In the issue of women's rights, the Cherokee woman had more rights and power in the late 1700's than European women. A Cherokee woman could decide who to marry, and the house was considered her property. She also had the decision to kill an unwanted or deformed child, while the man had no say in it. If the father did kill his own, he would be guilty of murder. If she wanted a divorce, she simply placed his clothes outside the home, and she was free to marry again. But the children were hers to raise, though even in a divorce, the father and his family had a role in the child rearing.

Isn't that amazing? That in the years shortly after the founding of our country, there were women with rights? They could make their own decisions and weren't forced to listen to a man on aspects of their life and body.

When it came to hunting, which was the man's work, they never took more than they needed, nor did they waste any part of an animal. What could not be used was left behind as a gift for the wolves. They would never kill a wolf, which was thought to be a messenger from the spirit world. It was believed that killing one would cause the game to vanish. The growing of crops was nothing like that of those early settlers, who grew as much as possible. Cherokee grew what they needed, and wasted nothing. They frowned upon those who were greedy, taking too much from our earth. If a family needed food, there was no need to ask; it was given. If anyone was ill, the tribe would step up and ensure the care of the ill.

Now, I must add that many other tribes shared the same concepts. There are some tribes that didn't have a word for war, because there was no need for something that did not exist.

Though we have learned mass amounts of knowledge, it's the simple way of the Cherokee that we need to look at.