Requirements:

Juniors must complete six requirements, including the two starred.

1. *Find out about the Cherokee people in the state or area today. Ask for permission to visit a tribal gathering, powwow, a reservation, or ask if you may interview a Cherokee Indian. What question could you ask? Find out as much as you can about the culture before you plan your visit. Base your questions on this information. What are the ways the culture is celebrated, preserved, and passed down to the next generation? * or Find out about the American Indian Scouting Association and the American Indian Girl Scouting/Boy Scouting seminar held annually. Try to interview a past participant from your area.

2. *Find out something about the Cherokee people who lived in our state or area before the 1800s. Visit a museum, cultural center, library, talk with a local historian or an elder in your community. Find out how they lived, what kinds of homes they had, how they governed themselves, and what some of their beliefs were.

3. Choose a traditional craft from a particular clan or group of the Cherokee. Learn as much as you can about this craft through books, museum visits, or visit elders and make an object or decoration with traditional designs using this craft. Collect pictures of this art form, or visit a person who created traditional crafts.

4. Learn a traditional dance and share it with your group. Learn what the purpose of the dance is, who traditionally performs it, and when it is likely to be performed.

5. Find a Cherokee legend that explains a natural phenomenon, such as seasonal change, a constellation, or a geographical feature. Learn about this legend and share it with your group. Discuss how the legend teaches about relationships between people and the environment or how it suggests proper behavior toward the environment.

6. There are many women with Cherokee ancestry who are known for their contribution to the American culture. Who are they?

7. Learn about the role women play or have played in their Cherokee culture, such as becoming a tribal leader of the Cherokee Nation.

8. Games and "toys" made by Cherokee people were traditionally used to develop, skills, to pass on beliefs, or to be part of a celebration. Learn a game from a particular clan or group and share it with a younger group.