Abstract:
The article looks to disprove the idea that Cherokee religious beliefs descended from Mayan or Aztec beliefs. The Cherokee’s belief in the Supreme Being and their high god concept has greater parallels with American Indian tribes of North America and is possibly derived from Asiatic patterns of belief. The Supreme Being and its characteristics are compared with modern Western gods, Mexican tribe’s gods, and ancient Asian people’s gods. Color, dress, ornamentation, symbolism, fertility, and politics, are all discussed in relation to the Supreme Being and his influence on Cherokee religion.