Cherokees

First Americans

by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

A retelling of the Cherokee creation myth is accompanied by a history of the Cherokee nation and follows the series of broken treaties between the Cherokees and white settlers that eventually resulted in the loss of native land.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Native Americans

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve was born and raised on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. She was the daughter of an Episcopal priest and a Lakota Sioux mother. Sneve received her B.S. and M.Ed. in 1954 and 1969, respectively, from South Dakota State University. She has taught English in public school of South Dakota, and at the Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau. Her career also includes editor at the Brevet Press in Sioux Fall, S.D. Sneve is a member of the board of directors, Native American consortium, Corporation for Public Broadcasting ; member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe; member of board of directors of United Sioux Tribes Cultural Arts; and Historiographer of the Episcopal Church of South Dakota.

Reviews

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

People seem to know about the Trail of Tears, the tragic forced migration of the Cherokees from the east to Oklahoma. Who were the Cherokees?
This richly illustrated book tells of who this tribe was, where and how they lived, how they were force to move and who they are now.
The book is fast, easy reading, but filled with information. It is a good introduction to the Cherokee tribe.

[Bethany Sutherland]

The Cherokees is a book about the Cherokee Indians. It starts with how creation came to be. Then, the book talks about the homeland describing the roles of men, women, and children. Next, ceremonies and dances are described. There is a coming time of the white men section and the changes that brings. The Trail of Tears is described and the effect on eastern and western Cherokees. Lastly, it talks about them in today's lifetime.

I did not care for this book. It did not appeal to me.

I would put this book in my classroom library for a reference for a cultural project.