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2 


Eleventh   Census:     1890. 


Eastern   Cherokees, 


;irTO  ivi  B.,,ro«inj  Jt  n-ini.-nj  &  EASTERN    BAND    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA    CHEROKEES. 

Principal  Chief,   NIMROD    J,    SMITH,   ■■  Cha-la-di-hih,"   "Charles  the   Killer.' 


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ELEVENTH  CENSUS   OF  THE  UNITED   STATES. 
ROBERT  P.  PORTER, 


SUPERINTENDENT. 


Extra  Census  Bulletin 


INDIANS, 


EASTEEI  BAND  OF  CHEROKEES 


OF  intorth:  c^ROLiisr^. 


BY    THOMAS    DONALDSON, 

EXPERT  bPKCIAL   AGENT. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

UNITED  STATES  CENSUS  FEINTING  OFFICE. 

1892. 


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CONTENTS, 


Introduction,  by  Thomas  Donaldson,  expert  special  ageut 7-9 

General  remarks  on  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina  and  Eastern  Cherokees 7 

Enumeration  in  1890 8 

Statistics  of  schools 9 

Eastekn  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina,  by  General  Henry  B.  Caerington 11-21 

General  remarks 11-13 

Clierokee  industries 24 

Religion  and  morals 14  15 

Education ir>-17 

Common  schools j5 

Clierokee  training  school ]g  j7 

Historical  outline J7  ^g 

Government  and  politics lH-20 

Incorporation  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians  in  1889 21 

Soldiei-s „ 21 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Bird  town  schoolhouse 12 

Bojs'  dormitory,  Eastern  Cherokee  Training  School 16 

Bryson  City  courthouse,  post  office  of  agency 9 

Chapel  oak,  Birdtovvn 12 

Closed  mill 18 

Councilmen  of  1891,  Eastern  Baud  of  Cherokees:  Kev.  John  Jackson,  Morgan  Calhoun,  William  Ta-la-lah,  Wesley  Ciow 20 

Donaldson  ridge  and  gap,  from  Spray  ridge,  1891 9 

Eastern  Cherokee  Training  School  "Home" 15 

Eastern  Cherokee  Training  School,  United  States  Indian  agency,  and  Mount  Noble,  from  Spray  ridge 9 

Indian  fronting 13 

James  Blythe,  son-in-law  of  Chief  Smith,  United  States  Indian  agent,  and  Sampson  George,  Cherokee  Indian 18 

Jesse  Keed,  chairman  of  council,  and  Andy  Standing  Deer,  councilman 9 

Lumbermen,  1891 9 

Mulberry  tree  band  stand.  Eastern  Cherokee  agency 18 

Nimrod  J.  Smith,  "Cha-la-di-hih",  "Charles  the  Killer",  principal  chief 1 

Ocona  Lulta  valley 12 

Old  Big  Witch  at  home 13 

Open  mill 18 

Plowing  with  1  steer 18 

Eattlesnake  peak,  above  the  clouds 18 

Soco  schoolhouse 13 

The  Old  Mission  house 13 

Valley  of  the  Soco : 18 

Wesley  Crow  (councilman),  at  home 12 

Yo-na  Caley,  "Climbing  Bear  "  (councilman),  and  3  daughters,  and  grandson  of  Chief  Smith 18 


LIST  OF  MAPS. 

Chief  location  and  lands  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees 7 

Qualla  Indian  reserve  (boundary),  surveyed  by  M.  S.  Temple,  1875-1876 11 

3 


LETTER   OE   TRANSMITTAL. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

Census  Office, 

Washington,  D.  C,  February  25,  1892. 
Sir: 

Tlie  statistics  and  condition  of  the  Indians  given  in  tlie  present  bulletin,  as  provided  in  tlie  census  law  of 
March  1,  1889,  show  the  status  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina,  with  incidental  mention  of 
the  Eastern  Cherokees.  These  Indians  are  taxed,  have  developed  into  good  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and 
vote  in  North  Carolina.  They  are  almost  entirely  self-supporting,  receiving  only  a  small  allowance  from  tlie  United 
States  for  educational  purposes.  A  few  mechanics  are  found  among  them,  but  their  chief  occupations  are  farming, 
lumbering,  and  day  labor.  They  are  a  moral,  law-abiding,  and  industrious  people,  and  the  censuses  from  1850  to 
1890  show  them  to  be  increasing.  The  band,  which  has  been  incorporated  by  the  general  assembly  of  North 
Carolina  as  The  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians,  occupies  the  tract  known  as  the  Qualla  boundary.  The  other 
Eastern  Cherokees  mentioned  reside  in  the  states  of  Alabama,  Georgia,  and  Tennessee,  and  are  citizens  of  the  United 
States  and  of  the  states  named. 

The  bulletin  was  prepared  by  IMr.  Thomas  Donaldson,  expert  special  agent  of  the  Census  Office,  and  the 
report  on  the  condition  of  these  Indians  was  made  under  his  direction  by  General  Henry  B.  Caerinoton,  United 
States  army  (retired),  special  agent  for  the  collection  of  statistics  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees. 

Very  respectfully, 

ROBERT  P.  PORTER, 

SupcriidenikiU  of  Censjis. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


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STATISTICS  OF  INDIANS. 


BY   THOMAS   DONALDSON. 


EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA  AND  EASTERN  CHEROKEES. 

(INDIANS  TAXED.) 

The  report  on  the  condition  of  the  Eastern  Baud  of  Cherokees  of  southwestern  North  Carolina  in  1890,  with 
incidental  mention  of  the  Eastern  Cherokees,  shows  that  this  band  of  Indians,  with  very  little  if  any  care  or 
attention  on  the  part  of  the  national  government,  has  become  self-sustaining  and  self-reliant,  and  that  the  members 
thereof  have  developed  into  good  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  the  state  of  North  Carolina.  While  nominally 
a  tribe  or  band,  so  incorporated  for  certain  purposes,  with  a  chief  and  a  council,  these  Indians  are  in  fact  as  truly 
citizens  of  North  Carolina  as  are  any  people  within  the  borders  of  the  state.  They  have  never  been  considered 
reservation  Indians,  and  therefore  the  Indian  policy  of  the  United  States  has  not  been  applied  to  them.  There  is  a 
United  States  Indian  agent  among  them,  who  is  a  member  of  the  band,  as  many  of  his  predecessors  have  been.  His 
duties  are  nominal,  and  his  salary  is  $800  per  year. 

The  different  censuses  show  the  Eastern  Cherokees  in  North  Carolina  to  be  increasing  in  number.  In  1850,  when 
they  were  in  Haywood  county,  they  numbered  710 ;  in  1890.  still  residing  in  the  same  localitj',  they  are  returned  as 
numbering  1,.520.     In  1860,  1870,  and  1880  they  were  enumerated  as  part  of  the  population  of  the  state. 

The  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  is  now  a  body  politic  and  corporate  under  the  name,  style,  and  title  of  The 
Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians,  with  all  the  rights,  privileges,  franchises,  and  powers  incident  and  belonging  to 
corporations  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  North  Carolina.  The  band  was  incorporated  by  the  general  assembly  of 
North  Carolina  March  11,  1889.     (Laws  of  North  Carolina,  1889,  chapter  211,  page  889.) 

The  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina,  1,520  in  number,  reside  on  lands  in  portions  of  Cherokee, 
Graham,  Jackson,  and  Swain  counties,  in  southwestern  North  Carolina.  There  is  no  reservation,  but  the  tract 
occupied  by  these  Indians,  known  as  the  Qualla  boundary,  contains  about  65,000  acres,  and  is  held  in  fee  by  the 
Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  and  tlie  Eastern  Cherokees  once  resident  of  this  region,  but  who  removed  west,  and 
are  now  one  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  occupying  lands  in  Indian  territory. 

These  Indians,  although  many  are  full-blood  Cherokees,  are  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  are  voters  and 
taxpayers  in  North  Carolina.  Thej'  are  Indians  taxed,  and  are  classed  as  enterprising,  moral,  and  law-abiding. 
They  are  almost  entirely  self-supporting,  receiving  only  a  small  allowance  from  the  United  States  for  educational 
purposes. 

Farming,  lumbering,  and  daj'  labor  are  the  chief  occupations  of  these  Indians,  but  some  few  mechanics  are 
found  among  them.  Many  of  them  hire  out  as  farmers  and  laborers.  They  have  a  written  language,  and  while  in 
many  respects  are  progressive,  seeking  the  knowledge  best  suited  to  their  present  condition,  still  they  preserve  some 
traditions  and  customs  of  their  old  Indian  life. 

The  Indian  farming  tracts  are  small,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  map. 

THE  EASTERN  CHEROKEES. 

The  total  number  of  Eastern  Cherokees  in  1890  is  given  as  2,885.  Of  this  number  1,520  live  in  North  Carolina, 
and  are  known  as  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina;  9.36  are  said  to  live  in  Georgia,  318  in 
Tennessee,  and  111  in  Alabama.  In  1884  the  number  in  North  Carolina  was  given  as  1,881.  Since  1884  some  of 
this  band  have  moved  into  adjoining  states  and  others  have  joined  the  Cherokees  in  Indian  territory.  The  few 
living  in  Kentuckj^,  Virginia,  and  other  states  have  become  incorporated  into  the  white  population. 

The  economic  and  social  condition  of  the  Eastern  Cherokees  residing  in  Alabama,  Georgia,  and  Tennessee  is 
about  the  same  as  of  those  residing  in  North  Carolina.  They  are  entirely  self-supporting  and  are  citizens  of  the 
several  states  wherein  they  reside. 

