Cherokee Life:

The Cherokee who lived in towns built log houses.  Others built houses of grass and mud.  Wild grasses were used for the roof.  Each house had a fireplace for warmth in winter.  Although  much of the cooking was done outdoors, the women could also cook indoors.

The work in a Cherokee town was often shared.  There were town farms as well as family farms.  The men prepared the fields for planting.  Then the women planted the seeds and harvested the crops.  The land was rich.  So the Cherokee had good crops of corn (maize), beans, and squash.

The women taught the girls how to plant and hoe and reap.  The girls learned how to pound the corn to make flour.  They learned to prepare food.  In the fall the girls gathered nuts.  They carried them home in baskets they had woven.  They made pottery jars to carry water.  Meals were served in pottery bowls.  (Lepthien, E.U., 1985 The Cherokee)

How the Creek Lived:

Creek people did not need to move around, as did many other Native Americans.  They combined agriculture with hunting and gathering.  In the Southeast winters are mild and summers long.  Edible plants grew wild.  Animals roamed the woodlands.  Rivers and streams teemed with fish.  The Creek fished with floating traps, lines made of plant fibers, and bone hooks.  In shallow places Creek men sprinkled the water with powdered root that stunned the fish so they floated to the top and could be scooped up.

Before European traders arrived, Creek men killed deer only for food and clothing.  They also used the bones as tools.  Hunters would paint their cheeks with red ochre (dirt with iron deposits in it) because they believed it sharpened their vision.  They sang special songs that drew deer close and made them easier to kill.  Men also hunted for bears, squirrels, birds, and rabbits.  They used wooden spears, bows and arrows, and cane blowguns.  After the arrival of European explorers, Creek men hunted deer for trade as well as food.

Women planted, weeded, and picked crops, such as corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins.  They also gathered wild plants, cared for children, wove baskets and mats, made clothing and clay pots, and prepared and cooked food.  In winter a pot of stew bubbled over the firs and a bowl of safky (cornmeal broth) stood near the door for guests.  some women were midwives and herbalists.  Some sat in council, or assembly, with the men.  (Newman, S.P., 1996 The Creek)