Book

Cherokees at the crossroads

University of North Carolina, Institute for Research in Social SciencesChapel Hill, North Carolina • Published In 1973 • Pages: xx, 222

By: Gulick, John, Neeley Williams, Sharlotte.

Abstract
This monograph is an ethnographic study of the present-day Eastern Band Cherokees of North Carolina. Taken literally the title of this work would seem to indicate that the author is focusing on the physical location of the Eastern Cherokees at the crossroads of U.S. Highways 441 and 19 - the official and commercial center of the reservation. To some extent this is true, but the deeper connotation of the word 'crossroads'. as used here, is that of basic dissimilarities among the people who, although living together in one place and at one time, yet diverge significantly from one another in their ways of life. These dissimilarities are discussed in the text in terms of four different value systems: conservative, generalized Indian, 'Rural-White' Indian, and middle class Indian, all of which are described in much detail on p.127 ff. To emphasize these differences. the author has chosen two of the six reservation townships for more intensive research. One of these, isolated from contact with outsiders, represented the 'conservative' element in the society, while the other, in close contact with non-Indians, represented the more 'progressive' element. General data from the other four townships have also been included here to provide over-all context.The document is divided into three major parts: Part I deals with the nature and history of the reservation (e.g., geography, history, economics); Part II with the general context of Cherokee life, such as settlements, ethnography, and cultural patterns (group integration, value systems, etc.); and Part III, with the general theoretical dimensions of this study.
Subjects
Chief executive
Deliberative councils
Public welfare
Labor supply and employment
Income and demand
Athletic sports
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
Ethos
Linguistic identification
Ethics
Cultural identity and pride
culture
Cherokee
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
North America
Sub Region
Eastern Woodlands
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1987: John Beierle ; 2006
Field Date
1956-1973
Coverage Date
1750-1973
Coverage Place
Cherokee Indian Reservation, North Carolina, United States
Notes
John Gulick ; with an epilogue by Sharlotte Neely Williams
Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-213)
LCCN
74161871
LCSH
Cherokee Indians