If you’ve been to Cherokee, NC, you may have been lucky enough to catch a dance performance by the Warriors of AniKituhwa. The Warriors are all enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and are designated official cultural ambassadors.

Women of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are now making contributions in many new ways. Because roles have shifted, so, too, should the definitions of the titles we use to honor Cherokee women and men.

Before the development of the Cherokee written language, tattoos were used to identify one another in historic societies, and were especially prevalent among warriors, who had to earn their marks. We talked to Mike Crowe, one of the Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialists at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, to find out more about traditional tattoos and practices of the Eastern Band of Cherokee People