The Cherokee drew on a remarkably wide range of natural resources across their homeland in present-day North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The southern Appalachian Mountains provided dense hardwood forests, free-flowing rivers full of fish, fertile bottomlands for farming, and hundreds of plant species used for food, medicine, shelter, and crafting. Nearly every part of this landscape played a role in daily Cherokee life.
Crops and the Three Sisters
Agriculture formed the backbone of Cherokee food production. Corn, beans, and squash, known as “the three sisters,” were planted together in a system that made each crop more productive. Corn stalks gave the bean vines something to climb. Beans pulled nitrogen from the air and converted it into soil nutrients that fed the corn and squash. Squash spread its broad leaves across the ground between the other two plants, shading out weeds and holding moisture in the soil. The Cherokee also grew potatoes and introduced all of these crops to early European settlers who arrived in their territory.
Wild Plants, Nuts, and Fruits
Beyond their cultivated fields, the Cherokee gathered a huge variety of wild plants throughout the year. In early spring, they collected greens like ramps, lamb’s quarters, wild ginger, peppergrass, creasy greens, and wild lettuce, eating many of them raw or in salads. Summer and fall brought a long list of fruits and berries: huckleberries, wild grapes, persimmons, passion fruit, cherries, mulberries, blackberries, raspberries, and hawthorn berries.
Nuts were especially important. Hickory nuts, walnuts, chestnuts, and acorns appeared extensively in Cherokee cooking. Red oak acorns, for example, were used to make a traditional dish called kenuche. During winter, when fresh greens and fruit were scarce, the Cherokee relied more heavily on roots. Indian cucumber, manroot, and wild potato were ground into meal for bread or prepared much like potatoes. Wild bean seeds served as the base for bean bread, a staple food.
Hunting and Animal Resources
White-tailed deer were the most important game animal. Cherokee hunters used bows and arrows to take deer, wild turkey, and other large game, while blowguns made from rivercane were the tool of choice for smaller animals like squirrels and rabbits. Designated hunters supplied meat for community festivals and seasonal gatherings.
Animals provided far more than food. Deer hides were processed into clothing and trade goods, and bones were shaped into tools and implements. After European contact, the rifle allowed the Cherokee to acquire animal skins more quickly, which made them major participants in the North American fur trade.
River Fish and Stone Weirs
The rivers running through Cherokee territory were a critical food source. One of the most valued fish was the ugidatli, a large species sometimes called the “salmon of the South” because of its spawning runs and cultural importance. These fish could reach two feet in length, and during their annual migrations, Cherokee fishers funneled them into stone weirs built across the riverbed. Communities gathered only what they needed to feed everyone, then pulled the weirs back down. Stone net sinkers found at archaeological sites confirm that the Cherokee also used large and small fishing nets for other species.
Trees and Timber
The dense forests of the southern Appalachians supplied wood for construction, tools, fuel, and ceremonial purposes. Red oak held particular significance. Its wood kept the sacred eternal fire burning at gatherings, and baskets were fashioned from its inner bark. Hickory, oak, and cedar all served practical roles in building homes and crafting everyday items. Poplar and other softwoods were easier to work for certain construction needs, and pine roots provided flexible material for binding and tying.
Rivercane
Rivercane, a native bamboo that once grew in vast stands across the Southeast, was one of the most versatile materials the Cherokee used. They wove it into baskets, mats, and fishing creels. They crafted it into blowguns for hunting small game. It served as building material for walls and screens. The plant’s strength, flexibility, and light weight made it suitable for an unusual number of purposes, and its importance to Cherokee culture has driven modern conservation efforts to restore rivercane along southeastern waterways.
Plant Fibers for Cordage and Textiles
Rope and cord were essential technologies, even though the humid, acidic soils of the region have destroyed most physical evidence of them. The Cherokee processed fibers from a range of plants to make cordage. Indian hemp (common dogbane) produced especially tough fibers for strong rope. Milkweed, stinging nettle, cattail, and silk grass also yielded usable fibers. For bark-based cordage, the inner bark of mulberry, poplar, hickory, and red cedar trees was stripped and processed. Willow branches and the thin surface roots of pine trees were flexible enough to use for tying and binding.
These cords and fibers went into animal snares, fishing nets, bags, baskets, sandals, and countless other crafted items. Cherokee potters even used finely woven knotted nets pressed into wet clay to create decorative surface patterns on their pottery.
Medicinal Plants
The Cherokee developed one of the most well-documented plant medicine traditions in North America, drawing on the rich biodiversity of Appalachian forests. Hundreds of species were used, but several stand out for their range of applications.
- Ginseng was used as a general tonic and to treat colic and coughs.
- Goldenseal root was prepared as a wash for inflammations and taken internally for digestive problems and general weakness.
- Yarrow treated wounds, stopped bleeding, and was brewed into a tea for fevers.
- Bloodroot was used in small doses for coughs and lung inflammations, and as a wash for sores.
- Witch hazel bark was prepared for sore throats, colds, fevers, and applied to skin sores.
- Dogwood bark was chewed for headaches, brewed for fevers and body aches, and applied as a poultice on ulcers.
- White oak bark was brewed into an antiseptic infusion and used to treat fevers and dysentery.
- Black cohosh root treated rheumatism, coughs, and colds.
These plants grew wild across the Cherokee homeland, and knowledge of where to find them, when to harvest them, and how to prepare them was passed through generations. The Cherokee shared many of these remedies with European settlers, and several of the plants, particularly ginseng, goldenseal, and witch hazel, went on to become staples in American herbal medicine traditions that persist today.