Customer Reviews

Seven Clans of the Cherokee Society

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This colorful, beautifully illustrated little booklet gives a delightful, brief insight into the seven clans of the Cherokee and some interesting tidbits of historical information concerning the laws, customs and social organization of the tribe. There is also a suggested reading list in the back.

This book, although brief and sometimes vague, does give a wonderful view inside of how Cherokee society used to be.

The book doe not tell you much about anything of any great detail. And, I was hoping that it would separate each clan out better. Yet, where it failed there it made up for in explaining Cherokee culture, Cherokee law, and explaining where problems originated from when Cherokees first met outsiders.

This is a great book to keep on hand to give someone interested in Cherokee culture. It is just enough to make the reader to want to learn more. More over, it is a fascinating, though small, snipit of Cherokee history and cultural preservation.

This book is short, concise, easy to read and a great thumbnail sketch of the clans and their functions.

I highly recommend it, as the information is the best I have found. It is suitable for any age and clearly written and an excellent tool to get up-to-date information on ancient wisdom(s)...

Thank you, thank you Marcelina Reed!

William Taylor's drawings were surreal in a multi-dimensional way - took me there!

There are many good writings within this book. A short introduction into Cherokee ways. In some ways too short, but it does help to understand the clan system and how it came about.

The information in this booklet was very interesting and informative. Buyers should know this is a twenty some page booklet, NOT A BOOK.

This book was pretty informative although I wish it would of provided more information about the actual clans (such as did they have a specific place within the village? did they have any special jobs and what was there general role) the book hinted at some of these questions but did not fully answer them. The book did give a good base to start on but it needs more.

This is not a book, it's a BOOKLET and it's written for grade schoolers. It gives minimal, very minimal, information! There are more illustrations than text and the font is difficult to read !

The product description leads one to believe the book will adequately cover the 7 clans and states it provides "information on the matrilineal system, marriage, government and more." Well -- the information provided is minuscule! There are only 17 pages that have text on them with lots and lots of white space around the text.

The author mentions that of the original 14 clans some were merged into the '7' clans, but she fails to explain why. I don't believe the book even mentions that the tribe adopted a Constitution in the early 1800s in Georgia where their capital was located.

Further, there are falsehoods and inaccuracies ! On pg 17, it is stated that 'no such thing as a feud would evolve, because it was understood among all clans that revenge would be taken in the event of injury or death."

BUT -- there WERE FEUDS! For example, the members of the tribe who signed the 'treaty' selling the eastern lands to the U.S. were hated by the members who believed no Cherokee had the right to sell any tribal land -- which was owned in common by all members. The treaty signers VOLUNTARILY moved to Indian Territory a year or two before the rest of the tribe was forcibly and tragically removed -- which is now called the Trail of Tears.

Once the Cherokees who were forcibly removed also arrived in Indian Terr., a civil war of sorts erupted, and many of the leaders who signed the documents selling the eastern lands were killed. This lead to reprisals. If that wasn't a feud, I don't know what was.

If you know absolutely nothing about the Cherokee, then read the booklet. But anyone who has any knowledge about the tribe knows it was matrilineal, that the clan avenged wrongs, the Cherokee intermarried with whites and the Cherokee set up their own government, etc. If you want to know more about the 7 clans other than their names & symbols, find another source.

The book is published by the Eastern Band of Cherokees in N.C. (a very small part of the tribe). The book completely ignores the vast majority of the Cherokees who were forcibly removed to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, where the tribe today is a thriving Nation.

For what it provides, the book is OK. HOWEVER, the description misleads one into expecting more which is why I've given only 2 stars. If the description were more accurate, I would not have purchased this book-let.

If anyone knows of a more in-depth and accurate book about the 7 clans, please let me know.

This book is small but it holds a great deal of information about the Cherokee life, customs,and some interesting details. I wished it was a bigger book, but even so, it was most interesting and it gives much insight into the Cherokee tribe. If you are a history buff like me then you would enjoy this book and the drawings that are most interesting.
Thank you, Joe Blevins author of THE TEXAS REPUBLIC, AFTER THE REPUBLIC, and GONE TO TEXAS.

This was well written and gives a lot of information in short, easy to read format. My grandmother was Cherokee and this fits her to a T. Thanks.

They don't teach this stuff in history in school. Its a good start to learning about the Cherokee People and their culture. The book is easily understood and simple, but informative. It is quite interesting to see how true Christianity and the Cherokee had very similar morals as well as an understanding of the number "7" as God sees it.