Cherokee
Lifestyles
By: Sarah
Cherokee women had a lot of power. They were allowed to choose the man they wanted to marry. They would choose the man they liked. After the wedding the husband either built a new home or went to live with the wife's mother. The house and any children belonged to the wife. Although the women have a lot of power, they still did quite a bit of work.
The women cooked the meals and cared for their homes. Also they would gather mushrooms, berries, nuts, and roots. The women gathered them in the woods around their village. She also raised vegetables for her family. Corn was an important crop for their tribe. Daughters and their mothers planted and harvested in their giving community gardens.
Cherokee women did many other jobs too. They tanned animal hides to make clothing. They also made deerskin breechcloths for the men in the summer. Women also made buckskin cloths for winter. They would make deerskin skirts for themselves for summer and buffalo garments for colder months. They would also make long woven squares of material that they draped over their shoulders in winter, which both men and women wore.
