The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1905-09-14
INTERESTING
CHEROKEE HISTORY


hangs tie Cherokee people has a ten
dency 10 Invest the story 81 their past
existence with something uf All Unusual
interest on the fourth day of next
March ll90el il is dccresd that ths
tribe shall cease to constitute dis
tinctiye branch Of the human family.
No more an obstruction IN the way Of
The white mans ambition, the world
can now well afford 10 forgive al their
shortcomings. while the historian en-
teftains the Anglo. saxon iireslde with
the details Of their eyeutlul career
The earliest mention of the Chero-
KEGS that wa meet with Ia written
history appears under date 0f A. n.
i540, just forIy-eight years after the
Western hemisphere was sighted by
Columbus. A narrative OF DE soto's
famous expedition was published IN
lsa7 In the Portuguese language, and
vas translated into English IN ifsn by
one lIakluyt, Of London Ia this an
cient Journal il Is stated as a fact that
the intrepid Spanlard met with a
powerful triue of Indians upon the
ground which il now embraced in the
states 0f the two Carolluas, aud that
they gave their own tribal title as
AChalaque That these people we're
the ancestors Of the modern Chero-
KEGS there is no room for a possible
question. lt requires only a slight
change ia the form. lnot IN the sound }
Of the. orthogfaphy Of this ancient
name 70 make it identical with the
correct title Of The present Cherokee
people
The word Cherokee is only i cor.
ruption Ia which tie English tongue.
according TO rs well known habit m
dealing with foreign yocahularies.
strives 10 dlstort the correct tern into
shape 90 suit rs own convenience
The tribe Of Indians known az the
present day amsng Engiish-speaklng
people as 'Chefekees call themselves
sChalake," "a As in father
Il may be remarked, however. ln
passing Thar the form Cherokee IA
papulariaed upon the English tongue
may be piaasihlY accounted for ia this
way the Cherokee. as an other lam
guages are apt % BE- was anclently
more or less troubled with cofFupting
dialects Among the most pretentlous
Of these dialects there vas one. nov
wholly extinct : called the over HHl,
shich hablluallF substituted the soand
Of ''rn for thai Of Is Ia this dialect
tie name Of the tribe was HChamke
form of articulation decidedly more
congenial % the English organs Of
speech than the original .'Chalake
From this 0xefhililsm 10 tie real
English Cherokee the step s exceed.
lngly easy, obvious and very probable.
Tie white man. 10 his ignorance oil
Cherokee classics, mas have allowed
himself % adopt the use OF 81 unooalh
prosincialism instead OF the more AZ.
proved gatflal.
Huta more conclusive proof tHat the
ancient "Chalaquen Or the Portuguese
journalist Is identical with the mod
eFn Cherokee IS found 10 tie fact
that a hundred gears after The tran.
slent visit Of pe soto when The Eng
lish began 20 people the Atlantic coast
with c0lonists they met with the
present tribe kno9n a. the CHeFokees
then and there occupying tie same
ground upon which the Spanish ex
plofef smoked the pipe Of peace eith |
the "Chalaque Ii i5i0
Tie history af tie Cherokees prior
% 1910 who they were originally I
where they arose. when aud ahencc
they came into lie garden Of the CARO- |
linas -all, al IS wrapped In ~ lmpen.
etfable mystery The lahorlaus re-
searches % the ethuologist faI 70 east
any satisfactory light upon tie sab
ieet The numerous so.called tfaal.
tlons n reference q thu matter are,
as usual III such caSes, altogether
fanelful and ualnssruetiye
The century intervening between
tie visit of De Soto aud the esettIement |
Of the Carollnas b the white men Is
also period n the history q this
people which IS anrelieved bg 3 single |
fag Of historic light how theY uarred |
and held their own against TIE power
fnl bands Of Poehattan. Of Virginia,
the six Nations and shawnees Of the
north AMI northwest, and tire Musko.
gees and Choctaws On the south. with
: hnst cf minor tribes that kept np a
continual struggle for "a enlargement
q their borders along the sea coast
this has Al been buried IL oblivion
without a single syllable Of cummamo-
ration. Il vas not until tfef came
inIecontact will the English calonisls
that their history began 10 assume an
authentic form
Although The words of our p0Ftu.