The Cherokee were a Native American nation that lived in the foothills and mountains of South Carolina at the time of the encounter with Europeans. The Cherokee called themselves ‘the real people’ and were a powerful nation and they lived in villages of up to six hundred people surrounded by a palisade for protection.

Their summer homes were open to the air; their winter homes were round structures with thick walls made of a mixture of grass and clay called daub. The roofs were made of bark and branches called wattle.

The men fished by poisoning the water with walnut bark. This stunned the fish and made them rise in the water to be gathered. Leaders of the village, including women, met as a council to make rules for the nation.

In times of peace, the village was led by a White leader; in times of war, the Red leader took over. Each village also had a holy man or woman.