The  Eastern  Cherokees  do  not  now  receive  any  portion  of  the  annuities  given  yearly  to  the  Cherokees  of  Indian 

territory,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  having  decided  that  they  were  not  entitled  to  participate  in  them. 

The  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina  receive  only  a  small  sum  annuallj'  from  the  United  States  in  aid 

of  their  schools. 

7 


8  STATISTICS  OF  INDIANS. 

In  1884  lion.  Iliram  Price,  Commissioner  of  Indian  Aflairs,  in  his  annual  report,  mentioned  the  several  censuses 
of  the  Eastern  Cherokees,  as  follows :  (a) 

In  September,  1882,  Joseph  G.  Hester  was  appointed  agent  to  take  a  census  and  make  a  list  of  all  the  Cherokee  Indians  residing  east  of 
the  Mississippi  ri\er,  as  required  by  an  act  approved  August  7,  1882.  To  assist  him  in  this  work  I  furnished  him  with  copies  of  4  previous 
lists  of  this  people:  one  taken  by  J.  C.  Mnllay  as  early  as  1848,  containing  the  names  of  all  who  resided  in  the  state  of  North  Carolina  at  the 
time  of  the  treaty  of  183G,  and  who  had  not  removed  west,  and  one  taken  by  D.  W.  Siler  in  pursuance  of  an  act  approved  September  30,  1850, 
which,  it  is  believed,  includes  all  of  these  people  then  residing  in  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  and  Alabama.  This  roll  was  used  by 
Alfred  Chapman,  acting  for  this  deiiartment,  in  the  following  year  to  make  a  per  capita  payment  to  the  Eastern  Cherokees,  and  in  doing  so  he 
found  it  necessiiry  from  evidence  presented  to  make  a  few  changes,  so  that  a  copy  of  the  pay  roll  matle  by  )iim  was  also  given  to  the  agent, 
together  with  a  copy  of  a  list  of  these  people  taken  by  S.  H.  Swetland  under  an  act  appro\ed  July  27,  1868. 

In  consequence  of  the  wide  distribution  of  tliese  Indians  and  their  descendants  over  mauy  states,  a  great  luajority  living  in  localities 
remote  from  all  usual  routes  of  travel,  the  task  proved  to  be  of  much  greater  magnitude,  difficulty,  and  expense  than  was  at  lii-st  anticipated, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  5th  of  last  January  that  it  could  be  completed  and  the  list  submitted.  It  contains  the  names  of  1,881  members 
residing  in  North  Carolina,  758  in.  Georgia,  213  in  Tennessee,  71  in  Alabama,  11  in  Kentucky,  8  in  New  Jei-sey,  5  in  Virginia,  3  each  in 
Kansas  (at  present)  and  Sonth  Carolina,  and  1  each  in  California,  Colorado,  and  Illinois  (at  present),  making  a  total  membership  of  2,956. 

It  gives  the  English  and  Indian  names  (when  they  have  botli),  the  age  and  sex  of  each,  and  the  residence  or  ijost-office  address  of  every 
family  or  single  pei-son,  together  with  the  relationship  of  each  member  of  a  family  to  the  liead  thereof.  Reference  is  also  made  to  the  numbere 
opposite  their  names  or  the  names  of  their  ancestoi-s  on  the  previous  rolls  above  noted  that  they  may  be  identified  there,  and  there  are  such 
marginal  references  and  explanatory  notes  as  special  cases  seemed  to  require.  Thus,  no  person's  name  was  enrolled  on  this  list  whose  name  or 
the  name  of  whose  ancestor  docs  not  ai)pear  on  some  one  of  the  previous  lists,  and  all  except  47  on  the  previous  lists  are  accounted  for,  either 
as  dead,  as  ha\ing  gone  west  to  reside  with  the  nation  in  the  Indian  territory,  or  by  enrollment  as  now  residing  east  of  the  Slississippi  river. 
These  47  jiersons,  whose  whereabouts  could  not  be  a.scertained,  are  believed  by  their  friends  and  relatives  to  ha\e  either  died,  gone  w est,  or  to  be 
now  known  by  diflerent  names  from  those  under  which  they  were  previously  enrolled.  A  list  of  the  47  names  Ls  given  with  this  cen.sus. 
^VIlile  the  agent  was  engaged  in  the  work  various  persons  presented  themselves  to  him,  claiming  to  he  Eastern  Cherokees  or  their  descendants, 
whom  he  declined  to  enroll,  not  believing  the  evidence  they  submitted  sullicient  to  sustain  their  claims.  He  files  with  the  census  a  list  of 
their  names,  accompanied  by  all  the  papei-s  and  information  he  had  received  or  could  obtain  in  reference  to  them,  which  may  be  useful  iu 
c;ise  any  of  those  so  rejected  in  future  claim  that  they  have  been  wronged. 

The  census  list,  together  with  all  e\  idence  and  information  available  pertaining  to  it,  was  laid  before  a  council  of  the  Eastern  Cherokees 
at  their  recjuest  (due  notice  liaving  been  gi\en  to  the  Cherokee  nation  in  the  Indian  territory  to  be  present  by  delegates  if  they  so  desired), 
and  a.'icr  having  been  carefully  scrutinized  by  said  council  was  fully  approved  by  them.  A  certificate  signed  by  the  council  to  that  eft'ect 
accompanies  the  list,  which  list,  after  ha\iug  been  carefully  examined  and  compared  with  the  previons  rolls  in  this  office,  was,  on  my 
recommendation,  approved  by  the  department  on  the  4th  of  last  February. 

ENUMERATION:  1800. 

The  enumeration  for  the  census  of  1890  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina  was  made  hy  the 
regular  enumerators  for  the  state  of  North  Carolina.  The  United  States  Indian  agent,  James  Blythe,  a  Cherokee 
(Dis-qua-ni,  Chestnut  Bread),  furnishes  the  following  data  collected  during  personal  visitations: 

The  total  number  of  Cherokees  is  1,520  :  males,  774 ;  females,  746.  All  wear  citizens'  clothing.  365  over  the 
age  of  20  and  300  under  the  age  of  20  can  read,  and  180  under  the  age  of  20  can  write  English.  This  latter  fact  is 
attributable  to  the  efficient  school  system.  620  Indians  can  use  English  enough  for  ordinarj'  intercourse.  The 
number  of  children  of  school  age  is  given  as  403,  and  there  are  .school  accommodations  for  275.  There  are  5 
schoolhouses  owned  by  the  Indians,  valued  at  $600.     They  also  own  and  occupy  256  one-story  log  or  block  houses. 

Health. — 1  case  of  chronic  paralysis  and  2  of  pneumonia  are  reported.  3  deaf  and  dumb,  2  blind,  and  2  idiotic 
persons  are  also  mentioned.  The  number  of  childi-en  under  the  age  of  1  year  is  given  as  38,  but  the  number  and 
causes  of  death  must  be  supplied  from  the  regular  enumeration. 

White  intruders. — Agent  Blythe,  who  has  had  the  special  co-operation  of  the  United  States  authorities  in 
investigating  violations  of  the  laws  relating  to  the  lands  of  the  Indians,  reports  56  white  families  as  unlawfully 
upon  the  tract,  occupj'ing  and  farming  6,000  acres,  most  of  it  good  laud. 

L.vxD. — About  20,000  acres  of  land  are  classed  as  arable  or  tillable  and  30,000  acres  as  only  fit  for  grazing. 
The  remainder,  consisting  of  many  mountain  tracts,  is  valuable  for  timber. 

The  Indians  cultivated  2,400  acres  diu'ing  the  year,  which,  with  the  6,000  acres  unlawfully  occupied  and 
cultivated  by  white  people,  make  8,400  acres  cultivated.  The  description  of  this  land,  together  with  the  maps,  is 
given  elsewhere.  500  acres  were  broken  during  the  year  and  3,000  acres  are  fenced.  1,000  rods  of  fencing  were 
built  or  rebuilt  during  the  year.     Special  reference  is  made  to  this  careful  fencing. 

Crops. — Crops  of  the  value  of  -33,859.50  were  raised  during  the  year,  as  follows :  wheat,  oUO  bushels,  S300 :  oats, 
125  bushels,  S62.50 ;  barley  and  rye,  65  bushels,  $32;  corn,  6,000  bushels,  S3,000 ;  potatoes,  400  bushels,  $200; 
turnips,  150  bushels,  S15 ;  onions,  50  bushels,  §25 ;  beans,  300  bushels,  $225. 

Stock.— Horses,  38,  $1,130 ;  mules,  2,  $150  ;  cattle,  210,  $2,420 ;  swine,  300,  $900 ;  sheep,  160,  $480 ;  fowls,  1,800 
$180. 

a  The  Eastern  Ckerukccs  include  lliosc  who  are  now  known  as  the  Eastern  Band  ol'  Clierokces  of  Noitli  Cuiolinii. 


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EASTERN  BAND   OF  CHEROKEES   OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


The  average  earnings  of  the  male  Indians  above  21  years  of  age  is  about  $106  per  year ;  this  includes 
lumbermen.  The  wealth  of  the  band  is  placed  at  an  average  of  $217.25  per  capita.  Wages  are  very  low  in  the 
mountains  of  North  Carolina,  but  the  cost  of  living  is  small,  and  the  Cherokees  earn  as  much  and  live  as  well  as 
the  white  people  about  them. 

