Cherokee U-we-tsi

Cherokee Daughter

I am a Cherokee U-we-tsi 

      I come from the a-ni-gi-lo-gi

As Daughters follow their Mothers

      My Father is of the a-ni-wa-ya

As my Brothers will follow him

I am not full blooded tsi-tsa-la-gi

            I used to cry when I was younger

With my golden curls and pale skin

Who would believe I was Indian?

Both my parents had dark long hair

           both darker toned than I

My E-do-da quickly fixed my tears

and explained away my fears

He said that there were girls with

         red hair and green eyes on the Res

I was born with the blood of Cherokee

Let nobody tell me differently

"Look at your eyes my U-we-tsi

         Why your eyes are darker than mine!

Look at your facial structure

You're a daughter of Indian culture"

I was much happier after that

           Especially when visiting family friends

No more did I feel so out of place

When comparing theirs and my face

I was gifted the name of Yo-na-Us-di

           Often called Chief of the Us-dis

As I always took care of the little ones

Playing with me they said was fun

I was taught many different things

           From the Kituwah to our culture

I was taught how to use a bow

and let an Elder first say See-yoh

I still have many things to learn

           Though there are many things I know

I follow many of our traditional ways

And will never leave sha-kon-o-hey

To others they might seem silly

          But they are the ways I was taught

I don't cook on my moon

And with nature I am attune

I Am A Cherokee U-we-tsi

Author's Note

U-we-tsi ~ Daughter
a-ni-gi-lo-gi ~ Panther Clan
a-ni-wa-ya ~ Wolf Clan
tsi-tsa-la-gi ~ Cherokee
E-do-da ~ Father
Yo-na-Us-di ~ Little Bear
Chief of The Us-dis ~ Chief of The Little People
Kituwah ~ One of the three major forms of Cherokee Language.
See-yoh ~ Hello
Sha-kon-o-hey ~ Land of Blue Smoke also known as The Great Smokey Mountains

Reviews

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I love this poem. You may not be able to send read requests out...but its all good. I love how fun this poem is when you read it. It plays with your lips while you read it. I also admire the rich culture you are exposing your audience to. Great work, Emily :)

[Serenity Faith]

Thank you so much ^_^ I'm very glad you took the time to get a taste of Cherokee culture. It's greatly appreciated.

[Levi Levin]

Nice poetry. I think my moms family is of the Cherokee line also.

[ewest1220]

Very well done, my great grandmother was Cherokee and I've never gotten the opportunity to explore my heritage. This was an excellent window into such a world. Thank you!

[Rikkevi Rue]

wonderful. very real for me having grown up similarly, but my eyes are green and my hair is blond! My aunt is on the tribal council and my grandmother was very proud of her grandmother walking the Trail of Tears. My Mother registered us as "Native Americans" when we were very young so we could get college grants when we grew up. I started to learn that we were "different" when i went to public schools...but the Fox is more wily than most creatures so I never had any troubles! ;-)

Your write is wonderful. Best of all to me is that it stays true to your roots in composition and doesn't try to be "white." Admirable my little Cherokee sister! rr

[Serenity Faith]

Wado udani dutlunutsi~Thank you Elder Brother ^_^ My mother did the same for us. My Daddy taught me many things about the Trail of Tears and how many in our family walked it. It always makes me cry. I doubt many people know the true story about how our race had suffered. Our history books sugar coat a lot...Thank you for such a wonderful review, it is always appreciated!

[Adam Faison]

Great poem, love the feel of the Cherokee culture!

[Brandon Mathis]

wow such a great poem how did you learn the language?

[Nath]

This is wonderful! The Cherokee words make this poem such a wonderful ode to this people's tradition. Without being too conservative, everybody should honor their heritage, because otherwise, languages, traditions and cultures would just die out, and that would be sad. It's always good to have a multicultural background and have the possibility to get to know different lifestyles from a young age on. It's something you can be proud of and let it show, so thank you for sharing this great write!

[afra]

wow i loved this poem ...well done

[Layla J Omorose]

Good thing you put the translation in the author's note. The poem makes much more sense now because I was like what does this mean. Then I read the authors note and everything made sense. With that being said this was another well done poem. Seem to have a knack for this. Good job

[Willowtree]

I enjoyed reading this poem out loud:) I love the old Native American language and history. It was fun to read and very cute:)

[Cherrie Palmer]

See-yoh, Like all good citizens of Oklahoma I too am a splash of Cherokee a lovely people full of artistry just like your poem