--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I came from a family that was pretty…" description: "\"I came from a family that was pretty insularly Cherokee. We kept to ourselves - the white people were there, and we were here, and it was practically a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/wes-studi-21665_black_i-came-from-a-family-that-was-pretty-ins_2924957.jpg" --- # I came from a family that was pretty insularly Cherokee… ![“I came from a family that was pretty insularly Cherokee. We kept to ourselves - the white people were there, and we were here, and it was practically a segregated kind of thing.” quote by Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/wes-studi-21665_black_i-came-from-a-family-that-was-pretty-ins_2924957.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/wes-studi-21665_black_i-came-from-a-family-that-was-pretty-ins_2924957.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/wes-studi-21665_black_i-came-from-a-family-that-was-pretty-ins_2924957.jpg) > “I came from a family that was pretty insularly Cherokee. We kept to ourselves - the white people were there, and we were here, and it was practically a segregated kind of thing.” [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes growing up in a culturally isolated Cherokee community, highlighting segregation and limited interaction with outsiders. **In simple terms:** Cherokee life was isolated and segregated. Key Takeaway Recognize the impact of cultural isolation. Themes identity culture segregation community Mood thoughtful nostalgic Type personal reflective When to use this quote - family gatherings - educational settings - community events Key Concepts anthropology sociology racial dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How did this upbringing shape your worldview? - What steps can bridge cultural gaps? A Different Perspective Isolation can hinder broader understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cherokee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cherokee/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) ## Related quotes > [I'm Cherokee, and there were times when social expansion was something that is needed by a cultural group or a national group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/i-m-cherokee-and-there-were-times-when-social-expansion-was-something/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [Children are not simply commodities to be herded into line and trained for the jobs that white people who live in segregated neighborhoods have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/children-are-not-simply-commodities-to-be-herded-into-line-and/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [I've spent a lot of time in L.A., it's always reminded me a bit of Jo'burg, which is a deeply segregated city. And L.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-broomfield/i-ve-spent-a-lot-of-time-in-l-a-it-s-always-reminded-me-a-bit-of-jo/) [Nick Broomfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-broomfield/) > [ \[last words\] What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crowfoot/last-words-what-is-life-it-is-the-flash-of-a-firefly-in-the-night/) [Crowfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crowfoot/) > [My name is Mankiller, and in the old Cherokee Nation, when we lived here in the Southeast, we lived in semi-autonomous villages, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-mankiller/my-name-is-mankiller-and-in-the-old-cherokee-nation-when-we-lived/) [Wilma Mankiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-mankiller/) > [My father was one-eighth Cherokee indian and my mother was quarter-blood Cherokee. I never got far enough in arithmetic to figure out how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/my-father-was-one-eighth-cherokee-indian-and-my-mother-was-quarter/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I'm just another non-native whose mom told him we were part-Cherokee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-kamau-bell/i-m-just-another-non-native-whose-mom-told-him-we-were-part-cherokee/) [W. Kamau Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-kamau-bell/) > [A significant number of people believe tribal people still live and dress as they did 300 years ago. During my tenure as principal chief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-mankiller/a-significant-number-of-people-believe-tribal-people-still-live-and/) [Wilma Mankiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-mankiller/) > [Recorded engine sounds, however, are a deliberate deception. They're like going to a concert and listening to a recording. On the other hand, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-schmemann/recorded-engine-sounds-however-are-a-deliberate-deception-they-re/) [Serge Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-schmemann/) > [“Cherokee's American, Ned. It don't get more American than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-d-estleman/cherokee-s-american-ned-it-don-t-get-more-american-than-that/) [Loren D. Estleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-d-estleman/) > [Negative thoughts were treated by Cherokee healers with the same medicines as wounds, headaches, or physical illness. It was believed that unchecked negative thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-mankiller/negative-thoughts-were-treated-by-cherokee-healers-with-the-same/) [Wilma Mankiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-mankiller/) > [Give me strength, not to be better than my enemies, but to defeat my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself. Give me strength for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-strength-not-to-be-better-than-my-enemies-but-to-defeat-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I come from a family of Cherokee master storytellers. Listening to stories, reading them, and creating new tales is my life. These tales reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-ann-barton/i-come-from-a-family-of-cherokee-master-storytellers-listening-to/) Louise Ann Barton > [Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/everything-an-indian-does-is-in-a-circle-and-that-is-because-the/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [Lt. Carson: My grandmother was a full-bodied Cherokee Indian. Lili: How exciting. Lt. Carson: It was for my grandfather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lt-carson-my-grandmother-was-a-full-bodied-cherokee-indian-lili-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Wes Studi > [At times, you're welcome, depending on what's being cast. 'Dances with Wolves' - they wanted authentic-looking Indians in the film, and so they got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/at-times-you-re-welcome-depending-on-what-s-being-cast-dances-with/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [People talk about gangs as if they're something new. But it really isn't that way. The Democratic Party is a gang. The Republican Party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/people-talk-about-gangs-as-if-they-re-something-new-but-it-really-isn/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [One of the things I learned early on was the system of believing: you have to believe in what you say. The camera is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/one-of-the-things-i-learned-early-on-was-the-system-of-believing-you/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [When I saw the 'Geronimo' script and was offered the part, it was overwhelming in that it brought back all of those feelings -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/when-i-saw-the-geronimo-script-and-was-offered-the-part-it-was/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [An old-codger comedy - that's what I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/an-old-codger-comedy-that-s-what-i-want-to-do/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [I'm proud to have served there for 12 months with Alpha Company of the 39th Infantry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/i-m-proud-to-have-served-there-for-12-months-with-alpha-company-of/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [I am not a representative of anything. I have my opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/i-am-not-a-representative-of-anything-i-have-my-opinions/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > ['Dances with Wolves' really started the movement, using subtitles for Lakota Sioux and showing Indians as interesting, complex people - not just the enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/dances-with-wolves-really-started-the-movement-using-subtitles-for/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [I can be a teddy bear, but more people tend to see me as the other side of the coin, and that has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/i-can-be-a-teddy-bear-but-more-people-tend-to-see-me-as-the-other/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [I feel very fortunate that I was able to be cast in roles that showed the humanity, if you will, of usually stereotypical Indian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/i-feel-very-fortunate-that-i-was-able-to-be-cast-in-roles-that-showed/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [It's a dangerous thing to build pipelines underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/it-s-a-dangerous-thing-to-build-pipelines-underground/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [I'm Cherokee, and there were times when social expansion was something that is needed by a cultural group or a national group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/i-m-cherokee-and-there-were-times-when-social-expansion-was-something/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [At times, I'm thinking negatively, thinking that we don't learn from our mistakes, but then I get more positive-minded. I do believe in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/at-times-i-m-thinking-negatively-thinking-that-we-don-t-learn-from/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [I tried bull-riding... I wasn't good at all: I don't think I ever got eight seconds anywhere. But then, after that, I discovered acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/i-tried-bull-riding-i-wasn-t-good-at-all-i-don-t-think-i-ever-got/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) > [The western has always been, for me, the bread and butter. It's the easiest place for an identifiable Native American to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-studi/the-western-has-always-been-for-me-the-bread-and-butter-it-s-the/) [Wes Studi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) [Explore all 28 Wes Studi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-studi/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. 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We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. 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