The  report  of  Special  Agent  Carrington  is  mainly  as  to  the  condition  of  these  Indians  in  the  census  year  1890. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  training  school  for  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  is  also  a  boarding  school,  with  1  white  teachers.  It 
has  had  84  boarders,  the  average  daUy  attendance  being  80,  and  24  day  scholars.  The  full  details  of  the  operation 
of  this  school  are  given  elsewhere.  The  total  cost  in  maintaining  this  school  for  1890  was  $11,264.47,  expended  as 
follows:  for  salaries  of  teachers  and  employes,  $3,3.30;  all  other  expenses,  $7,914.47.  The  entire  expense  is  paid 
by  the  United  States  from  a  special  appropriation  for  the  Eastern  Cherokee  training  school.  The  buildings  occupied, 
11  in  number,  and  also  a  barn,  are  owned  jointly  by  the  United  States  and  the  Cherokees.  The  school,  while  a 
government  school,  is  under  the  charge  of  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  its  establishment  and  maintenance 
by  the  United  States  is  in  the  nature  of  a  gratuity. 

The  school  statistics  of  the  3  Cherokee  schools  for  the  year  1890  are  as  follows : 

STATISTICS  OF  CHEROKEE  INDIAN  SCHOOLS. 


SCHOOLS. 

Location. 

TEACHERS. 

RACES. 

School 
accom- 
moda- 
tions. 

Largest 
attend- 
ance at 
one 
time. 

SCHOLARS  ATTEND- 
ING  1   MONTH   OR 
UORE  DURING  YEAR, 

SCHOLARS 

BETWEEN  6 

AND  18 

YEARS. 

Over  18 
years 

Average 
age  of 

- 

Total. 

Male. 

Fe- 
male. 

Total. 

In- 
dian. 

White. 

Total. 

Male. 

Fe- 
male. 

Male. 

Fe- 
male. 

of  age. 

puinls. 

Total 

5 

i 

1 

5 
2 

1 
2 

1 

4 

145 

136 

136 

68 

68 

66 

68 

2 

[ 

Big  Co%'e 1  10  miles  northeast 

2 

1 

•> 

2 

1 
1 

1 
1 
2 

60 
30 
55 

54 
30 
52 

M 

30 
52 

28 
13 

27 

26 

17 
25 

28 

26 

9.019 

11.118 

Bird  town 

of  agency. 

2.11    miles    south- 
west of  agency. 

4    milpR     AniithpAHl, 

1 

25    1        25 



1      of  agency. 

Number 

of 

months 

open. 

Average 
attend- 
ance. 

LAKGEST  AVERAGE  ATTENDANCE 
DURING  ANY   MONTH. 

!                     j 

NDMBER  AND  KIND 
OF  BUILDINGS. 

(O) 

COST. 

SCHOOLS. 

January. 

October. 

December. 

1 

Log  or 
block. 

Block, 
weather- 
x>arded. 

Total. 

1 

1 

Maintain- 
ing schools. 

Salaries  of 
teachers. 

i 

1 

100 

100 

100 

2 

1 

?2,103.04 

$1,022.02 

$910.00 



Big  Cove 

7 

7 
7 

26.429 
16.429 
30.143 

36 
30 

36 
30 
34 

36 
30 
M 

1     . 

819.84 
466.92 
816  28 

Birdtown 

1 

233  46                 210  00 

23.46 

1 

1 

1 

a  The  Cherokees  own  5  schoolhouses,  but  only  3  are  occupied. 

The  school  buildings  are  all  owned  by  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees,  and  the  expenses  of  the  schools  are 
paid  with  the  interest  from  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees'  education  fund,  held  in  the  treasury  of  the  United 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The  illustrations  herein  are  from  photographs  made  by  General  Henry  B.  Carrington,  and  show  that   the 
Eastern  Cherokees,  notwithstanding  they  are  self-sustaining  and  good  citizens,  after  more  than  200  years  of  contact 
with  white  people  retain  the  physical  features  of  their  race. 
E.  C— 2 


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EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


BY   HENEY   B.    CAERINGTON. 


No  section  of  country  in  the  United  States  combines  a  greater  variety  of  inland  scenery  than  that  occupied 
by  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians,  embracing  portions  of  the  counties  of  Cherokee,  Graham,  Jackson,  and 
Swain,  in  southwestern  North  Carolina.  Nestled  between  the  Blue  Ridge  on  the  east  and  the  Smoky  mountains 
on  the  west,  partially  sheltered  by  sharp  ranges  and  lofty  peaks  exceeding  Mount  Washington  in  height,  and  more 
than  2,000  feet  above  sea  level,  the  "  Qualla  boundary",  as  it  is  styled,  represents  the  home  locality  of  1,520 
Cherokee  Indians.  Swift  streams,  which  abound  in  speckled  trout,  wind  about  all  points  of  the  compass  for 
their  final  outlet,  leaving  at  almost  every  change  of  course  some  fringing  skirt  of  mellow  land  well  suited  for  farm 
or  garden  purposes.  Choice  timber,  ample  for  all  uses  for  many  years,  is  found  throughout  the  entire  region. 
Strawberries,  blackberries,  grapes,  and  wild  fruits  are  abundant  in  their  season,  and  the  peach  and  apple 
generously  respond  to  moderate  care.  The  corn  crop  rarely  fails.  The  potato  is  prolific  in  bearing  and  excellent 
in  quality.  Wheat,  rye,  and  oats  are  cultivated  with  moderate  returns,  but  suflBcient,  as  a  rule,  for  the  population, 
while  melons  and  all  garden  products  do  well.  Creeks  and  small  streams  and  springs  are  so  numerous  and  ample 
in  How  that  the  simplest  diversion  of  the  water  is  sufficient  for  the  irrigation  of  the  most  reluctaut  soil.  The  hay 
crop  is  limited  by  the  small  meadow  area,  so  that  corn  husks  are  the  main  reliance  for  stock  fodder.  The  almost 
universal  use  of  a  single  steer  for  plowing  and  general  farming  purposes  is  because  of  the  character  of  the  land, 
which  is  made  up  of  steep  hillsides  and  narrow  valley  strips.  Agricultural  implements  are  of  the  simplest  kind. 
As  a  suggestive  fact,  it  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  fences  are  well  built  and  well  maintained  throughout  the  farming 
tracts,  even  where  the  most  primitive  methods  of  farming  prevail.  The  principal  roads,  with  easy  grades,  good 
drainage,  and  free  from  abrupt  or  daugerous  inclines,  skirt  mountain  sides  or  follow  water  courses.  Single  trails, 
that  often  diverge  to  cabins  which  lie  among  the  mountains  or  on  their  slopes,  are  only  accessible  on  foot  or  in  the 
saddle  ;  but  the  chief  thoroughfares  show  good  judgment  and  skillful  engineering  to  meet  the  difficulties  which  had 
to  be  surmounted.  Some  of  these  roads  are  better  withi^i  the  Indian  district  than  over  the  approaches  to  or  through 
the  settlements  of  the  white  people.  The  houses  are  nearly  all  "  block  houses  ",  a  few  only  being  log  houses,  rarely 
having  a  second  room,  unless  it  be  an  attic  room  for  sleeping  or  storage  purposes,  and  are  without  windows. 
Corncribs,  stock  sheds,  and  tobacco  barns  are  of  material  similar  to  the  houses,  except  where,  as  with  corncribs, 
logs  are  used  for  better  ventilation.  Hinges  are  mainly  of  wood,  and  the  stairs  are  constructed  of  pin  poles,  ladders, 
or  inclined,  slatted  planks.  Fireplaces  are  often  supplemented  by  stoves,  but  there  is  at  all  times  an  abundance  of 
pine  knots  and  similar  fuel  for  light,  heat,  and  cooking.  The  climate  is  invigorating  and  healthful,  but  cases  of 
pneumonia  are  frequent,  due  to  the  rapid  changes  of  temperature. 

Surveys  were  made  in  1875-1876  by  M.  S.  Temple  under  the  auspices  of  the  United  States  land  office.  These  were 
embodied  in  a  map  p>iblished  as  "  Map  of  the  Qualla  Indian  reserve  ''.  The  term  "  reserve  "  is  a  misnomer,  as  the 
lands  so  described  were  purchased  for  or  by  the  Indians,  and  were  not  in  any  sense  "reserved"  for  them  by  the 
United  States.  The  map,  however,  is  recognized  by  the  federal  courts  in  the  adjudication  of  the  conflicting  claims 
of  Indian  and  white  settlers  as  a  general  basis  of  demarcation,  but  not  as  an  exact  definition  of  specific  titles.  The 
lines,  except  those  surrounding  the  entire  tract,  are  so  entangled  as  to  form  a  labyrinth  of  conflicting  courses,  which 
are  inexplicable  by  surveyor,  court,  or  jury.  The  Temple  survey  located  "  entries  ".  These,  successively  imposed, 
took  slight  notice  of  previous  entries  or,  indeed,  of  occupation.  The  state  of  North  Carolina  received  its  fees  and 
issued  papers  with  little  regard  for  records  or  files,  a  warning  to  those  in  search  of  permits  to  occupy  lands  within 
the  country  so  inviting  to  incomers.  A  copy  of  the  Temple  map  giving  the  numbers,  as  from  time  to  time  designated, 
is  herewith  furnished  as  a  basis  for  the  topographical  map,  which  gives  the  present  roads  and  the  general  occupation 
of  the  valleys.  It  also  includes  county  lines.  A  new  survey,  already  initiated,  will  be  essential  to  the  settlement 
of  existing  conflicts  of  title  and  any  exact  definition  of  title  hereafter.  Reference  will  be  made  elsewhere  to  the 
issues  involved  in  the  pending  survey. 

A  marginal  map,  on  a  reduced  scale,  indicates  the  relations  of  the  11  southwestern  counties  of  North  Carolina 
to  each  other  and  to  the  adjoining  states  of  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  and  Tennessee,  in  each  of  which  states  the 

Cherokees  once  had  lands  and  homes. 

