The most proper name for the Cherokee people would actually be Ani-Yunwiya, which means The Principle People in the Cherokee language. Another meaning is akin to People of God in English, but with a probably slightly different interpretation of God in the traditional sense.
The word Cherokee or Tsalagi is actually a Choctaw word for
cave-land-people. The Delawares called the tribe the same thing, but
their word is Tallageni, the root of Allegheny. Cherokee is the way the invaders chose to pronounce Tsalagi. The Cherokee language itself does not use the ch sound or the r sound as they appear in English.
I have been told that I have Tsa-La-Gi, aka Cherokee, ancestors. I am not sure of the accuracy of this, and honestly I am not too concerned about it. Rather, I know that even the possibility was intriguing to me.
For most of my life, I have enjoyed learning, the more the better. While reading about linguistics and cultural theories, I found the Cherokee language to be interesting, maybe more so due to the possible link, but then how to explain all the other things that interest me?
We are all related, despite our blood.
The aim of this site is to provide a resource for others who are interested in Cherokee language and/or culture. If you have questions about simple translations of words, check out my language pages, which include a lexicon of words and a few simple phrases. If you are looking for books or articles about the Cherokee, head towards my In Print page. For more Cherokee information online, including other language sites, take a peek at my Online page.
I hope you enjoy the information contained in my site. Much of it has come from varied sources (Thanx everyone!) and resources.