New Yesterdays by Jim L Wright - HTML preview

Chapter 27

In the Cherokee tribe, it is the mother's clan that determines family kinship. Each clan was run by a Council of Grandmothers whose decisions and rulings were unquestionable. Important decisions affecting the entire village are made by the Grandmothers of each clan making up the village. Any individual breaking the ancient laws of the Cherokee was brought before the Grandmothers for judgment. They were strict and showed no mercy to anyone who had committed serious crimes. All Cherokee are taught from infancy to respect their male elders, but the Grandmothers were to be shown extreme reverence and respect.

Tonight, Dustu's mother accompanied by Adahy would present Jim to the Council of Grandmothers to be admitted as a full citizen of the Cherokee tribe and a member of Hiawasee's family.

Historically, Cherokee society is matrilineal; meaning membership in a particular clan is passed through the mother. Cherokee women are the heads of the household. The home and the children belong to her should she become separated from her husband. It is forbidden to marry someone from your own clan as all members of the clan are considered to be brother and sister. When an outsider, such as Jim, was to be taken into the tribe, they had to be adopted by a clan mother. Hiawasee had eagerly agreed to adopt Jim as her son. She greatly approved of the relationship her son, Dustu enjoyed with Jim. They had become almost instant brothers and she saw that easy camaraderie as a sign from the spirits that Jim was destined to be a member of her family.

The ceremony itself was rather simple. Jim stood before the Grandmothers with Dustu, Adahy and Hiawasee on either side of him. Hiawasee told the Grandmothers:

"This boy came to us from the other side. He has lived in my house since the spring. It was he who brought information to us that led to the formation of our new Nation. With your blessing I will take him into my house and treat him as my son, as a brother for Dustu. We will be proud to have him as part of our family."

Jim looked at the face of each of the Grandmothers. All of them were ancient, to be sure. Their dark hair, parted at the middle was worn in braids. Their faces were deeply lined and creased and two of them hadn't any teeth. They stared back at him, their expressions giving no indication what their decision would be. Jim felt a sudden panic.

"What if they won't adopt me? Where will I go? I can't go back to the other side; the portal has closed and besides, I have no one there either!"

The Grandmother at the center of the Council began to speak. Her thin, reedy voice had a sing-song quality that was very pleasant to listen to.

"We know of this boy. We have watched him since he came to us because we knew that he would bring a special gift to our people. He has quickly become a part of this village and your family, Hiawasee. From this day he is a member of the Cherokee tribe and we give him the name Degotoga, meaning standing together. He receives this name because he stood with us against his own people and proved his heart is Cherokee."

With that, the ancient women stood and walked slowly away from the Council Fire. Dustu embraced Jim so tightly he thought he would lose his breath altogether. Hiawasee's beautiful face shone with pride as she tousled his head of thick red curls.

"You are my son, now Degotoga and more importantly, you are a full member of the Cherokee tribe. Welcome, my son!"

Adahy offered his hand and welcomed him.

"Degotoga, your service to our tribe will never be forgotten. Tales about you will be told around the fires for many years to come. I am proud to know you. I am proud to call you Son."

Try as he might, the new Cherokee boy couldn't wipe the huge grin off his face. He had never been so proud of anything in his life. Dustu wrapped his arm around Degotoga's shoulder and said

"Let's go home, Brother!”

The End

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Map Showing New Boundaries

The new nations of Unalii and Chuluata were carved out of the territories known as Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.