Heritage

Lesson 4: Cherokee Stomp Dance

There are more than 300,000 Cherokee mankind. After the sermon, stickball, an tribal citizens today. Although many choose ancient Cherokee game resembling present- to worship through other religious methods day La Crosse, is played. and denominations, including Indian The sermons continue as the sun begins Baptist and Methodist among others, many to set. The ceremonial pipe is passed to traditional continue to worship each clan member who takes seven puffs at stomp dances and are members of one from it before passing it on. The chief, of the several stomp dance grounds located medicine men and elders gather together within the . for a meeting, eventually calling for the The main part of the ceremony starts at first dance of the night. This dance is by dawn, when a fire keeper and his assistant invitation only and features the tribal elders, build a fire that is intended to last for the medicine men and heads of clans. A second duration of the stomp dance. Beginning with call for the dance is made and everyone is small slivers of wood from the innermost soon welcome around the fire. part of an oak tree, the fire keeper uses Dance participants include a leader, flint and rock to trigger a spark. This fire assistants and one or more “shell-shakers” is sacred to traditional Cherokees. It is who wear leg rattles, which are traditionally customarily built on a mound of ash a foot made out of turtle shells filled with pebbles. or two above ground level and is tended The ceremonial observance involves carefully, so it will burn throughout the prayers, taking medicine, going to water as stomp dance. directed by the ceremonial leaders for ritual As the sun rises, Cherokee men sit around cleansing and smoking of the ceremonial warming fires quietly discussing issues of pipe. local importance while the women prepare Participants visit, feast and dance far into a meal for the day, which usually consists the night. The stomp dance is considered to of both traditional and modern food. Later be a holy event for worshiping ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ in the afternoon, sermons are given in unehlanvhi (God, The Creator). the . These sermons admonish everyone to have love for all

Look for lesson 5 on Wednesday, December 7.

Newspapers for this educational program provided by: This lesson is part of the Newspapers in Education program Cherokee Heritage. Cherokee Nation Visit nie.newsok.com for more information or contact Jamie Jenkins at [email protected].