The word "Cherokee" is a derived word which came originally from the
Choctaw trade language. It was derived from the Choctaw word "Cha-la-kee" which means "those who live in the mountains" or "those who live in the caves." The name which the Cherokees originally used for themselves is
Ah-ni-yv-wi-ya (literal translation "these are all the human people"). Most native American tribes have a name for themselves which means approximately this. However, modern Cherokee call themselves Cherokee, or Tsalagi.
Wikipedia is the Shit...