Traditional Cherokee Foodways, Gender, and Cultural Identity

The Cherokee Nation of northeastern Oklahoma is the largest Native American tribe in the United States, with over 300,000 members.  Although not all Cherokees live within the Nation's political boundaries, they share a cultural domain of traditional foods that may connect them with thier culture.  This domain ranges from locally-available wild plants to highly processed commercial foods.  Here, free-listing and consensus analysis are used to determine the salience of traditional Cherokee foods. Surveys will reveal how knowledge of traditional Cherokee foods varies according to gender.  The Cherokees are matrilineal with a historic sexual division of labor, therefore a great deal of intracultural variation is expected.  Additionally, specific components of traditional food knowledge with direct ties to cultural identity are discussed.