The historical geography of cattle herding among the Cherokee Indians, 1761-1861

Maintaining their cultural and political autonomy, the Cherokees selectively accepted many European practices, one of which was cattle herding. The activity diffused from several sources and was transmitted through different vectors. Keeping cattle was an important innovation for the Cherokees culturally and economically and was adopted for different purposes. The acceptance of two regional herding complexes for different purposes resulted in a spatial distribution that reflected differential acculturation.

Various historical and ethnohistorical data are utilized to determine the spatial, cultural and ecological orientation of Cherokee cattle herding. Cultural traits are compared with those of previously documented complexes to evaluate regional variations. During the various migrations and removals, two differing complexes were transferred from the southern Appalachians to Indian Territory. Ecological adaptation in the East impeded expansion onto the prairies of Indian Territory, a fact that illustrates the importance of environmental perception among culture groups. The Cherokee cattle industry declined after 1861, due to the depredations of the Civil War and the expansion of the Texas herding complex.