Day 2

           My first impression of the Cherokee environment was way different from what I was expecting. I did not even realize we were on a reservation until someone said something. I was expecting to have to show an ID to be able to step foot onto the reservation. While out and about, I felt like I saw a lot of families together, whether that was an infant with a father or an adult daughter with a grandparent. This shows the respect the community has for its elders. One of the most interesting things I learned about the culture’s history is the story of how the Earth was created by a water beetle. It is very interesting to learn about how other cultures view the beginning of time and the formation of the Earth. Their belief in this is very different from my own. While I am not a very religious person, I am spiritual but I also believe more in the scientific way the Earth was formed. This makes me wonder what happens if someone in their society does not conform to these traditional beliefs. Their culture is so strong that I’m sure it does not occur as much as it does in our society. In my family in particular, we hold our elders very dear and close, which is quite similar to their culture. However, I would not say this is something that is shared by everyone in our society. Having a matriarchal society is also very different from what I am used to. While our society is making great strides towards women being equal, there is still progress to be made. It was interesting to learn they kept with their matriarchal society, even after being exposed to and pressured by British society in which women were not respected. It is obvious their culture is integrated into their children’s learning at a very young age. Little Boy, who was our tour guide, was only 15 years old but knew so much about his culture. It was obvious he was exposed to this from a young age. While our education does its best to teach us about our past, sometimes there is not a lot of truth to the teachings, as we have all come to find out.