THE WAY OF THE CHEROKEE
by Tsquayi

THE ANIKILOHI

(Photo - Right)
White Chief Al “Tsquayi” Herrin smiles as he anticipates shaking hands with as many of the thousands gathered as possible. Joe “Hawks Dancing” in foreground, Chief “Grey Owl” Griggs in background

The seven clans of the Cherokees are: Aniwahya (Ah nee wah hyah; Wolf Clan), Anijisgwa (Ah nee jee sgwah; Bird Clan), Aniwodi (Ah nee woe dee; Paint Clan), Anisahoni (Ah nee sah hoe nee; Blue Clan), Anigodagewi (Ah nee goedah gay wee; Wild Potato Clan), Aniahwi (Ah nee ah hwee; Deer Clan) and Anikilohi (Ah nee kee loe hee; Long Hair Clan, also called the Stranger Clan).

The Anikilohi is my clan. There are several unusual facts about the Long Hair Clan that, in my opinion, provide an insight into the social structure as well as the mind of the early Cherokees. I believe the people of today‘s world, including Cherokees, can learn from the ancient Anikilohi.

The clan name comes from the fact that, in the olden times, most Cherokee warriors shaved their heads for warfare and left only a scalp lock, but, the men of the Long Hair Clan did not shave their heads, letting their hair grow long. The people of the Long Hair Clan devoted themselves to peace rather than warfare.

The name “Stranger Clan” referred to the fact that non Cherokee strangers, captives, runaway slaves and others adopted into the tribe became members of this clan. Some were not of Cherokee blood and others were of Cherokee blood only on their father’s side. Since clan membership was determined by the mother’s clan membership, children born to a Cherokee father but a non Cherokee mother, could become members of the Long Hair Clan.

The members of the Long Hair Clan were the teachers and keepers of the ancient Cherokee wisdom and taught a newcomer how to be Yvwi (Yuh wee; true person, human being, Cherokee). It is very interesting to me that this clan was entrusted with these vital responsibilities. It is as if the ancient Cherokees were wise enough to realize that, often, strangers can see us more clearly than we can see ourselves.

The Peace Chief, who wore a robe of white feathers and wielded great influence in the tribe, usually came from the Long Hair Clan. Thus a person who was of mixed Cherokee blood or perhaps no Cherokee blood at all could become a Chief. I think the ancient Cherokees could teach many of today’s people a few things about the value of tolerance and diversity to a society. They knew that what is in a person’s heart is more important than degree of blood, skin color or any of the other superficial features by which many people judge others.

There are, presently, over 200,000 enrolled members of the Western Cherokee Nation. There are many thousands of others, living all over the United States, who are of Cherokee descent who want to become members of the Cherokee Nation but cannot because they cannot trace their lineage back to an enrolled Cherokee. Because their heroic ancestors escaped the white man’s round up, enrollment and removal of the Cherokees, these descendents are denied their identity as Cherokees. They are denied their identity by the Federal Government but, more tragically, by the Cherokee Nation itself.

The ancient Cherokees, the Real People, would have welcomed these people who, in their hearts, are Cherokee. Perhaps, sorry day, the modern day Cherokee Nation will find a way for these people to join us. The procedure for a person becoming a member of the ancient Long Hair Clan had some similarities with today’s procedure for a foreign person becoming a citizen of the United States. Perhaps, to become a citizen of the Cherokee Nation today, a person could be required to live within the Cherokee Nation for a few years, study the Cherokee language, history, culture and laws, and take an oath of allegiance to the Cherokee Nation. They would then be granted citizenship in the Cherokee Nation, just as were the ancient Anikilohi.

The Anikilohi might also help the Cherokee Nation in another way. For almost two hundred years, the Cherokee Nation has been divided and plagued by factionalism and it continues today. We need a Peace Chief who can lead us and heal the old wounds so that the Cherokee Nation can realize its full potential.

THE MESSENGERS

The following is a song of a Cherokee Shaman of the Bird Clan, asking the Jisgwa (ji s gwa; Birds) to bring messages from the Spirit World.

The Shaman’s Song

Come
Jisgwa,
Kin of mine;
Messengers from God.
Teach me how to read your message
And I will teach it to all who have ears to listen.

Come
White Dove,
Bird of Peace;
Messenger from God.
Sit upon my shoulder and speak:
Teach that all living things are my brothers and sisters.

Come
Raven,
Wise Old Bird;
Messenger from God.
Speak to me of ancient wisdom:

Come
Nighthawk,
Dream Flyer;
Messenger from God.
Look for me into the future:
Teach me to read the signs that tell what the future holds.

Come
Eagle,
Wind Rider;
Messenger from God.
Teach me to walk the path of truth;
God and Nature are friends of the honorable man.

