184 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 198 



They were always on friendly terms with the Delawares, by whom 

 they were called Ke-too-whah-kee. So highly were they esteemed 

 that, at one time, a Ketoo-wha was chosen and served as Chief of 

 the Delaware Tribe. ["] 



The Whites first met with these Indians in one of their towns, 

 on the bank of a small stream, which they named Cherry Creek, from 

 the number of Cherry trees which grew there; the people they called, 

 the "Cherry Creek Indians." This name, by gradual variations, 

 came to be Cherok, then, Cherokee, as it now is. The Tribe, be- 

 coming familiar with their White Brothers, finally renounced their 

 original name, Ke-too-wha, and adopted that of "Cherokee," by 

 themselves pronounced "Dtsah-lah-gee." H 



There were several different Dialects used in the Language of the 

 Cherokees. [^] 



In explaining the cause of this, we have recourse only to Tradition : 



This tells us that in the "long time ago" there were several Tribes 

 conquered and adopted or "naturalized" by the Ke-too-wha, they 

 retained their own Idiom of Speech, or, used a brogue in trying to 

 learn the Language of their Conquerers.[®] This Story is the gen- 

 erally approved explanation of the difference in the Language of 

 the Cherokees. One dialect is the "Pipes tem," another the "Over- 

 hill," in this the most noticable peculiarity is the prominent sound 

 of R instead of "L," there being no "E," in the pure Cherokee. The 

 Cherokee Tribe was divided into seven Clans, or, Families. There 

 are some interesting facts in regard to the operation and influence of 

 Clanship. 



If any one was killed, either by accident, or with malicious inten- 

 tion, his death must be revenged by members of his own Clan. 



When the murderer could not be found, a Substitute might be 

 taken from his Clan. The Chief Town of the Nation was the only 

 place of safty for the Slayer, should he succeed in reaching this 

 Refuge, he must remain in it until after the Annual Green Corn 

 Dance. [10] 



He was then at liberty to leave, his hfe being no longer in danger. 



8 Documentation exists lor proving that the Cherokee and Delaware came Into conflict within the historic 

 period; we have not discovered documentation for Wahnenauhi's statement to the ellect that a Cherokee 

 served as a Delaware chief. 



' Folk etymologies such as this and the hypotheses of Mooney (1900, pp. 16-16) and Swanton (1946, p. 217) 

 are equally unacceptable to conservative Cherokees. I (Kllpatrick, 1962, p. 39), strongly supported by 

 fullblood friends and relatives, suggest the possibility that the tribal name may be derived from the word 

 tsa: dlegi ('he-[or she-] who-just-turned-aside'). 



8 Even at this late date the Cherokee dialects have been Incompletely Identified. Cherokee speakers 

 In Oklahoma employ such terms as Qi:dhahyo:h(i), Jtsodiiyi, Atsi:sBvhnagesd6:yi, and I)la:y{i)go:h{i) for 

 modes of speech which they consider to be distinct dialects. 



« Cherokees themselves are quite aware that certain words, especially specific proper names, in common 

 usage are of foreign origin. A study of "similar terms [in Cherokee and Creek] for certain plants, animals, 

 and other things," observed by Haas (1961, p. 22) would be especially profitable. 



w Cf. Gilbert (1943, pp. 324-325, 366-367). 



