Every village had about 350-600 people.  Many of the Cherokee villages stretched for miles along the banks of rivers.  Each Cherokee village had people from different clans.  Most of the time, grandparents, parents and children lived together.                                          

To hold all of these people, homes had to have several buildings.  In the middle of every village was a council house made of saplings and mud.  The Cherokee would gather at the council house for parties, political assemblies and religious ceremonies.  Bunched around the council house was a collection of homes.

The Desoto Expedition is thought to have made the first European contact with the Cherokee.  Before European contact, Cherokee houses were square or rectangle, with upright poles forming the framework.  The outside was covered with bark, wood or woven siding coated with earth and clay.  However, by the time of the American Revolution, most of the Cherokee were living in log cabins like the ones used by the white people.