I have always identified as African American, but my ancestry is Cherokee and Choctaw Indian. My paternal grandfather was Cherokee, and my maternal grandfather was Choctaw. I traced my genealogy and found my great-grandfather's name and number on the Dawes Roll of the Cherokee Nation, as well as my grandfather's Indian Roll number. The Dawes Roll was used to give Indian tribal lands to individuals who could prove their ancestry in any of the five Indian tribes. The land from my great-grandfather's Cherokee tribe remains in my family today.
While I appreciate the gift of Cherokee land, I want to learn more about the traditions that continue to help them live in harmony with themselves, their environment, and the natural world. Like many other cultures, the Cherokee have a deep respect and reverence for the natural world. Their traditions are an example of this love and reverence. As Americans, we can learn a lot from the Cherokees, and we can have a more fulfilling life as a result.
Offering Prayers and Thanks
The Cherokee tradition of offering prayers and thanks to the natural world, including the sun, moon, stars, and water, is based on the belief that everything in nature has a spirit. Offering gratitude is a way to maintain harmony with these spirits. They offer tobacco as a sacred gift for all they receive from the natural world. They sprinkle a small amount of tobacco on the ground or river. When sprinkled on a sacred fire, the tobacco carries the prayer into the spirit world. When scattered in the river, it is to honor the spirits of the rivers, streams, and oceans and their gratitude for the water that sustains life.
The Cherokee ceremonial dance is a way of honoring the different seasons and giving thanks to the natural world. Blessing the food before eating shows gratitude by acknowledging the spirits of the plants and animals that provided the food. The medicine wheel is used to connect with the spirits of the four directions (north, south, east, west) and is used for prayer, healing, and meditation.
Using the Natural World to Heal
The Cherokee people use medicine people or shamans to heal physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. These healers are revered just as much as Western doctors today. Cherokee healers utilize various tools from the natural world and see it as a powerful source of healing by connecting with nature. They see medicine as more for healing the person instead of a specific disease. Here are just a few of their practices.
Plants – Using wild-cut ginger for stomach issues, echinacea for improving the immune system, and black cohosh for women's health. They deeply understand the properties of plants and use them in teas, poultices, tinctures, and other methods.
Traditional sweat lodge – this healing practice is used to help cleanse the body, purify the spirit, and promote physical and emotional healing. Participants sit in an enclosed teepee and pour water over hot rocks to create steam. A sick person may be given an herbal remedy of sacred plants to remove negative spirits and receive the healing energies of others.
Crystal therapy – Healers use various crystals, such as quartz or amethyst, to balance energy, promote healing, release negative energy, and restore balance.
Animal spirits – Animals have a unique spiritual significance and provide guidance and healing. The spirit of particular animals is called upon to help heal a specific ailment.
Honoring The Seasons
The Cherokee Indians respect the changing of the seasons. Their traditions honor the seasons throughout the year. In the Spring, they celebrate its arrival with a Green Corn Ceremony that lasts four days. It is a time of renewal and purification. They dance, feast, and give thanks for the new growth. Summer is The Festival of the New Green Corn. It is a time of gratitude to the natural world for the abundant harvest. Fall is the Cherokee Harvest Festival, where they give thanks for the Fall bounty. It is more feasting, dancing, and giving thanks to the spirits of the plants and animals that made the food possible to feed the tribe. Winter is the Cherokee New Year. This time of reflection and renewal involves fasting, purifying, and giving thanks for all the blessings they received last year. In addition to the four seasons, they honor the equinoxes with ceremonies and rituals. At each equinox, they give thanks to the spirits of the natural world and ask for guidance and protection.
Living in Harmony with Nature
The Cherokee Indians' respect for the natural world is evidenced by the traditions they use to maintain harmony with it. Here are just a few practices.
1. Knowledge of medicinal plants. They have a deep understanding of plants that goes beyond whether they are food, medicine, or poison. They use the plants sustainably for food and medicine. They ask permission from the plant before harvesting, only harvest what they need, and leave enough for the plants to not only survive but thrive.
2. Naturally organic farming. The Cherokee practiced organic farming long before organic was a thing. They use natural methods to control pests and fertilize crops. They rotate crops to maintain soil fertility and plant and harvest according to the moon phases. I learned organic gardening using the moon cycles from my father many years ago, and my garden is always abundant.
3. Sustainable crafts and survival tools. The Cherokee tribe continues to practice traditional crafts using natural materials, like basket weaving, pottery, beadwork, clothing, and jewelry. They use natural materials to make tools, traps, containers, musical instruments, and everything to sustain the tribe throughout the year.
4. Conservation. The Cherokee Indians continue to practice conservation to protect natural resources. They protect the land, water, and air and have established environmental programs like the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.
This is just a small number of Cherokee traditions and practices, all of which are still used in some form today. Which of these practices will you implement to enhance your own life?
LaVera J. Forbes, PhD, MS, CHN, is the founder of Dr. LaVera’s Healthy Aging, LLC. Find free healthy aging resources at drlavera.com.
© 2026 Dr. LaVera’s Healthy Aging, LLC. All rights reserved.