A Chief in the Family

lesson
19
A Chief in
the Family
Anaweg Smith, of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, is like many other 8-yearolds.
She plays with her two dogs, sings in a choir, and plays soccer. But
unlike most kids, Anaweg is the daughter of an Indian chief!
Chief Chad Smith, Anaweg’s father, has been leader of the Cherokee
Nation for three years. The job keeps him very busy. He often travels to
Washington, D.C., and other places around the country.
Part of Chief Smith’s job is to attend, or go to, lots of meetings. At
the meetings, he talks about future plans for the Cherokee Nation.
Anaweg sometimes goes to these meetings, but they’re not always fun.
“There’s not a lot of stuff for kids there,” she says.
Cherokee powwows and stomp dances are much more fun for
Anaweg. At these gatherings, Chief Smith and the Cherokee celebrate
their culture, or way of life. At stomp dances, for example, they sing and
dance around a fire.
Anaweg says
her father is
busy a lot,
but he does
make time to
drive her to
soccer prac-
80
Nonfiction Passages With Graphic Organizers for Independent Practice © Boynton & Blevins, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Men and women can be elected chief of the Cherokee Nation. But
Anaweg doesn’t want to follow in her father’s footsteps. She’s proud of
him, but says, “I want to work in a zoo and help animals. As chief, you go
to too many meetings, and you’re away from home too much!”
Native Names
Did you know that 28 states in the U.S. got their names from American Indian
words? Here are just a few:
STATE LANGUAGE WHAT IT MEANS
Alaska Aleutian “land that is not an island”
Connecticut Mahican “long river place”
Kansas Sioux “south-wind people”
Missouri Algonquin “river of the big canoes”
Ohio Iroquois “good river”
Utah Navajo “high up”
Wyoming Algonquin “large prairie place”
Fact File
• The Cherokee are currently the largest Native
American tribe in the United States.
• They originally lived in North Carolina and
Tennessee.
• In 1838–1839 the Cherokee were forced to
leave their homes and move to a reservation in
Oklahoma. Because many died, this is known as
the Trail of Tears.
• The most famous Cherokee is Sequoyah. He
made a writing system for spoken Cherokee.
Nonfiction Passages With Graphic Organizers for Independent Practice © Boynton & Blevins, Scholastic Teaching Resources
81

lesson
check
?.
out
it
19
A Chief in the Family
Fill in the circle next to the correct answer.
1. Which Native American nation does the girl in the article belong to?
A
B
C
D
Anaweg
Navajo
Cherokee
Algonquin
2. How is the girl in the article different from most other girls?
A
B
C
D
She plays soccer.
She has pets.
Her dad travels for work.
Her dad is a chief.
3. The culture of a group of people is their ________ .
A
B
C
D
leader
way of life
special celebrations
relatives
4. Which state’s name has nothing to do with rivers?
A
B
C
D
Ohio
Connecticut
Wyoming
Missouri
5. Underline all the things that the girl in the article does, such as play
soccer or go to a stomp dance. Circle those things that you also do.
82
Nonfiction Passages With Graphic Organizers for Independent Practice © Boynton & Blevins, Scholastic Teaching Resources

A Chief in the Family
lesson
!.
19
Many states were listed in the article. Find each state. Color in the state and
label it with the correct abbreviation.
STATEs and their ABBREVIATIONs
AK
Alaska CT Connecticut OH Ohio
KS
Kansas MO Missouri UT Utah WY Wyoming
Write About It
Find out more about one of the American Indian groups in the article.
Create a poster telling about this group of people. Where did they live?
What were their homes like? What language did they speak? How did
they dress?
Nonfiction Passages With Graphic Organizers for Independent Practice © Boynton & Blevins, Scholastic Teaching Resources
83