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Since I AM half Eastern Band Cherokee, many of the sacred rituals and ceremonies resonate with my spirit. My mom, Mary (Meli pronounced May-lee), is full-blood Eastern Band Cherokee and was born on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina. Naturally that makes both my maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather full-blood Cherokee as well, not to mention all of my other ancestors who came before them. The funny thing is many times people will say to me, "Well 'Standley' doesn't sound Cherokee to me." I respond, "Well it doesn't sound Cherokee to me either, it's my maiden name (dad's last name)."

Below is a picture of my mom and dad (center) with the Principal Chief, Michell Hicks (right). My siblings and I grew up with people asking if my dad was our "real dad," so if you are wondering . . . yes, he is my real dad and he really is blonde. (winky wink)

My parents are now retired, (married 51 years) and live in Cherokee, North Carolina. The Eastern Band Cherokees are mountain people. Cherokee is located in western North Carolina just over the Great Smokey Mountains coming from Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

My sister, Ahinawake (pronounced Ah-nah-wake) was also born in Cherokee, NC and lives on the reservation, as well as, the majority of my mom's kin with the exception of very few family members. I have property on the reservation as well.

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CHEROKEE NAMES

My sister's name, Ahinawake (pronounced Ah-nah-wake) is a Cherokee name. Translated into English it means "Laughing Eyes." Therefore, the name "Laughing Eyes" is English for the Cherokee name and not vice versa. It is merely English words translating the Cherokee name. Cherokee society is matrilineal and when Cherokee names are given to a newborn, an elder (typically the grandmother) of the Cherokee family give the name to the child. My Cherokee grandmother "Stella" (Stela pronounced S-tay-la), may God rest granny's spirit, named my sister, Ahinawake.

[A white dove for Granny, Gramps and Nick]

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Karmen (Kameni pronounced Ka-may-nee)

Nicholas (Nigalasi pronounced Nee-gah-la-see)

Jacob (Tsegoqui pronounced Jay-go-kwe).

Pictured left is my grandson "Big Tree". I always call him "Big Tree" because both Nick and Jake were given their Cherokee name by my mom and myself (since we are great-grandmother and grandmother respectively). Both their middle name is Sequoia, which means "Big Tree."

There is also the name "Sequoyah," derived from the Cherokee word "Siqua" and in English translation means "hog". Sequoyah was the creator of the Cherokee writing system. It is commonly thought that Sequoyah means "disabled" because Sequoyah walked with a limp from a childhood deformity. And the word 'hog' or 'siqua' means having short legs. The Sequoia tree is commonly thought to be named after Sequoyah obviously not because of shortness, but because of greatness.

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My name "Loretta" in Cherokee is Lowedi' (pronounced Low-way-dee).

Loquenieta (pronounced Lo-kwayn-a-ta).

Interestingly enough, G. George also use to call me Kamama, which means 'butterfly' or 'elephant' in Cherokee, depending of course on how you mean it and use it. Now I know that G. George meant it as 'Butterfly' because he told me. The reason I find this interesting is because my astrologer, Thomas Seers (may God rest his soul) never called me Loretta; he always called me Butterfly. Being the Gemini that I am, he would always say, "And where are you calling me from today Butterfly?"

It is fascinating how . . when it is the Truth, it shows up everywhere.

Click here to see the Cherokee Syllabary.

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HOW OFTEN DO I VISIT?

I visit my kin on the reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina as often as possible. Since mom and dad live in Cherokee, I just pile some friends in a car as often as I can and we head on down. My daughter Karmen (Kameni pronounced Ka-may-nee) her husband Larry (Lewi' pronounced Lay-we) along with 'Big Tree' will also visit as often as they can. Cherokee is a fairly quick drive from St. Louis, Missouri, which takes about 10 hours (depends on whose driving).

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THREE TRIBES OF THE CHEROKEE

There are three different tribes of the Cherokees that are federally recognized. The distinction of the three different tribes came during the Trail of Tears from Cherokee, North Carolina to Oklahoma.

The Western Band of Cherokees with headquarters in Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the largest of the three tribes with over 270,000 enrolled tribal members.

Also headquartered in Tahlequah is the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees with approximately 16,000 tribal members.

The Eastern Band of Cherokees is headquartered in Cherokee, North Carolina with approximately 12,000 tribal members and is the smallest of the three.