11 


12  STATISTICS   OF  INDIANS. 

Tlie  practical  ceuter  of  interest  and  divergence  in  a  visitation  or  description  of  the  Cherokee  country  is  found  at 
tlie  site  of  the  Ignited  States  agency  and  t)ie  adjoining  training  scliool  at  Cherokee,  formerly  known  as  Yellow  hill. 
It  is  about  6  miles  from  Whittier,  tlie  nearest  railroad  and  telegrapli  station,  and  10  miles  from  Bryson  city,  formerly 
Charleston,  the  county  seat  of  Swain  county.  The  Ocona  Lufta  riv(!r,  which  joins  the  Tuckasegee,  a  tributary 
of  the  Tennessee,  less  than  2  miles  below  Whittier,  flows  directly  south  along  the  school  grounds,  receiving  its  two 
principal  tributary  sources  2.5  miles  to  the  north.  The  Bradley  fork  enters  through  white  settlements  near  the 
house  once  the  home  of  Abraham  Enloe,  which,  by  an  absurd  fiction,  is  associated  with  the  old  home  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Ravens  fork  from  the  northeast  is  an  impetuous  stream,  at  times  a  torrent,  flowing  in  its  upper  course 
through  narrow  valleys,  coves  or  pockets,  whose  soil  is  rich,  deep,  and  black,  like  that  of  the  bottoms  of  the  Miami 
and  Scioto  in  Ohio.  Ou  Straight  fork  of  this  creek,  "at  the  very  verge  of  the  line  of  the  Cathcart  survey,  in  the  last 
Indian  house  in  that  direction,  lives  Cliitolski  (Falling  Blossom),  a  Cherokee  of  means  and  influence,  whose  name 
is  expressive  of  the  condition  of  the  corn  when  the  pollen,  dropping  into  the  silk,  is  supposed  to  bear  some  part  in 
fertilizing  the  ear.  His  home  is  a  new  and  spacious  block  house,  very  comfortable,  with  the  usual  piazza,  in  front. 
Upon  ac(!epting  an  invitation  to  dine,  the  water  was  turned  upon  the  wheel  of  the  mill  close  by,  and  fresh  meal  was 
soon  served  in  the  shape  of  a  hot "  corndodger".  "  Long  sweetening  "  of  honey  or  molasses  gave  a  peculiar  sanction 
to  a  cup  of  good  coffee,  and  this,  with  bacon  and  gi-eens,  supplemented  with  peaches  grown  on  the  farm,  made  a 
most  excellent  meal.  This  mill  is  one  of  many,  alike  simple  in  construction,  where  neighbors  deposit  their  toll  of 
gi'ain,  turn  on  the  water,  and  grind  their  own  meal.  Some  of  these  mills  have  onlj'  a  slight  roof  over  the  hopper  and 
are  open  at  the  sides.  Chitolski's  house  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  in  the  country,  and  very  few  houses  of  the  white 
people  upon  Indian  lands  or  lands  adjacent  approach  it  in  comfort.  Some  large  peach  trees  were  loaded  with  safely 
developed  fruit,  and  a  vigorous  young  orchard,  carefully  planted,  gave  promise  of  as  prosperous  a  future  as  those  of 
advanced  growth,  which  bore  the  pledges  of  a  good  autumn  product.  A  horse,  several  heifers,  and  chickens  and  ducks 
imparted  life  to  the  scene,  and  the  host  and  his  wife,  whose  grown  children  have  sought  independent  homes,  are 
j>reparing,  with  every  indication  of  success,  to  spend  their  latter  years  in  contentment  and  comfort.  Chitolski  is 
building  a  new  path  out  from  his  snug  valley  "wide  enough  for  wheels",  so  that  visitors  will  not  be  compelled  to 
unhitch  and  mount  harnessed  horses  to  share  his  hosj)itality.  Specimens  of  quartz  and  varieties  of  spar  having 
susiiicious  j^ellow  specs  were  produced  and  information  sought  as  to  their  value.  The  washings  of  the  streams  give 
"gold  color",  and  some  claim  that  they  can  net  $1  a  day  when  the  water  is  low. 

The  whole  trip  to  Big  Cove,  as  this  region  is  named,  is  attractive  from  its  rich  soil,  its  well-worked  hillsides,  its 
fertile  coves  between  the  mountain  spurs,  its  excellent  fences,  and  the  universal  indications  of  well-applied  industry. 
A  sudden  turn  in  the  road  brought  in  sight  a  happy  boy  fishing.  He  had  succeeded  in  landing  two  fine  speckled  trout. 
The  supply  of  trout  at  the  proper  season  is  abundant  for  table  use.  Eastward  from  the  agency,  crossing  the  Ocona 
Lufta  river,  below  a  substantial,  elevated  foot  bridge  over  the  southern  verge  of  Spray  ridge  and  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Hobbs,  the  panorama  of  the  Soco  valley,  with  its  bright  vista,  is  brought  suddenly  into  view.  Mountain 
spurs,  carefully-fenced  gardens,  well-lined  furrows,  and  gleaming  streams  are  distributed  for  10  miles,  until  closed 
by  the  loftj^  Mount  Dorchester,  which,  at  the  end  of  this  valley,  presents  to  the  view  an  area  of  at  least  30  miles. 
Descending  from  this  point  of  outlook,  the  valley  distance  is  varied  by  careful  cultivation,  with  wheat  and  rye  most 
conspiciuous,  while  several  strips  of  neai-ly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  breadth  are  fenced  with  stone  and  irrigated  by 
ditches,  showing  how  resolutely  the  open  spaces  are  utilized  for  substantial  crops.  At  a  distance  of  5  miles  the  old 
mission  house,  long  since  abandoned  for  church  purposes,  still  atfords  a  popular  gathering  place  for  political  and 
other  meetings.  At  one  of  these  meetings,  (hiring  the  enumeration,  nu)re  than  100  Cherokees  assembled  to  consult 
as  to  a  change  of  their  principal  chief  at  the  election  in  1891,  and  to  protest  against  any  change  in  the  management 
of  their  admirably  conducted  training  school.  The  old  building,  open  and  dilapidated  in  front,  is  furnished  with 
benches  and  desk,  and  the  pi'oceedings  at  the  meeting  alluded  to  were  characterized  by  formality  and  good  order. 

Less  than  1  mile  further  east,  across  the  creek,  is  the  spacious  Soco  schoolhouse.  Excellent  desks  and 
accommodations  gi-eatly  superior  to  those  of  some  schoolhouses  outside  the  Indian  lines  distinguish  this  school,  and 
the  building  is  also  used  for  church  or  Sunday-school  work  on  the  Sabbath.  It  is  a  block  house,  well  hewn,  closely 
jointed,  and  durable  as  well  as  convenient. 

At  the  foot  of  Mount  Dorchester,  named  in  memory  of  a  great  admirer  of  the  locality  and  warm  supporter  of 
the  training  school,  and  not  more  than  3  miles  distant,  one  open  tract  of  30  acres  is  in  good  cultivation,  while  upon 
the  hillsides,  so  steep  that  it  seemed  as  if  wings  or  ladders  would  be  needed  for  tillage,  several  patches  of  from  5  to 
10  a(;res  were  green  with  well-developed  wheat,  and  on  one  of  the  slopes  a  "working  bee"  of  30  men,  women,  and 
children  were  uniting  their  forces  to  help  a  neighbor  put  in  his  c^orn.  In  places  where  even  a  single  steer  could 
not  hold  footing  with  the  lightest  plow  a  long  line  of  willing  workers  hoed  successive  parallel  seed  trenches. 

The  Soco  river  enters  this  valley  from  the  south  at  Oocomers  mill,  and  at  less  than  half  a  mile  distant  is  the 
quaint,  uncovered  Washington  mill,  well  i)atr(mized  by  the  neighbors.  Here  Big  Witch  creek  joins  the  Soco  and 
by  a  rocky  road  or  trail  the  cabin  of  Big  Witch  is  reached.  Big  Witch  is  a  genial,  white-haired  Clierokee,  who,  at 
the  age  of  10.'),  was  prom])t  to  supjily  a  chair  and  jiroud  to  speak  of  his  great-great-grandchildren. 


