Tsalagi

Rojito

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Hey all. I'm not sure if there are any other people of American Indian descent browsing the forums. Hopefully there are!
For those of you that don't know what Tsalagi ( Jah - Lah - Gee [like in geese] ), its the native language of the Cherokee peoples. I know one word: "Agageyu(?)" - it means "I love you". I don't know how to write Tsalagi, unfortunately. =\
Anyone else of this particular heritage, or familiar with it, on this forum?
 

backslashbaby

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Hello! My grandmother was Cherokee/Scotch-Irish and considered an Indian :D Unfortunately for our Cherokee heritage, she married a Creek and so that's the only 'Indian' we know, except for a few recipes.

Those parents wouldn't allow my mother and her siblings to acknowledge their heritage, so she knows none of the languages. However, my grandfather still taught her a ton about herbs, and they still ate their favorite foods. A few random things got through.

My brother studies the Muscogee language, and he has adopted the religion. He has so many Lakota friends, he studies that language and religion as well.

Thank you for the phrase in my great-grandmom's language! We still have a thriving Cherokee community here in NC that is wonderful to visit :) And a ton of pow-wows.

Nice to meet you!
 

Rojito

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Hey there! Nice to meet you as well.
My great-grandfather was of Cherokee, Navajo, African and Irish heritage. The navajo part is a family rumor and, honestly, could be any tribe. But my cousins told me that another relative of mine said it was true. It's really confusing. The Irish part could also be false. I, personally, think that he was Scottish. It's either or. His sister in Illinois has beautiful, red hair as a result.
My great-grandfather used to wear his hair long; he kept it in a pony tail that was waist length. He also used to attend the pow-wows in upstate New York.
Have you attempted to obtain tribal certification?
 

backslashbaby

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I think my brother looked into certification but it was all western-based. The Muscogee mostly live out west now. We've been registered since birth, but that's a different system.

My grandfather was a redhead! His features were very Muscogee. It looked awesome with that prematurely-silver hair that redheads often get. I remember him as silver my whole life.

I've known a lot of folks who were redhead from close NA ancestry. Mixed-blood, but still it's interesting how often the mix results in red hair, I think. Redheads who can tan... if only we could bottle that!
 

Rojito

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My aunt can tan! She has a naturally dark skin tone though. That entire generation is from NC, and my grandfather lived with the Cherokee peoples during his childhood. No one in my family has looked into certification. I've been trying for a while, but haven't been able to do much lately.
Right now, I currently have a family in Philly trying to find a spot for me, and my maternal family, in their giant family tree. An aunt of mine told me that the family claimed to have a lot of information on my family name (Craighead). I hope it pans out well.