Teacher Resources

Children’s Resources in the Trunk

Bruchac, Joseph. On This Long Journey: The Journal of Jesse, A Cherokee, The Trail of Tears, 1838. 2013.

Fictional novel about a sixteen-year-old Cherokee boy named Jesse Smoke. The Historical Note in the back of the book (pages 171-190) will be helpful for building a wider context.

Bushyhead, Robert H., Kay T. Bannon, and Kristina Rodanas. Yonder Mountain: A Cherokee Legend. 2002.

An easy-to-read Cherokee legend as told by Robert Bushyhead (EBCI), a good book to read aloud to the class.

Chiltoskey, Mary Ulmer, and Samuel E. Beck. Cherokee Cooklore: Preparing Cherokee Foods. Cherokee, 1951.

The first part of this book follows Aggie Lossiah, the great-granddaughter of Chief John Ross, as she prepares bean bread. Pages 2-41 show the traditional process in pictures, as well as capturing some of her words. The second part of the book is a collection of recipes along with the Cherokee translated food names where possible, and an account of the 1949 Cherokee Indian Feast sponsored by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

DeAngelis, Therese. The Cherokee: Native Basket Weavers. 2003. 

This book is a good overview of the importance of baskets to Cherokee culture. It also gives information on the Cherokee myth of the creation of the Milky Way, Cherokee after the Trail of Tears, Cherokee today, and also gives instructions for weaving a craft out of paper, a recipe for cornmeal cookies, and instructions for a game of Disk and Pole.

Hill, Luzene. The Cranky Old Woman (in Cherokee). 2007.

Written in Cherokee, this book tells the tale of an old, cranky woman and how she turned into a woodpecker.

Pennington, Daniel. ITSE SELU: Cherokee Harvest Festival. 1994.

This is the story of Little Wolf’s adventures waiting on ITSE SELU, the Green Corn Festival. The book features a key word pertinent to the story at the bottom of each page to learn in Cherokee.

Waxman, Laura Hamilton. Sequoyah. 2004.

An easy-to-read biography will introduce young readers to the life and work of Sequoyah. There is a useful timeline of Sequoyah’s life, along with a section with for further reading and helpful websites.

Teacher Resources in the Trunk

Duncan, Barbara R., and Davey Arch. Living Stories of the Cherokee. 1998.

Introduction is a good source for teachers. Some popular stories are:

• “The Origin of Legends” (p. 32)- talks about the importance of legends to       Cherokee society and how the legends came to be.
• “Getting Fire” (p. 53)- The story of how fire was brought to our side of the world.
• “The Cherokee Little People” (p. 69)- A story of the Little People and Forever Boy and a reminder to keep young in our hearts.

Fariello, M. Anna. Cherokee Basketry: From the Hands of Our Elders. 2009.

This book is an excellent resource for photographs of baskets. Color close-ups of baskets and pattern names appear in the middle of the book (no page numbers, but between pages 96 and 97). This book includes history of Cherokee basketry, and of the people who keep the tradition alive.

Fariello, M. Anna. Cherokee Pottery: From the Hands of Our Elders. 2011.

This book is an excellent resource for photographs of pottery. Color photos are on pages 65-72. This book includes history of Cherokee pottery, and of the people who keep the tradition alive.

Perdue, Theda. Native Carolinians: The Indians of North Carolina. 1985.

This books is an excellent resource for teachers. The book gives a good overview of the history, lifestyle, and culture of the native people of North Carolina pre and post contact. Focus is on the Cherokee and Lumbee Indians. Useful pictures are throughout along with a timeline of major events in the appendix.

Purdue, Theda, and Frank W. Porter. The Cherokee. 1989.

This book could also be used for an advanced reader. The book is broken up into short chapters on pre and post contact, removal, and devotes separate chapters to the Cherokee of the 20^th century. There is a useful photo essay of Cherokee crafts on pages 65-72.

Shumate, Jane. Sequoyah: Inventor of the Cherokee Alphabet. 1994.

This is a good book for a more advanced reader, or for a teacher resource.

Ward, H. Trawick, and R. P. Stephen Davis. Time Before History: The Archaeology of North Carolina. 1999.

This is a very in depth look at North Carolina archaeology. For this region, see chapter 5, “The Woodland and Mississippian Periods in the Appalachian Summit Region: The Search for Cherokee Roots” (p. 138).

Web Resources

Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual Inc. The premier craft cooperative store in Cherokee. Check out the Gallery page and the Artist pages for images and information about Cherokee Crafts.

Cherokee Traditions: From the Hands of Our Elders is a database of Cherokee art forms, historic photographs, and native language recordings.

Craft Revival: Shaping Western North Carolina Past Present and Future. The 20^th Century Craft Revival is well documented on this website. It features many Cherokee artists along with people and sites from across this region.

The Cherokee Phoenix was the national newspaper of the Cherokee Nation. The transcriptions on this website were originally published between 1828 and 1834.

LearnNC needs no explanation. Here is the section on the Cherokee with collected resources and lesson plans.

Intrigue of the Past: North Carolina’s First Peoples is a teacher activity guide for fourth through eight grades.

Journal of Jesse Smoke

Discussion Guide

Thinking About the Book

1. What surprised you most as you read Jesse’s journal and learned about his experiences on “The Trail of Tears?”
2. Why do Jesse’s friends call him “Mission Boy?” What does that mean to them? What does the mission education mean to Jesse?
3. What role do women play in the Cherokee culture? Find examples in Jesse’s journal that support his observation that, “In our Cherokee way, it is the women who are the real heads of our households.”
4. Who is the Feeler? In what ways is he important to Jesse?
5. What does Jesse mean in the following statement? “The land must be cleansed of us like soil washed from a pale hand.”
6. What is the most memorable scene in The Journal of Jesse Smoke? Explain your answer.
7. Identify each of the following and explain their importance in Jesse’s journal.

• Treaty of New Echota
• Chief John Ross
• Sequoyah
• Rev. Jesse Bushyhead
• Tahlequah

8. If you could choose only one word to describe Jesse Smoke, what would that word be? Why?
9. Jesse tries to explain to White Will why there was a division among the Cherokee people over the signing of the Treaty of New Echota. Jesse writes, “I then explained to him that by signing away our lands, their lives were forfeit. They knew that when they signed they might also be signing their own death warrants.” What happened to the men who signed that treaty?

Journal of Jesse Smoke

Student Activities

1. Look at the Cherokee Museum’s map of the Trail of Tears.

• According to Jesse’s journal, which route did they follow?
• Which seems the longest?
• Which might have the most dangers?
• Why do you think so?

2. In the old west people branded their livestock to show ownership. Each owner’s brand was different from any other. The Cherokee were to brand their animals with CN (for Cherokee Nation). Look up brands and see some of the many designs that have been used. Create and draw your own brand using your initials or other distinguishing mark.
3. Imagine that you were with Chief John Ross as he tried to persuade the officials in our nation’s capital to halt or postpone the Removal. Write a speech that could convince the President to stop this forced migration.
4. Find out more about the author, Joseph Bruchac.