Were Cherokee a waring tribe or a friendly tribe?

Answer 1

The question doesn't make much sense. Ask yourself the same question about a country. Is France a "warring" or "friendly" country? Well, whenever France went to war, it was a "warring" country to its enemies and a "friendly" country to its allies. The facts changed over time.

Old-fashioned histories of Indian tribes often classified them as "friendly" or "hostile," depending on whether they fought with or against white people. This is a crude distinction that implies that there was no historical change among Indians: If they ever fought against white people, they would alwaysfight against white people. Cherokee history offers several episodes that show how absurd this is.

Sometimes Cherokees fought against settlers encroaching on their land while maintaining friendly relations with white people outside their land. During the Seven Years War and the American Revolution they defended themselves against invasions by white settlers. Did that make them a "warring" tribe? After most of the tribe made peace with the Americans in 1777, a leader named Tsiyu Gansini ("Dragging Canoe") and his supporters left the Cherokee towns so they could keep fighting.

"Friendly" or "warring"? It's not that simple.

During the Creek War of 1813 some Cherokees fought with the U.S. against rebellious Creek Indians, playing a key role in the decisive Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Later, though, they made common cause with the Creeks in trying to peacefully prevent the U.S. government from forcing all the southern tribes off their lands.

After the forced removal of the Cherokees and other southern Indians, the Civil War divided the tribe as it divided the whole nation. Principal Chief John Ross was ousted by a pro-Confederate faction, and Cherokee general Stand Watie is often said to have been the last Confederate commander to surrender. Meanwhile Cherokee civilians fled to a Union fort for protection.

So which side could call the Cherokees "friendly"? The North or the South? Hmm....

I hope I've shown that calling the Cherokees (or any Indians) either a "friendly" or "hostile/warring" tribe just doesn't do justice to their history.