OJ 

o 

a> 

O 


<u 


O 


o 

o 


EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA.  13 

The  Soco  valley  road  is  joined  at  the  old  mission  liouse  by  a  road  from  "Webster  and  Whittier.  At  less  than  a 
mile  a  wagon  trail  leads  to  the  house  of  Wesley  Crow,  a  loading  Cherokee  councilman,  who  is  one  of  tlie  strongest 
supporters  of  the  public  schools.  Penned  in  by  abrupt  mountains,  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  forks  of  Shoal  creek, 
comfortably  supplied  with  farm  conveniences,  industriously  tilling  wheat,  corn,  rye,  and  potatoes,  he  points  with 
great  satisfaction  to  the  loom  and  spinning  wheel  on  his  piazza  as  representing  the  industries  of  the  household 
within.  The  absence  of  windows  was  no  serious  discomfort,  as  the  inside  comforts  were  all  that  lie  deemed 
desirable  or  necessary.  He  is  a  good  representative  man,  steady,  industrious,  and  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
people.  He  has  been  one  of  the  foremost  of  the  Cherokee  council  in  a  movement  to  prevent  the  selection  of  Smitli  as 
principal  chief  at  the  election  in  1891,  maintaining  that  only  a  temperate  man,  of  good  moral  character,  and  a  friend 
of  the  pu))lic  schools  is  fit  for  the  place.  Principal  Chief  Smith,  a  man  of  sufficient  natural  capacity  to  serve  the 
people  well,  has  borne  the  opposite  character  of  late,  althougli  once  very  prominent.  South  from  tlie  trail  leading 
to  Crow's  hovise,  as  soon  as  the  Indian  lauds  are  left,  to  the  bridge  across  the  Tuckasegee,  at  Whittier,  both 
houses  and  roads  are  inferior  to  those  upon  the  Indian  lands,  and  the  fences  are  poor.  Immediately  upon 
crossing  the  ford  below  the  agency,  and  without  ascending  the  summit  that  overlooks  Soco  valley,  a  road  leads 
under  the  ridge,  along  the  Ocona  Lufta  river,  past  the  comfortable  house  and  well-arranged  barns  of  Vice  Principal 
Chief  John  Going  Welcli,  until  it  crosses  Slioal  creek,  just  above  its  union  with  the  river.  It  then  bears  away, 
past  the  old  agency  headquarters,  the  deserted  trading  house  of  Thomas,  past  the  residence  of  Eev.  John  Bird,  a 
venerable,  retired  missionary,  who  long  labored  successfully  among  tlie  Ciierokees,  and  is  still  enthusiastic  in  their 
welfare,  past  the  old  site  marked  "  Qualla  "  on  the  map,  and  leads  off  to  Webster,  the  county  town  of  Jackson 
county,  14  miles  distant.  A  second  road  from  the  Soco  valley  joins  it  at  the  old  agency,  where  tlie  broad,  fertile 
tract  of  Euloe  receives  full  sunlight  and  well  repays  culture.  The  road  from  the  old  mission  also  joins  the  Webster 
road  near  Qualla,  and  then  turns  southwest  to  Whittier.  At  the  ford  below  the  agency  the  Ocona  Lufta  river 
suddenly  turns  eastward  for  a  short  distance,  tlien  as  abruptly  soutliward  and  westward,  almost  encircling  Donaldson 
ridge,  which  faces  the  agencj'.  Without  crossing  the  ford,  but  passing  directly  under  tliis  ridge,  the  sliortest  road  for 
Wliittier  gradually  rises,  crossing  the  foot  of  Mount  Noble,  and  presents  at  its  summit  a  view  of  a  portion  of  the 
Ocona  Lufta  valley,  which  is  hardly  surpassed  by  that  of  tlie  Soco  valley,  the  same  principal  peaks  to  the  eastward 
having  part  in  the  landscape.  Tliis  road  descends  westward,  passing  the  old  Ute  Sherrill  homestead  and  the  liouse 
of  William  P.  Hyde,  a  mile  from  the  agencj',  where  it  soon  rejoins  the  river,  bearing  westward  toward  Bryson  city. 
At  tlie  distance  of  1.25  miles  auotlier  dilapidated  church  stands,  and  in  the  center  of  the  higliway  is  a  mammoth  oak 
where  in  midsummer  the  Indians  gather  for  church  and  Sunday-school  services  in  preference  to  the  old  cliurch  or  the 
schoolhouse  a  little  beyond.  The  old  church  is  not  wholly  abandoned,  however,  the  open  sides  seeming  to  be  no 
special  objection  to  those  who  habitually  live  with  doors  open  for  most  of  the  year.  A  few  liundred  yards  beyond 
the  oak  is  located  the  Birdtown  Indian  sclioolliouse.  Tliis  also  is  a  block  house,  but  has  been  weatherboarded, 
and  only  needs  paint  to  give  it  a  modern  dress.  The  peculiar  Indian  fancy  for  suggestive  names  has  devised  one 
for  this  unpretentious  little  building :  an  Indian  boy,  Willie  Muttonliead,  after  hearing  his  Sunday-school  teacher 
read  the  Bible  description  of  the  pharisees,  in  tlie  twenty-third  chapter  of  JNIatthew,  very  promptly  asked  "  if  their 
schoolhouse  wasn't  a  hypocrite  house  ". 

Less  than  a  mile  below  the  schoolhouse  a  rude  road  bears  to  tlie  right,  winds  over  and  between  hills  near  the 
source  of  Adams  creek,  passes  the  foot  of  the  ascent  upon  which  the  new  and  spacious  schoolhouse  for  the  white 
people  of  Birdtown  is  located  and  the  little  Birdtown  post  office  kept  by  Widow  Keeler,  and  enters  again  the 
%\ell-traveled  road  to  Bryson  city,  about  4.5  miles  from  the  agency,  as  indicated  on  the  map.  The  most  direct  road 
to  Whittier  leaves  this  Brj'son  city  road  3.5  miles  from  the  agency,  crosses  the  Ocona  Lufta  river  and  the  Whittier 
summit,  and  then  descends  rapidly  to  the  valley  of  the  Tuckasegee.  The  home  of  William  Ta-lah-lah,  a  prominent 
councilman,  stands  upon  a  hill  to  the  right,  shortlj'  after  passing  Adams  creek.  All  roads  which  border  the  numerous 
creeks  are  suliject  to  rapid  overflow  in  the  rainy  season  or  after  heavy  summer  showers,  and  the  streams  become 
impassable.  Simple  bridges  of  hewn  logs,  often  of  great  size,  and  guarded  by  hand  rails,  supply  pedestrians  the  means 
of  communication  between  the  various  settlements  until  the  waters  subside.  In  deep  cuts,  or  where  the  Ocona  Lufta 
river  is  thus  crossed,  substantial  trestles  or  supports  have  been  erected  on  each  shore  and  in  the  stream,  as  no  single 
tree  would  span  the  distance.  Numerous  short  cuts  or  foot  trails  wind  among  the  mountains  and  over  very  steep 
divides,  but  all  the  wagon  roads  for  general  travel  have  been  indicated  upon  the  map  and  described.  Wagon  trails 
for  hauling  timber  to  single  cabins  or  hamlets  are  not  infrequent. 

This  somewhat  minute  description  of  the  map  is  uecessaiy  for  a  true  conception  of  the  character  of  this  people 
and  their  neighborly  intercourse  as  of  one  great  family.  Their  wants  are  few.  Thej'  are  peaceable,  sociable,  and 
industrious,  without  marked  ambition  to  acquire  wealth,  and  without  jealousy  of  their  more  prosperous  neighbors. 


14  STATISTICS  OF  INDIANS. 

CHEROIvEE  INDUSTRIES. 
Tlie  niaiu  occupation  of  the  Ea.steni  Baud  of  Oherokees  of  North  Caroliua  is  that  of  farming.  The  acreage  is 
very  limited  iu  each  tract,  but  crops  more  than  sufficient  for  home  necessities  are  generally  realized.  Seed  sowuig 
is  mainly  doue  by  hand,  because  the  use  of  machinery  is  impracticable  on  their  hillside  farms.  Hand  sowing  is  also 
practiced  among  the  white  people  upon  adjoining  lauds,  and  the  growing  crops  indicate  very  sparse  and  unequal  spread 
of  the  seed.  The  mountain  soil  and  occasional  sand  levels  need  a  fertilizer  in  order  to  replace  the  waste  of  annual 
tillage,  but  the  steep  declivities,  where  patience  has  secured  a  good  planting,  are  often  swept  by  storm  torrents,  so 
thatliertilizers  retain  only  a  slight  hold.  It  is  impossible  to  visit  the  ditlerent  sections  without  the  conviction  that 
the  people  of  both  sexes,  children  included,  are  domestic  and  industrious.  With  the  exception  of  blacksmithing, 
some  cobbling,  and  plain  harness  work,  mechanical  trades  have  few  followers.  The  men  are  expert  with  the  ax, 
however,  hewing  out  thick  planks  for  wagon  beds,  and  the  timber  of  the  block  houses  is  well  shaped  and  well  fitted. 
Ingenuity  and  skill  are  exhibited  in  pottery,  but  as  a  business  it  has  ceased  to  be  profitable.  Plain  ironwork  is 
done  by  a  few,  and  Sololah  makes  a  good  knife,  with  well-tempered  blades.  Davis  Welch,  a  wagon  maker,  runs  his 
forwe  bellows  by  convenient  water  power.  Wooden  spoons,  both  beautiful  and  useful,  are  made  from  the  laurel,  and 
there  are  those  who  can  manufacture  "  ancient  relics  "  as  well  as  white  men,  and  can  at  short  notice  produce  the 
"  genuine  old  furniture  of  colonial  times  ".  Baskets  are  also  made  from  oak  splints  and  the  caue  for  household  and 
farm  uses,  but  this  is  no  longer  followed  as  a  general  industry.  The  material  for  an  expansive  industrial  development 
of  this  people  is  at  hand.  Already,  by  their  contact  with  the  progressive  civilization  which  is  reconstructing  society 
and  all  external  home  surroundings,  they  are  hinting  that  frame  houses  with  glass  windows  are  better  fitted  for 
home  comforts  than  those  now  in  use ;  but  the  cost  of  lumber  and  hauliug  is  an  obstacle  to  the  construction  of  this 
class  of  houses,  for  little  returns  in  money  come  from  the  small  farm  surplus.  The  oak,  pine,  holly,  laurel,  walnut, 
chestnut,  sourwood,  service,  mulberry,  hemlock,  spruce,  and  sassafras  woods  cost  practically  only  the  felling  and 
hauling,  and  the  supply,  which  is  abundant,  will  continue  for  years.  A  single  sawmill  established  near  the 
government  agency  would  soon  revolutionize  the  building  system  and  bring  cash  returns,  which  could  be  used  iu  the 
cultivation  of  the  freshly  cleared  lands.  Trespassers  have  already  commenced  systematic  robbery,  and  the  federal 
courts  are  handling  the  ofienders.  The  whole  system  of  hitherto  crude  bridge  making  will  be  changed  when  heavy 
lumber  is  within  reach,  and  ready  communication,  almost  wholly  suspended  during  several  months  by  high  waters, 
will  bi-eak  up  the  isolation  of  many  farmers  and  stimulate  the  entire  people  to  a  higher  plane  of  living.  Access  to 
schools  and  to  neighboring  markets  will  be  quickened  in  proportion  as  the  secluded  trails  for  the  foot  traveler  or 
single  steer  give  place  to  good  roads,  which  are  only  possible  in  that  mountain  region  when  bridges,  well  built  above 
hifh-water  mark,  l^ecome  frequent.  Suitable  clay  for  the  manufiicture  of  brick  is  accessible,  as  well  as  kaolin,  which 
is  rapidly  making  the  village  of  Dillsboro  a  beautiful  and  flourishing  commercial  center. 

