Post by Mystic on Nov 20, 2006 17:12:12 GMT -5
*http://normswebworks.net/heather*
Clan affiliation was and is traditionally inherited through the mother's line, because the Tsalagi (Cherokee) are a matrilineal people. If the clan affiliation is not known it is rare that it will be identified. The task is difficult because clan membership was not kept on file.
Clan structure is the basic cohesion and social infrastructure of any Cherokee nation.
Clan membership was always inherited through the mother and the children belonged to their mother's clan and sat with them at the ceremonies. The children's father sat with his mother's clan. A child's uncle on his mother's side was a very important figure, and had a great deal to do with the rearing and the discipline of the child. The father would be more concerned with his sister's children.
The child knew all member's of their clan except mother and grandparents as "brothers" and "sisters". When the child grew up they were forbidden to marry anyone within this group.
The next most important clan to the child was his father's clan. Everyone in the clan was known as a "father" a "father's sister" or a "grandmother". The women who married "father's" were called "step parents" if they were of a different clan than the child's, and "mother's" if they were of the child's clan. All children of "father's " were know as "brother's and sister's".
There was love and respect between children and their father, but it was the mother's brother, as a member of their own clan, who had the most to say about their upbringing. Clans are considered close family. (brother's , sister's, etc..)
Clan membership was essential to a person's existence within a Cherokee society. A Cherokee clan determined a person's political alignment and role in society. Kinship, through the laws of the clan, governed social relationships, dictated possible marriage partners,
designated friends, designated enemies and regulated behavior through
the system such as which kinsmen had to be respected and with which
kinsmen one could be intimate. The clan provided many important
functions including child care for orphans and the destitute,
hospitality for visiting clan members from other towns. Clan adoption was
not, and should not be taken lightly. Your clan is for life, for eternity.
It is the clan who protects, supports, and looks out for its own.
Clan loyalty was and still should be the strongest bond among any Cherokee.
Clan affiliation was and is traditionally inherited through the mother's line, because the Tsalagi (Cherokee) are a matrilineal people. If the clan affiliation is not known it is rare that it will be identified. The task is difficult because clan membership was not kept on file.
Clan structure is the basic cohesion and social infrastructure of any Cherokee nation.
Clan membership was always inherited through the mother and the children belonged to their mother's clan and sat with them at the ceremonies. The children's father sat with his mother's clan. A child's uncle on his mother's side was a very important figure, and had a great deal to do with the rearing and the discipline of the child. The father would be more concerned with his sister's children.
The child knew all member's of their clan except mother and grandparents as "brothers" and "sisters". When the child grew up they were forbidden to marry anyone within this group.
The next most important clan to the child was his father's clan. Everyone in the clan was known as a "father" a "father's sister" or a "grandmother". The women who married "father's" were called "step parents" if they were of a different clan than the child's, and "mother's" if they were of the child's clan. All children of "father's " were know as "brother's and sister's".
There was love and respect between children and their father, but it was the mother's brother, as a member of their own clan, who had the most to say about their upbringing. Clans are considered close family. (brother's , sister's, etc..)
Clan membership was essential to a person's existence within a Cherokee society. A Cherokee clan determined a person's political alignment and role in society. Kinship, through the laws of the clan, governed social relationships, dictated possible marriage partners,
designated friends, designated enemies and regulated behavior through
the system such as which kinsmen had to be respected and with which
kinsmen one could be intimate. The clan provided many important
functions including child care for orphans and the destitute,
hospitality for visiting clan members from other towns. Clan adoption was
not, and should not be taken lightly. Your clan is for life, for eternity.
It is the clan who protects, supports, and looks out for its own.
Clan loyalty was and still should be the strongest bond among any Cherokee.
