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

[.]

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.

[Call_Me_Miss_Imperfect]

I think this is quite interesting and I loved reading it! It's cool because I'm half Cherokee Indian! I go to a festival also known as a pow-wow every year, I'm not sure if you've heard of it before. Haha. Again, it's great to read others writing about my culture. Amazing job! :)


Ashley Rivers-- your friend ;)

[Androglossia]

BTW, here's the link to the story, enjoy:

http://geibtechforlearning.org/lvu/resources/WindwolfPlea.pdf

[Serenity Faith]

Oh my goodness Marryanne! Thank you for sharing this story with me. It did indeed make me cry. It reminded me of my little brother so much so. He came home from school crying when he was younger because of his long hair too. He said the other boys in his class would make fun of him calling him a girl. It broke my heart as I'm closer to my youngest brother than any of my other siblings. I knew I couldn't tell off any of the kids either, because then he'd just be made fun of for having his sister stand up for him. He had problems with the teachers too then, mostly with history, because we were taught a different view of it. He didn't know at the time, that what we were taught didn't follow any of our textbooks. I truly appreciate your sharing of this. I am very proud of the father who sent that letter. He was proud and intelligent in his write, without cursing or letting anger overwhelm him. I hope many people will read it.

[Androglossia]

You're very welcome:)

[Androglossia]

Good Lord, I was reading a very touching story a minute ago before I saw your RR. It was about an Indian father sending a letter to his son's white teacher. The story brought me into tears. I must give you the link so you can read it:)

I felt remarkable pride while reading your poem. Believe it or not, I have this affinity with American Indians since Tha Last of the Mohicans. That was my all time favorite next to Apache and The Fast Runner. I just found your culture interesting. Or maybe because I stemmed from a long line of aboriginal tribe in the Philippines:)

I'm proud of you as I am proud of my lineage.

[Serenity Faith]

Thank you very much Maryanne! I did not know that of you. I would recommend watching The Education of Little Tree. It is one of my favorites and was actually filmed here in Tennessee. Thank you again for such kind words ^_^

[Androglossia]

Will definitely check it out:) and you're welcome!

[SoulCrusader (Yas)]

I so love people who are proud of their background, it always has so much to offer,
I love how you portray this in the poem, your passion oozes through, terrific :D

[Myra]

I love the authenticity of this poem and how you use words from the Cherokee language!

[icaros13]

Osiyo Yonv usdi! Digoliyesgi dagwadoa tsalagi gvti. Aya tsitsalagisgwu ale Anigaduwagi. I am Anisahoni. My daughter doesn't cook on her moon either...or dance. I follow the traditional ways as well.

[Serenity Faith]

osiyo Dagwadoa! tla tsalagi yitsiwoni kah :( I am still learning of course. Whenever my father and I get together, he'll teach me something else. I plan to teach my daughter as I was taught as well. Unvtsi osda danadlosga nee he!

[icaros13]

I'm learning too... I'm very fortunate to have many friends that speak. Digoliyesgi in my name... it means "Reader" dagwadoa=my name is. It is good to know there are others that follow the White Path.

[Serenity Faith]

I understand now. The people I grew up around speaking it fluently all live on the Reservation or on the other side of the mountain. So I don't hear it as much, though My little brother "Kalona", who is around our Dad more than I, will practice with me when I visit.

[Yheela]

A wonderful piece, using native language gives it an edge, and I just love to sit here and pretend I know how to pronounce them. ^_^

[Serenity Faith]

Your review made me giggle ^_^ Thank you!

[Yheela]

Well, I'm cracking myself up ... XD
I think I need to find some audio of these words, otherwise I'll forever wonder how they're supposed to sound.

[Serenity Faith]

lol when I was learning them, my Daddy would get so frustrated with me at times. Because of my slight southern accent, some of them were really hard to pronounce properly, so I completely understand xD

[Shimmerbliss/CAF]

This is wonderful! Your love of your heritage comes through not only with the words you have chosen, but in the totality of the poem. It touched my heart and makes me happy for you. Discovering who we are is a beautiful journey.

[Serenity Faith]

Thank you ^_^ And I must agree. The first time I ever questioned my heritage was once in middle school. We had to do a report on different parts of our heritage. My teacher at the time hated me, because she didn't like my two older sisters before me. She said there was no possible way I had as much Cherokee blood in me as I'd said from my report because I didn't look it all. I came home crying that day, and my Daddy told me that there were girls with paler skin than myself, covered in freckles, with red hair, and bright green eyes on the Reservation that probably had more Indian blood than me. He then went into an explanation of my features that did hold true to their Indian nation. And I've never doubted myself since, and am quite proud of it.

[Shimmerbliss/CAF]

Sometimes teachers can do a lot of damage unnecessarily. I am glad you did not "buy in" on that and went to the ones who know. We all say things at one time or another that we never dream have such impact. God help us all.

[Serenity Faith]

Too true.

[Lost in Wonderland]

I liked the use of native language:) you seem to have a lot of pride for your Cherokee roots! Lovely

[Serenity Faith]

Thank you Mickey ^_^ and yes I most definitely do.

[Lost in Wonderland]

No problem:)

[Earthy Mumma Soul]

See-yoh :)

That was awesome poem, so interesting and different , lucky you , to be part of that old time culture :)

[Serenity Faith]

See-yoh Gi-ne-li! ~ Hello Friend!

Thank you for the review ^_^ I'm thankful for being taught.

[Earthy Mumma Soul]

awwwww xxxxxx

[Earthy Mumma Soul]

I think your great :)

[Earthy Mumma Soul]

peace Sister xx