: Re: Literate Cherokee and English dialogue east of the Mississippi in the 1860s with a nineteenth century narrator It is my understanding that the Cherokee, prior to the Trail of Tears were bilingual,

@Samaraweera193

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Understand that part of the clash of cultures between native societies and european-based colonial societies was how identity was registered. Europeans think in terms of "blood", but most tribal societies prior to their modern cultural assimilation did not. They were more like gaming clans, or recreational sporting teams. If you want to join, and you'd be an asset to the clan, you're in. So it wasn't at all uncommon for there to be Cherokee (or any other tribal) citizens whose native language was not Cherokee.

The Cherokee's Scotts-Irish neighbors themselves came from an unusually clannish society (by European standards), so there was a lot more intermixing than most modern people picture. For example, Chief John Ross who lived 1790-1866 and led the tribe on the Trail of Tears, was by white-man's reckoning 7/8ths Scotts-Irish. His first language was English, and he reportedly had red hair. Sam Houston ran away from home at 16 to become a Cherokee, and lived with them off and on for many years. His second wife, during one of his periods living as a Cherokee was also Cherokee, and half Scotts-Irish through her trader father.

So if you're interested in writing this right I'd suggest investing some time in research. It is quite possible for a Cherokee child to be speaking essentially the same English as their (likely Scotts-Irish) neighbors. But its also quite possible for that same child to be a redheaded descendant of immigrants from the British Isles.

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