This symbols is used by both the "federally-recognized" Cherokee Nations, East and West, and has been adopted by many "state-recognized" and "free tribes" of Cherokee. The seven-pointed star symbolizes: the seven Cherokee clans, the Seven Sacred Directions (east, south, west, north, above, below, and within), the seven sacred types of wood, the seven sacred herbs, etc. Seven and four are both numbers that have great meaning for us Cherokee and are meaningful for other North American indigenous peoples as well.