Knowing anything is one thing. Knowing everything about the contributions of the Cherokees or the Cherokee Nation will probably take a life-time of scholarly study. This having been said, I suggest you start with looking up "Cherokee" in Wikipedia. Most of the article is not about their contributions, but about how their proud nation was mistreated by the whites and chased out of their native land by the whites in the 1800's. However, one part of the article says, "Other famous people of Cherokee ancestry include the actors Johnny Depp, Liv Tyler, Shannon Elizabeth, Burt Reynolds, James Garner, Chuck Norris, James Earl Jones, Lou Diamond Philips, David Carradine, Charisma Carpenter, Wes Studi, Stephanie Kramer and Christopher Judge ; the dancers Mark Ballas and Eve Torres ; the musicians Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), John Phillips (The Mamas and the Papas), Eartha Kitt, Miley Cyrus ; the actress and singer Cher ; the singer, musician and actor Elvis Presley ; the singers Rita Coolidge and Tiffany ; the country music singers Billy Ray Cyrus, Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle; the boxer Jack Dempsey ; the painter Robert Rauschenberg ; the activists Rosa Parks and John Leak Springston, and the writers Mitch Cullin and Alex Haley." Needless to say the people who are in this list contributed to the contemporary American culture significantly in varying ways and degrees, Although this list focuses primarily on the people of celebrity status, there are numerous less famous Cherokees who contributed to the contemporary American society in every field of endeavor. I don't know why you asked the question you asked, but I am glad you are interested in looking into the contribution by the Cherokees because they, like many other minorities in American society, played and continue to play, significant roles in shaping the society we live in.