I AM an Eastern Band Cherokee tribal member.

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DID CHEROKEES WEAR A HEADDRESS?

The Cherokee did not wear a full headdress except to make the tourists happy. They either wore a mohawk or what is called a "porcupine roach" that was made out of porcupine guard hair (not the quills) or they wore one or two feathers tied at the crown of the head.

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GENEALOGY

Genealogy records exist for tribal members, but it is almost impossible to trace genealogy based on one name that does not already appear as part of the tribal records. So an individual may have Cherokee ancestry, but they are not considered Cherokee tribal members unless they have Cherokee citizenship through enrollment.

While there are many people who have Cherokee ancestry, not everyone qualifies for tribal citizenship in any of the three bands and they all have separate criteria for citizenship. Federally recognized Cherokee are those formally recognized by the United States government. Groups around the country who have no federal, historic, or cultural foundation often misguide individuals who do not qualify for tribal citizenship.

This is a complex subject because the Cherokee Nation once enveloped parts of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, western West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, western North Carolina, northern Alabama, northwestern South Carolina and northern Georgia. It is further involved by the infamous removal of the Cherokee to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears in the late 1830s.

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CHEROKEE ART

Cultural information may vary from clan to clan, location to location, family to family, and different experiences and varying opinions. Some Native American art has become inter-tribal due to commercialism and popularity.

Not all "Indian art" is Cherokee. There are over 500 federally recognized Indian tribes in the United States and each has their own art, culture, and practices.

Indian art that is considered "truly Cherokee" are: double wall basketry, clay pottery, gourd art and river cane art.

Many of my family members in Cherokee are talented artists who have their work displayed or sold in the many craft shops on the reservation. From hand cut bead work, painting, wood or rock sculpting, pottery, and the above listed "truly" Cherokee art.

Eventually their work will be displayed on this site with contact information.

The "dreamcatcher" is not a part of the Cherokee culture. It appears to belong to the Ojibway people in the north, but due to commercialism and popularity, it has taken on an intertribal identity. It is also thought by many Native Americans that a dreamcatcher made by anyone other than a Native American could bring bad dreams.

The Medicine Wheel, which belongs to the Plains people, has also become an inter-tribal symbol of goodwill, just like cedar, sage and sweetgrass.

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THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES

The Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole.

The Five Civilized Tribes is the term applied to five Aboriginal American nations which lived in the Southeastern United States before their removal to other parts of country, especially the future Oklahoma. They were called "civilized" because they were most like Southern white society.

The tribes were uprooted from their homes east of the Mississippi River in a series of removals over several decades and moved to what was Indian Territory and is now the eastern portion of the state of Oklahoma. The most famous removal was the Trail of Tears, which was ordered by President Andrew Jackson, despite a ruling of the Supreme Court that the order was unlawful.

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THE 7 CHEROKEE CLANS

The seven Cherokee clans are:

• Aniawi . . . or Deer
• Anigilohi . . . or Long Hair
• Anigotegewi . . . or Wild Potato
• Anisahoni . . . or Blue
• Anitsisqua . . . or Bird
• Aniwaya . . . or Wolf
• Aniwodi . . . or Paint

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DO I KNOW MY CLAN? - YES!

Remember the Cherokee society is matrilineal and the family or clan lineage runs through the mother. Since my mother is Cherokee, I belong to her clan.

If knowledge of the clan is not known, then more than likely your clan has been lost. This is because there are no tribal records regarding clans because clanship is kept private for spiritual reasons. Down in Cherokee, we typically ask, "Who is your mother?" which is basically the same as asking which clan you belong to. No, I will not tell you my clan. Remember, it is kept secret for spiritual reasons and obviously protects the family.

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THE 7 DIRECTIONS and 6 COLORS OF THE CHEROKEE

The Cherokee traditionally recognize seven directions, to encompass a fully dimensional world as opposed to a one-dimensional world. There are four cardinal directions (east, north, west and south), up (above), down (below) and center (where you are).

The colors are black, blue, brown, red, white, and yellow.

The colors most used by the Cherokee are red and white, and then blue would be a close second. Actually, it was Vermilion paint (a bright red mercuric sulfide used as a pigment) that was mainly used by the Cherokee in trade.