’, taking from it but also returning to it. As for being in ‘harmony with those around you’, the Cherokee had a social system based on mutual respect and honouring their elders. However, on occasion they did fight other tribes. The biggest problem came in the 19th century when the US government attempted to exterminate the Cherokee. At that point the harmony that the Cherokee had built with the white settlers back in the 17th century and had endured so many years was disturbed. Generally the Cherokee have maintained a strong sense of spiritual balance, which is something that many people seek in today’s culture.

There are many things that we have learned from the Cherokee and many things that we have not picked up on yet. However, balance is the most relevant thing for our current age. Social balance, environmental balance and spiritual balance are all areas in which today’s world could improve. By studying the ways of the Cherokee, we could enhance our future through social ties, spiritual balance and a healthier environment.