Come
Heron,
Chieftain Bird;
Messenger from God.
Show me the way to true balance;
Teach me cleanliness of my body and my spirit.

Come
Healers,
Butterflies;
Messengers from God.
Help me to find good medicine:
Let it heal the bodies and spirits of The People.

There are, at least, two hidden relationships to Nature in this song that would be expected to be good “medicine”⁸. After you read the following section on Numbers, come back and see if you can find them.

NUMBERS

Scientists use mathematics, the manipulation of numbers, to understand the Natural universe. But, since long before the advent of science, mankind has been fascinated by numbers and believed that certain numbers are mysteriously related to Nature, the Spirit World and their lives and thus be good or bad luck or “medicine”.

The number seven is probably the best known example. Many people believe it is a lucky number. The ancient Pythagoreans believed seven was a special number. The number seven appears in many places in the JudeoChristian Bible. In many cultures around the world, seven is considered a special number. Among the Cherokees, there are many examples of the importance of the number seven. There are seven clans, the council house is built with seven sides, the sacred fire is built with seven different kinds of wood, the ceremonial black drink was mixed from seven different plants, there are seven directions (east, south, north, west, up, down and here) and there are other examples. Is the prominence of the number seven in so many ancient cultures around the world, cultures that had no communication with one another, merely a coincidence? I think it more likely that the number seven reflects a reality that is universal to the human experience.

Thirteen is another number that has been prominent through the ages. Some people believe it is an unlucky number and dread Friday the thirteenth. For others, thirteen is a lucky number. Jesus chose twelve disciples to make a group of thirteen. America was founded on thirteen original colonies. The ancient Aztecs developed a calendar based upon a year of 13 months that was more accurate than the calendar we use today.

Thirteen was a prominent number among the ancient Cherokees. A legend is told among the Cherokees that we came from an Island in the Atlantic Ocean. At that time, there were thirteen clans of the Cherokees. The Cherokees fought a great war with the black people and were defeated. The island began to shake and spew fire and the Cherokees left the island in boats and then the island sank beneath the ocean. They sailed to the coast of what is now Central America. Many had died on the island and during the voyage so that some clans contained very few members. So they combined some clans and reorganized into seven clans and began traveling north, searching for a homeland. They came into the land of the “Fierce Ones”⁹ who fought with such ferocity that the Cherokees were forced to turn toward the east. They traveled east until they came to the beautiful Mountains of the Blue Smoke, Sagonige (Sah goe neegay), which they made the homeland of our people.

Today, at the traditional stomp dances, the women wear leg shackles made from turtle shell rattles which provide the rhythmic beat to which the dancers dance and sing. The shackle for each leg is made with thirteen turtle shells to honor the original thirteen clans of the Cherokees.

If you enjoy the mystical significance of numbers, as I do, you might think about the sequence of numbers first pointed out by an Italian mathematician and mystic named Fibonacci. The sequence goes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc. After the beginning 1 and 2, each succeeding number is the sum of the preceding two numbers. Scholars have found that this sequence and the proportions between the numbers is related to many things in Nature and the way the human mind perceives Nature and applies it through art, architecture, etc. The spiral of seed scales on a pine cone, the spiral of a snail’s shell, perhaps the spiral of a galaxy and the spiral of a DNA molecule, the shape of a playing card, the shapes used in beautiful buildings; many of such things are related to this sequence of numbers.

I believe that each of us constantly receives messages from Nature and the Spirit World. Some people listen more closely and hear those messages more clearly than do most people. Among the Cherokees and other tribes of Native Americans as well as primitive people around the world, those “careful listeners” became the Shamans and Medicine People for their tribes. The fact that much of the knowledge passed down by these people, such as the numbers I have discussed, was similar throughout the world is evidence that these things are not just coincidence but reflect a Spiritual or Physical reality that we do not yet understand.

(Photo - Left)
White Chief Al “Tsquayi” Herrin participates in the peace pipe ceremony with dignitaries and citizens of Zaragosa.

You might ask, “Even if it is true, what good is it?” I believe it is possible that a greater understanding of the human mind and the psychic connections between the human mind, Nature and the Spirit World can enable us to do things that most people today would consider impossible. We read or hear about people in the past who could heal with a touch, travel outside their body, mentally communicate with others over time and space, know the future, etc. What if each of us has the capacity to do those things but just don’t know how?

Sadly, for us all, the Shamans and Medicine People who might have taught us those secrets are gone; they and their wisdom were victims of the brutal conquest by insensitive invaders and intolerant religion.

Pagenotes:

⁸ Two of the hidden meanings in the Shaman’s Song are that there are seven stanzas and the syllables per line, in each stanza, follow Fibonacci’s sequence of 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 13.

⁹ Possibly the Mound Builders at Spiro on the Arkansas River.

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