RELIGION  AND  MORALS. 

The  superstitions  and  religious  extravaganzas  of  ancient  times  have  almost  disappeared.  Lingering  fancies  as 
to  witches  and  witchcraft  crop  out  from  time  to  time  among  these  Indians,  but  in  uo  more  unreasonable  forms  than 
among  their  neighbors.  The  church  organizations  are  iu  a  languishing  condition.  AVhile  the  people  as  a  whole  are 
christian  in  theory  and  no  pagan  element  remains,  the  early  mission  enterprises  among  the  Cherokees  have  not 
advanced  with  the  intelligence  and  physical  prosperity  of  the  people.  Both  Baptists  and  Methodists  early  occupied 
the  field,  and  with  marked  success.  At  present  the  old  church  buildings,  indicated  on  the  map,  and  one  adjoining 
the  agency,  all  equally  dilapidated,  are  uninviting  and  of  no  value  in  bad  weather.  Schoolhouses  are  used  both 
for  public  worship  and  Sunday-school  gatherings,  as  the  population  is  neither  numerous  nor  rich  enough  to  erect 
and  sustain  independent  churches.  The  erection  by  the  government  of  a  suitable  building  near  the  agency  for  public 
meetings  and  use  upon  the  Sabbath  by  the  difl'erent  denominations  in  turn  would  meet  the  demand  and  prove  a 
great  benefit  to  the  people.  The  Cherokees  would  conti-ibute  the  lumber  and  labor  necessary  for  its  erection. 
Religious  denominational  jealousies  and  proselytism  have  had  their  part  in  this  apparent  religious  declension,  and 
the  Indians  are  no  less  susceptible  to  such  influences  than  white  people.  At  present  the  rules  adopted  for  the 
management  of  the  common  or  district  schools  by  Superintendent  W.  H.  Spray,  of  the  Cherokee  training  school, 
who  has  charge  of  all  the  schools  as  well,  are  decidedly  in  the  direction  of  religious  and  moral  progress  throughout 
the  territory.  Xo  teacher  is  employed  who  is  not  a  christian  man  or  woman,  but  no  preference  in  the  selection  of 
teachers  is  shown  as  to  the  dift'erent  evangelical  denominations  of  the  Protestant  church.  There  are  no  Catholics 
among  the  Cherokees.  The  school  buildings  are  also  readily  opened  for  religious  meetings,  and  iu  addition  to 
this  the  training  school,  while  nominally  under  control  of  the  Friends,  is  thoroughly  catholic  iu  spirit  and  wholly 
without  bigotry  or  proselytism  in  its  management.  The  attendance  at  this  school  habitually  of  about  one-fourth 
of  the  children  of  school  age,  where  religious  training  forms  a  cardinal  feature  of  the  work,  has  its  wholesome  effect 
elsewhere. 

Rev.  S.  G.  Owen,  of  the  West  North  Carolina  Baptist  convention,  preaches  three  times  each  month  in  some 
one  of  the  districts,  receiving  a  salary  of  S500  per  annum.     Connected  with  the  Bapti.st  church  as  Indian  helpers 


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EASTERN  BAND   OF  CHEROKEES   OF  NORTH  CAROLINA.  15 

or  ministers  are  John  Jackson,  of  Graliam  county,  and  Suate  Owl,  John  Kamut,  and  Armstrong  Cornsilk,  of  Swain 
county.  The  contributions,  as  reported  by  Mr.  Owen,  average  about  $1  a  Sabbath,  which  is  applied  to  the 
allowance  from  the  Baptist  convention.  The  communicants,  widely  scattered,  and  consequently  irregular  in  their 
attendance  at  church,  are  estimated  at  100,  many  once  active  members  being  counted  as  backsliders  or  indifferent. 
Eev.  J.  A.  Wiggins,  of  the  Methodist  church,  visits  the  territory  once  a  month,  and  Stamford  George,  a  Cherokee 
minister,  is  one  of  the  most  consistent  and  active  workers  of  that  denomination.  John  Long  also  does  ministerial 
work.  Kev.  Mr.  Bird,  already  referred  to,  and  worthy  of  special  honor  for  a  long  life  of  self-sacrificing  toil  in  this 
field,  where  he  will  spend  his  remaining  years,  considers  a  central  place  of  worship  of  great  importance,  and,  with 
Mr.  Owen,  regards  the  present  a  fit  time  for  increased  effort  to  reach  the  Cherokee  families  for  good.  Both 
denominations  should  increase  their  means  of  usefulness  among  the  Cherokees,  and  they  should  receive  a  liberal 
support.  The  absence  of  the  Cherokee  from  the  criminal  courts,  the  uuiform  observance  of  the  marriage  rite,  the 
character  and  development  of  the  schools,  and  the  industry  of  the  people  are  signs  of  real  progress.  Evidence  on 
file  at  the  Interior  department  shows  that  illegitimate  births  are  less  frequent  than  among  the  white  people. 
The  recent  determination  of  the  leading  Cherokee  councilmen  and  citizens  to  make  morality,  a  fair  education,  and 
temperance  the  essential  prerequisites  of  their  candidate  for  principal  chief  at  the  fall  election  of  1891  is  a  true 
index  to  the  purpose  of  this  people  as  to  their  future.  There  are  no  formal  temperance  organizations  among  the 
Eastern  Baud  of  Cherokees,  but  intemperance  is  not  common.  Among  those  who  have  indulged  to  excess  the 
principal  chief  has  been  the  most  prominent,  but  his  influence,  once  paramount,  has  now  little  effect,  and  three- 
fourths  of  the  council  of  the  nation  are  opposed  to  his  habits  and  policy.  He  declares  his  purpose,  however,  to 
reform  and  present  a  better  example.  Heretofore  he  has  been  a  man  of  much  pride  and  dignity,  and  he  mio-ht  still 
do  much  for  this  people  if  in  full  accord  with  educational,  moral,  and  religious  progress.  At  the  training  school, 
which  is  the  center  of  interest,  no  employe  is  retained  who  is  either  intemperate  or  profane.  This  institution 
with  its  many  pupils  and  its  liberal  market  arrangements  with  the  Indians,  exerts  an  elevating  and  wholesome 
influence  in  all  directions. 

EDUCATION. 

There  are  at  present  among  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  3  schools  of  a  common-school  grade  in  addition 
to  the  Cherokee  training  school,  initiated  liy  an  eminent  christian  scholar,  Barnabas  Hobbs,  of  Indiana,  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  There  was  also  a  grammar  school  in  Graham  county,  but  it  was  abandoned  because  the 
children  were  few  and  scattered  and  several  of  them  attended  the  training  school. 

Big  Cove  school  is  10  miles  northeast  from  the  agency,  on  Eavens  fork  of  the  Ocona  Lufta  river.  It  has 
2  teachers,  both  males,  and  is  sustained  at  a  cost  of  $819.84.  There  are  accommodations  for  60  pupils.  The  largest 
attendance  during  the  year  was  54,  of  whom  28  were  males  and  26  females,  all  between  the  ages  of  6  and  18 
years.  The  average  age  was  9.019  ;  the  average  attendance  for  1  year  was  26.429  ;  the  highest  average  attendance 
for  1  month,  that  of  January,  was  36. 

Birdtown  school  is  2.11  miles  southwest  from  the  agency,  with  1  male  teacher  and  accommodations  for  30 
pupils,  and  the  whole  number,  viz,  13  males  and  17  females,  all  between  the  ages  of  6  and  18,  attended,  their 
average  age  being  11.118.  The  average  attendance  during  7  months  was  16.429,  and  the  highest  average  attendance 
any  one  month,  that  of  December,  was  30,  the  full  number.     Schega  Wella  missed  but  2  daj\s  in  2  j'ears. 

Macedonia  school,  on  Soco  creek,  above  the  old  mission  house,  already  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
topographical  outline  of  the  Qualla  boundary,  is  supported  by  the  interest,  payable  annually,  from  an  educational 
fund  held  in  trust  by  the  United  States  for  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees.  The  2  other  schools  are  also  maintained 
from  the  same  fund.  The  expense  of  the  Macedonia  school  for  the  census  year,  including  salaries,  was  $816.28. 
There  are  accommodations  at  this  school  for  55  pupils,  and  the  largest  attendance  was  52.  This  number,  viz,  27 
males  and  25  females,  attended  more  than  1  of  the  7  school  months  during  the  year.  Of  the  scholars  2  were  over 
18  and  none  were  under  6  years  of  age,  their  average  ages  being  10.8.  The  average  attendance  for  1  year  was 
30.14,  and  the  largest  monthly  average  attendance  (October)  was  34.  2  teachers,  1  male  and  1  female,  were 
employed.     Stacy  Johnson  and  Amy  Johnson  missed  but  1  day  each  in  3  years. 

