Self-guided practices for grief and hard feelings.
How Minds Work

Is there a Cherokee ritual to release emotions?

By How Minds Work · Updated October 2026 · Sources listed below

A shallow autumn creek over smooth rocks in a mountain hollow at dawn
Short answerGoing to water, called amasi, is a Cherokee practice. A healer leads people to a running stream at daybreak to face the sun and immerse. Writers describe it as cleansing and renewal, and Cherokee communities still keep it. It is a spiritual rite, so learn about it from Cherokee sources.

Key takeaways

What is going to water?

The National Endowment for the Humanities magazine describes it this way: at daybreak a healer leads a person to a running stream, they face the rising sun, and they immerse. James Mooney wrote about this "river cult" in 1900 after recording Cherokee formulas, and he included one titled "For going to water."

A recent article in the journal Diaspora, "Returning to the River," looks at how Cherokee people reconnect with rivers today.

Is it a ritual to release emotions?

The sources we read describe going to water as spiritual cleansing and renewal. Online posts often describe it as a way to release emotions. That is a modern way of putting it, and it fits the sense of washing something away.

Practices differ between Cherokee nations and families, and healers lead the ceremonies. A blog cannot teach it, and we do not try to.

What can you do instead?

You can borrow the general idea of moving water as a reminder that feelings move too. Stand by a stream or hold your hands under a tap. Name one thing you are ready to set down. Say it out loud, then let the water run.

Research gives reasons to try something like this. Norton and Gino (2014) found that rituals after loss lowered grief in experiments, and Torre and Lieberman (2018) describe how putting feelings into words can lessen emotional experience.

How to learn from Cherokee sources

Start with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band, and the cultural centers they run. Ask before you share or reuse anything you learn.

What the research says

Dembling (2019), NEH Humanities: describes going to water as a daybreak rite led by a healer at a running stream.

Mooney (1900): The Cherokee river cult, an early record of river practices and formulas.

Smithers, in Diaspora 25(1): article on how Cherokee people return to rivers today.

Norton and Gino (2014) and Torre and Lieberman (2018): rituals after loss lowered grief in experiments, and putting feelings into words can lessen emotional experience.

Try this today

  1. Find a source of moving water, or use a tap.
  2. Say one sentence about what you are ready to set down.
  3. Let the water run for a full minute, then sit quietly for a minute. Stop if it feels like too much.

Want the printable step-by-step version? The paid ritual walks you through gathering small objects, speaking the memory out loud, releasing it, and keeping one as a witness. It is a modern adaptation, not a ceremony from any tribe.

Start your ritual

Common questions

What is the Cherokee ritual of going to water?

It is a practice where a healer leads a person to a running stream at daybreak, they face the sun and immerse. It is described as cleansing and renewal.

Is there a Cherokee ritual to release emotions?

Going to water is the closest documented practice, and sources describe it as cleansing. Calling it emotional release is a modern framing.

Can I do a Cherokee water ritual at home?

The ceremony is led by healers within Cherokee communities. You can make a flowing-water reflection of your own and give it its own name.

Where can I learn about Cherokee traditions?

Start with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band, and their cultural centers.

Keep reading

References

  1. Dembling, S. (2019). Rivers held a spiritual place in the lives of the Cherokee. Humanities, Summer 2019, National Endowment for the Humanities. www.neh.gov/article/rivers-held-spiritual-place-lives-cherokee
  2. Mooney, J. (1900). The Cherokee river cult. The Journal of American Folklore, 13(48), 1-10. doi.org/10.2307/533728
  3. Smithers, G.D. Returning to the river: The Cherokee diaspora's hydrospheric connections. Diaspora, 25(1), 37-63. doi.org/10.3138/diaspora.25.1.2025.02.12
  4. Norton, M.I., & Gino, F. (2014). Rituals alleviate grieving for loved ones, lovers, and lotteries. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(1), 266-272. doi.org/10.1037/a0031772
  5. Torre, J.B., & Lieberman, M.D. (2018). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation. Emotion Review, 10(2), 116-124. doi.org/10.1177/1754073917742706

This guide is for general information. It is not therapy, medical advice or a treatment. If grief is affecting your sleep, eating, work or safety, talk to a doctor or licensed counselor. In the United States you can call or text 988 at any time.