Cherokee Indians language

The Cherokee call themselves Ani-Yunwiya (ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ), which means "Principal People." The origin of the Word "Cherokee" is uncertain, with several theories having their own proponents. It may come from a Choctaw Word meaning "those who live in the mountains" or from a different Choctaw Word meaning "those who live in the cave country."

Another theory is that Cherokee derives from a Creek Word for "people with another language".

It may be worth noting that the Iroquois nations of New York called the Cherokee Oyata'ge'ronoñ meaning "inhabitants of the cave country," and that the Cherokee speak a Iroquoian language and migrated in ancient times from the Great Lakes region where the Iroquois confederacy was based when the Europeans encountered them.