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Cherokee of Georgia - Georgia (U.S.)

Native American

image by Donald Healy, 1 February 2008

The band
The flag

See also:

The Band

map image by Peter Orenski based on input from Don Healy

The Cherokee of Georgia is a State recognized Indian Tribe but it is not federally recognized. It is located in St. George, Georgia about 25 miles west of Jacksonville, FL and has offices in Columbus, Georgia.

Like many of the Cherokee Tribes that do not have federal recognition, the Cherokee of Georgia are the descendants of those Cherokee that eluded the "round-up" and forced eviction of the Cherokee people known as the "Trail of Tears". This removal from all their lands east of the Mississippi was under the orders of President Andrew Jackson. Many of these individuals and families managed to survive in the east by integrating themselves into the new society and lifestyle forming around them.

It is this ability of their ancestors to survive in the changed world of the southeast that now denies them the recognition that, in recent decades, has finally seen the beginnings of a rebirth in many tribes across America. Like those without that recognition, the Cherokee of Georgia struggle to maintain and develop the many aspects of their heritage.

The Flag

One symbol employed by the Cherokee of Georgia to reassert itself is its tribal flag. That flag is white bearing the emblem of the Tribe in the center. The emblem is circular and divided into four equal quarters forming an X. The four segments, starting from the top and working clockwise are blue (sometimes shown as turquoise), red, white and finally black.

In the center is a smaller circle of yellow bearing a glyph is the script of the Cherokee language. Below the emblem, appears the Cherokee phrase "Ani Tsi qua" which may be a representation of the actual Cherokee name "Ani Yun Wiya" or "Real People". Arcing over the emblem and filling the full length of the flag is the Tribe's name in black, while below it appears "Tribal Council, Inc."

© Donald Healy 2008
information provided by Peter Orenski, 1 February 2008