SCHOOL  STATISTICS. 

Number  over  20  years  of  age  who  can  read 365 

Number  under  20  years  of  age  who  can  read 300 

Number  under  20  yeare  of  age  who  can  write  English 180 

Number  who  can  speak  ordinary  English 620 

Number  who  can  not  speak  English 385 

Children  of  school  age .■ 403 

School  accommodations 275 

The  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  have  a  written  language,  and  this  furnishes  the  basis  for  a  rapid  development 
in  proportion  as  vigorous  schools  are  maintained  under  interested  and  judicious  instructors. 


16  STATISTICS  OF  INDIANS. 

THE  CHEROKEE  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

The  Cherokee  training  school,  establislied  under  the  auspices  of  the  Western  Meeting  of  Friends  of  the  state 
of  Indiana,  occupies  for  school  and  farm  purposes  nearly  50  acres  of  land  along  the  Ocona  Lufta  river,  at  the  foot 
of  IVfount  Noble,  as  indicated  on  the  map.  39  acres  of  this  land  were  purchased  by  the  Friends  from  the  heirs  of 
Longblanket,  the  Cherokee  chief. 

The  inspiration  of  the  enterprise  from  the  first  has  been  the  earnest  and  intelligent  purpose  of  Barnabas  Hobbs 
(well  known  as  former  superintendent  of  schools  for  the  state  of  Indiana,  and  well  known  also  in  Europe  for  his 
labors  in  behalf  of  general  peace)  to  combine  moral,  educational,  and  industrial  training  for  the  Cherokee  youth 
under  a  formal  home  system  of  management.  This  work,  after  many  trials  and  much  local  opposition,  has  been 
most  successfully  developed. 

Tliis  Cherokee  training  school  was  a  natural  result  of  a  system  initiated  by  General  Grant  whereby  various 
religious  bodies  were  encouraged  to  enter  into  contracts  for  the  education  and  training  of  Indian  youth.  The 
council  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  made  such  an  agreement  with  the  Friends  for  a  term  of  10  years,  which 
term  expired  in  May,  1890.  The  majority  of  the  council  favored  its  indefinite  continuance.  The  principal  chief, 
Nimrod  J.  Smith,  interposed  his  veto,  and,  although  nearly  at  the  end  of  his  term  of  ofBce,  obstinately  opposed  the 
general  wish  of  the  people,  and  left  the  matter  unsettled. 

The  school  is  under  the  direction  of  4  teachers,  all  female,  and  9  other  employes,  13  in  all,  of  whom  10  are  white 
and  3  are  Indian.  The  number  of  })upils  who  can  be  properly  and  healthfully  accommodated  in  the  main  building, 
the  boarding  house,  is  90,  including  20  day  pupils.  As  many  as  SI  have  been  accommodated.  43  males  and  41 
females  have  attended  the  school  more  than  1  month,  in  addition  to  15  male  and  9  female  day  scholars,  all  between 
the  ages  of  6  and  18  years.  The  school  was  maintained  10  months,  with  an  average  attendance  of  80  boarding 
pupils  and  5.20  day  pupils.  The  average  age  of  the  boarders  is  9.071,  and  of  day  pupils  10.042.  During  the  month 
of  September,  1889,  the  average  attendance  of  the  boarders  was  80,  and  of  the  day  pupils  17.708.  The  cost  of 
maintaining  the  school  was  §11,2G4.47,  from  the  government  appropriation  of  $12,000.  Industrial  work  forms  a 
marked  feature  of  duty,  aud  this  includes  forming,  fruit  culture,  gardening,  grazing  stock,  and  some  shop  work. 
The  general  duties  of  the  housewife  are  taught  the  girls,  as  well  as  plain  sewing  and  other  needlework.  Scholars 
take  their  turn  in  laundering,  cooking,  and  housework,  so  that  all  learn  to  make  bread  and  qualify  themselves  for  all 
kitchen  duty.  Practically  125  acres  have  been  cultivated.  50  bushels  of  wheat,  500  bushels  of  corn,  75  bushels  of 
oats,  600  pumpkins,  10  tons  of  hay,  and  50  pounds  of  butter  are  among  the  products  of  the  industry  of  the  school. 
The  boys  and  girls  have  acquired  and  take  care  of  33  swine  and  150  domestic  fowls.  5  horses  and  56  cattle, 
including  25  milch  cows,  form  the  stock  of  the  institution.  4  frame  houses  and  7  outbuildings  are  owned  by  the 
government  or  the  Cherokee  nation,  of  which  one,  a  spacious,  well-arranged  barn,  costing  S400,  was  erected  during 
the  year.  The  salary  of  the  superintendent  and  matron,  besides  board,  is  but  $1,000  per  annum,  and  the  highest 
salary  paid  any  teacher  or  employe  is  $30  per  month.  The  week-day  programme  of  exercises  fitly  illustrates  the 
excellence  of  the  superintendent's  management,  and  explains  the  high  order  among  schools  which  the  Cherokee 
training  school  has  attained.  It  is  as  follows:  morning  bell,  5  o'clock;  breakfast,  5.30;  industrial  work,  6  to  9 ; 
school  exercises,  9  to  11.15  ;  dinner,  12  m.;  industrial  work,  12.30  p.  m.;  school  exercises,  1.30  to  4  ;  industrial  work, 
4  to  6  ;  supper,  6 ;  recreation,  6.30  to  7  ;  evening  study,  7  ;  evening  prayers,  8  ;  retiring  bell,  8.30. 

According  to  age  and  necessity,  a  portion  of  the  hours  for  industrial  work  and  evening  study  is  used  for  such 
occupations  as  partake  of  the  character  of  recreation,  and  an  excellent  brass  band  among  the  boys  is  the  result  of 
one  phase  of  this  system.  At  the  breakfast  hour  a  few  verses  are  read  from  the  Bible,  followed  by  a  brief  prayer, 
and  the  blessing  upon  the  meal  is  either  uttered  by  a  teacher  or  the  school  in  unison.  The  Sabbath  exercises  are 
varied  by  Sunday-school  recitations,  but  no  sectarian  or  dogmatic  teaching  has  a  place  at  any  time.  The  familiar 
but  proper  forms  of  a  large  family  are  observed  at  all  hours,  and  the  handshaking  "  good  night  "  is  as  pleasing  and 
genial  as  if  all  were  indeed  one  family  in  fact.  Religious  instruction  is  largely  a  matter  of  i)recept  and  example, 
without  catechismal  or  other  straight  forms  for  the  inculcation  of  principles  of  right  and  duty. 

During  the  year  the  hostility  of  Chief  Smith  disturbed  some  of  the  friends  of  the  school,  and  the  overwork 
imposed  upon  the  superintendent,  with  corresponding  delay  to  keep  the  Friends,  founders  and  patrons  of  the  school, 
promptly  advised  of  its  monthly  or  quarterly  condition,  led  them  to  propose  a  summary  change.  This  would  gratify 
the  chiefs  spite  and  please  jealous  neighbors,  who  desire  the  Friends  to  lose  control  of  the  school,  although  such 
a  change  would  prove  signally  disastrous  to  its  best  interests.  The  school  had  better  be  wholly  under  government 
control  than  undergo  so  sudden  and  revolutionary  a  change.  A  contract  was  drafted  at  the  request  of  parties 
interested.  Superintendent  Spray  and  the  Friends,  and  its  execution  in  good  faith  will  banish  distrust  and  impart 
new  life  to  the  institution.  The  nation  as  a  body  has  implicit  confidence  in  the  mai^agement,  and  its  moral 
influence  is  great  and  increasing. 


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EASTERN  BAND   OF  CHEROKEES   OF  NORTH   CAROLINA.  17 

NEEDS  OF  THE  CHEROKEE  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

Greater  accommodations  are  needed,  and  the  funds  necessary  for  an  increase  of  the  pupilage  to  125  shoukl  be 
appropriated.  All  buildings  need  painting.  A  shop  for  industrial  trades  is  a  necessity.  The  piping  for  water,  near 
by,  should  be  so  enlarged  and  developed  as  to  secure  a  fire  cistern,  and  appliances  for  use  against  fire  should  be 
provided.  A  sawmill  should  be  built,  the  water  power  being  convenient  and  abundant.  Already  the  superintendent 
buys  produce  largely  from  the  Indians,  and  secures  for  them  many  articles  of  clothing  at  cost.  This  offends  visiting 
merchants,  who  are  not  always  free  from  the  suspicion  that  ardent  spirits  reach  the  Indians  through  the  carelessness 
of  their  employes,  so  that  every  local  means  promotive  of  self-reliance,  independence,  and  industrial  development 
should  have  government  sanction  and  support. 

The  general  management  of  the  institution  by  the  Friends  and  their  representatives  has  been  catholic  in  spirit, 
conciliatory  toward  all  denominations,  and  liberal  in  its  recognition  of  the  demands  of  the  times.  Misrepresentations 
awakened  anxiety,  but  an  examination  of  the  property,  assets,  and  management  resulted  in  the  vindication  of  the 
general  policy  of  the  superintendent ;  but  a  more  exact  and  responsible  system  for  future  development  was  formulated. 
The  recognition  of  the  personal  integrity  of  Superintendent  Spray  and  wife,  and  the  extraordinary  success  of  the 
school,  with  such  limited  resources,  was  not  allowed  to  overcome  the  conviction  that  a  more  exact  system  of  record 
and  account  was  necessary  to  inspire  full  faith  in  future  success.  A  capable  and  reliable  assistant  superintendent, 
responsible  to  the  superintendent,  is  greatly  needed,  and  salaries  should  be  the  same  as  in  government  schools 
proper.  The  proposed  summary  change  was  at  a  time  when  only  injury  could  result,  and  against  the  wishes  of  the 
moral  and  reliable  portion  of  the  Cherokee  nation. 

