Creek and Cherokee: Native Georgians

Georgia’s First People

• The Creek and Cherokee were some of the first American Indian groups that lived long ago in what is now Georgia.

• Their stories are an important part of GA’s history.• History is everything people can know about the past.

Creek and Cherokee Lands

• The Creek Native Americans lived in Coastal Plain Region of Georgia.

• The Cherokee Native Americans lived in the valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia.

Time to think about the Creek and Cherokee Tribes

What were the two most important points so far?

Would you have rather have grown up as a Creek child or a Cherokee?

Compare and contrast the regions where the Creek and Cherokee lived.

Write a metaphor about the Creek or Cherokee to help you remember where they lived. The Creek are like ____________.The Cherokee are like ______________ .

Towns and Villages

• Creeks and Cherokees built towns and villages along rivers.• They lived in towns of 400-600 people.• Each group built their town around an open

space used for ceremonies, games, and meetings.

Homes

• The Cherokee and Creek built their homes from things found in nature such as mud, twigs, tree bark, grass, and branches.• The Cherokee had two homes: one for the cold winters

and one for hot summers.

Time to think about the Creek and Cherokee Towns & Homes

Test your memory. What can you remember about the Creek and Cherokee so far?

How would you feel if you were a child watching a wedding ceremony with your tribe? What do you think the plaza would look like?

Compare and contrast the homes where the Creek and Cherokee lived.

Design and draw a home for either a Creek or Cherokee village using only materials that were available.

Food • Both the Creek and Cherokee got food from the land and water

around them.• The women in both groups farmed crops such as corn, beans,

squash, pumpkins.

• Men hunted and fished.

Things From Nature

• The Creek and Cherokee used animals for clothing, shoes, and tools.• They used plants to make baskets and medicine.

Time to think about How the Creek and Cherokee Used Nature

What are some of the foods that both the Creek and Cherokee ate?

What foods would you have liked to eaten as a Creek/Cherokee? What would you have disliked?

The Creek and Cherokee used animals in many different ways: find information from your organizer to agree or disagree with this statement.

Design a symbol to represent either the Creek or Cherokee way of life.