I mentioned in my last blog that all tribes are different and have unique belief systems. I am a member of the Cherokee Nation and I wanted to dedicate this posting to sharing some of my culture’s principles.
One of the things I truly love about being Cherokee is the belief and practice that all things, from the plants to the animals, are sacred and should be respected at all times. I practice this in my daily life and it is something that most people do not completely understand.
In the Cherokee culture there is a search for order, along with maintaining balance. One way that order is sustained is by only using what one needs and finding a way to waste nothing. Taking care of the life around you besides your own is important, and a large part of what it means to be Cherokee.
Many people think that all Indians are like this… and there are many tribes practice the preservation of life; however not all do. The Apache Tribe, for example, was known to be more violent than others. So when outsiders group Native peoples into one belief category, they are getting it all wrong.