Religion
The Cherokee people were very religious. Their beliefs tended to affect all aspects of this culture including their relationship with nature, laws, etc. Their religion is characterized by two beliefs. These are animism and shamanism. Animism is defined as the belief that all things have a spirit. This belief was displayed by the Cherokee Indian by their relationship with plants and animals. The shamanism is the belief of unseen spirits that can be contacted through shamans. The Cherokee practices this through the many rituals they conducted with their own priests. Many of these rituals took place during the six to seven annual festivals that the Cherokee people held. Additionally, to these two characteristics the Cherokee Indian people's religion had a framework that is not entirely different from Christianity.
After European settlement of the United States, settlers began to try to convert the native people to Christianity. This was not uncommon at the time. Throughout history, Christianity was spread by converting many native societies. At times, this would be a hard transition for the native people. However, the Cherokee found it to be rather easy. Their beliefs were very similar to the Christian faith. There were several beliefs that seemed to align pretty well. The belief in three separate dimensions was the most prominent similarity.
The subpages of this page will discuss animism, shamanism, festivals and the framework of Cherokee religion in further detail.
After European settlement of the United States, settlers began to try to convert the native people to Christianity. This was not uncommon at the time. Throughout history, Christianity was spread by converting many native societies. At times, this would be a hard transition for the native people. However, the Cherokee found it to be rather easy. Their beliefs were very similar to the Christian faith. There were several beliefs that seemed to align pretty well. The belief in three separate dimensions was the most prominent similarity.
The subpages of this page will discuss animism, shamanism, festivals and the framework of Cherokee religion in further detail.