The  large  building  called  the  boarding  house  was  erected  by  the  United  States.  The  Friends  have  made 
valuable  investments,  partly  from  trust  funds,  which  should  be  fully  reimbursed  in  case  the  school  shall  come  under 
the  formal  management  of  the  Interior  department. 

HISTORICAL  OUTLINE. 

The  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  have  been  thus  officially  recognized  to  distinguish  them  from  that  portion  of 
the  nation  which  emigrated  west,  between  1809  and  1817,  and  located  on  the  public  domain  at  the  headwaters  of 
Arkansas  and  "White  rivers,  now  in  Cherokee  nation,  Indian  territory.  The  latter  became  known  as  the  Cherokee 
nation  west,  while  the  general  term,  the  Cherokee  nation,  included  both.  Between  1785,  when  certain  boundaries 
were  allotted  to  these  Indians  for  hunting  gi-ounds,  and  1809,  when  the  movement  westward  was  initiated  of  their 
own  deliberate  choice,  annuities  were  from  time  to  time  granted  by  the  United  States  in  consideration  of  the 
successive  sales  to  the  United  States  of  portions  of  their  land. 

By  a  treaty  made  in  1817  the  Cherokee  nation  ceded  to  the  United  States  certain  laud  lying  east  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  and  in  exchange  for  the  same  the  United  States  ceded  to  that  part  of  the  nation  on  the  Arkansas 
river  as  much  land  on  said  river,  acre  for  acre,  as  the  United  States  received  from  the  Cherokee  nation  east  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  and  provided  that  all  treaties  then  in  force  should  continue  in  full  force  with  both  parts  of  the 
nation. 

As  early  as  1809  the  aggregate  of  annuities  due  the  nation  on  account  of  the  sale  of  lands  to  the  United 
States  had  reached  the  sum  of  $100,000,  and  it  was  provided  by  articles  of  the  treaty  of  1817  that  a  census  should 
be  taken  of  those  east  and  of  those  west,  and  of  those  still  intending  to  remove  west,  and  also  that  a  division  of  the 
annuities  should  be  made  ratably,  according  to  numbers  as  ascertained  by  said  census,  between  those  who  were 
east  and  those  who  were  west.  Thus  the  tribe  or  nation,  although  geographically  separated,  was  treated  as  a  unit, 
and  all  property  owned  by  it  was  treated  as  common  property. 

By  a  treaty  made  in  1819  the  formal  census  was  dispensed  with,  and  for  the  purposes  of  distribution  it  was 
assumed  that  one-third  had  removed  west  and  that  two-thirds  were  yet  remaining  ea.st  of  the  Mississippi  river.  At 
the  same  time  the  nation  made  a  further  cession  to  the  United  States  of  land  lying  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Upon 
the  basis  of  this  estimate  of  numbers,  in  lieu  of  a  census,  annuities  were  distributed  until  the  year  1835. 

By  a  treaty  made  in  1828  with  the  Cherokees  west  the  United  States  guaranteed  to  them  7,000,000  acres,  with 
a  perpetual  outlet  west  as  far  as  the  sovereignty  and  right  of  soil  of  the  United  States  extended.  This  vast  tract 
was  in  what  is  now  known  as  Indian  territory,  and  the  Cherokees  at  the  same  time  surrendered  the  lands  occupied 
by  them  on  the  Arkansas  and  White  rivers,  to  which  they  had  removed  between  the  years  1809  and  1817.  By  the 
same  treaty  special  inducements  were  offered  to  those  east  to  remove  west,  including  a  rifle,  blanket,  kettle,  5 
pounds  of  tobacco,  and  cost  of  emigi-ation,  with  a  just  compensation  for  the  pi-operty  which  each  might  abandon. 

The  treaty  of  1833  simply  redefined  the  boundaries  of  the  land  mentioned  in  the  treaty  of  1828.  In  1835  the 
Cherokees  still  held  a  quantity  of  land  east  of  the  Mississippi  larger  than  the  states  of  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island, 
and  Connecticut.  It  had  been  agreed  that  the  United  States  Senate  should  fix  the  price  that  should  be  paid  for 
these  lands  in  contemplation  of  the  cession  of  the  same  to  the  United  States.  The  Senate  fixed  the  price  at 
$5,000,000.  The  original  draft  of  the  treaty  of  1835  authorized  such  Cherokees  as  so  desired  to  remain  east,  and 
in  such  event  to  set  apart  certain  lands  to  them.  By  a  supplemental  treaty  in  1836  the  United  States  initiated  the 
E.  C— 3 


18  STATISTICS  OF  INDIANS. 

policy  of  compelling  the  Eastern  Cherokees  to  remove  west.  General  Scott  employed  troops  for  the  purpose.  It 
was  a  fearful  policy.  The  Imliaus  were  hunted  over  their  native  lands  as  if  they  were  wild  beasts.  As  many  as 
escaped  capture  clung  to  their  homes,  and  by  the  treaty  of  1846  it  was  agreed  that  they  might  remain. 

Cross  .suits  and  conflicts  between  the  two  bands  of  Cherokees  as  to  their  rights  to  different  funds  have  occupied 
the  attention  of  the  federal  courts  and  the;  Court  of  Claims  proper.  Present  litigation  involves  more  especially  their 
title  to  the  lands  now  occupied  by  them,  which  were  purchased  for  them  by  their  agent,  W.  H.  Thomas,  as  trustee 
for  that  purpose,  from  their  share  of  funds  held  by  the  United  States  for  their  benefit.  Encroachments  upon  these 
lands,  plundering  of  timber,  and  all  forms  of  aggression  are  still  harassing  their  peace  and  antagonizing  their 
efforts  to  be  an  industrious,  contented,  and  prosperous  portion  of  the  people  of  North  Carolina.  The  details  of  the 
litigation  in  jjrogress  and  the  failure  of  Mr.  Thomas  to  secure  or  preserve  the  muniments  of  a  perfect  title  to  the  lands 
he  purchased  in  their  behalf  are  not  admissible  in  this  brief  outline  of  their  condition  in  1890.  The  looseness  with 
which,  for  a  small  fee,  the  state  of  North  Carolina  permits  entries  upon  lands  known  to  fall  within  the  territory 
embraced  in  the  deeds  by  Mr.  Thomas  adds  its  uncertainty  to  aggravate  the  unrest  which  is  everywhere  visible 
among  this  pcojile  as  to  what  they  really  own  in  consideration  of  the  money  with  which  they  parted,  they  rightfully 
expecting  valid  and  permanent  titles.  The  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  are  good  citizens,  moral  and  industrious,  in 
spite  of  the  jealousies  of  white  people  and  the  unworthy  forms  of  moral  constraint  by  which  it  is  sought  to  force 
them  from  the  homes  they  own. 

In  the  year  1874,  pursuant  to  act  of  Congress  passed  in  1870  (16  United  States  Statutes,  page  139),  which 
authorized  these  Indians  to  institute  suit  in  the  circuit  court  of  the  United  States  for  the  western  district  of  North 
Carolina  against  Thomas,  a  reference  of  the  subject-matter  of  conflict  was  made  to  an  able  commission,  consisting 
of  Eufus  Barringer,  John  H.  Dillard,  and  T.  Euffin.  A  decree  of  award  was  subsequently  made  in  accordance  with 
the  findings  of  the  eommissioia,  and  since  their  approval  in  November,  1874,  and  a  confirmatory  act  of  Congress  in 
1876  proceedings  have  been  in  progress  to  define  the  exact  boundaries  of  the  various  tracts  set  forth  in  said  award 
and  to  discover  the  chain  of  title  through  which  Thomas  and  his  representatives  derived  the  same.  (See  House 
Executive  Document  No.  196,  Fortj'-seventh  Congress,  first  session,  for  particulars  respecting  the  conveyance  of  the 
Qualla  boundary,  stated  as  50,000  acres,  to  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina,  October  9,  1876,  and 
conveyance  of  August  14,  1880,  of  15,211  acres  to  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  and  his  successors  of  outlying 
lauds  in  Cherokee  and  other  counties,  in  trust  for  said  band.)  (a) 

GOVERNMENT  AND  POLITICS. 

At  a  general  council  assembled  at  Cheoh,  December  9,  1868,  the  Eastern  Cherokees  placed  uj)on  record  the 
following  declaration : 

We,  the  Eastern  Cherokees,  being  desirous  of  holding  our  general  council  in  some  organized  form  and  established  manner  and  under 
a  like  form  as  other  tribes  of  Indians  who  are  desirous  of  adopting  a  republican  form  of  government,  and  restricting,  controlling,  and 
compensating  onr  rulers,  do  hereby  enact  as  follows: 

That  hcreal'ter  each  Cherokee  settlement  or  town  shall  be  entitled  to  one  delegate  for  each  member  of  such  settlement,  who  shall  represent 

them  in  said  general  council,  and  that  said  general  council  shall  meet  once  in  each  year  on of ;  that  said  general  council  shall, 

from  (l)oir  number  when  convened,  elect  one  of  their  numlier  who  shall  be  chairman  or  president  of  said  council,  and  who  shall  be  president 
or  cliief  of  said  Eastern  Cherokees  lor  the  term  of  time  so  directed  by  said  council,  not  exceeding  four  years,  and  in  case  of  choice  each 
settlement  may  petition  said  council  in  writing  upon  any  subject.  Said  council  shall  have  power  to  elect  a  secretary  and  interpreter  of  the 
council  and  marehal  of  the  nation,  and  fix  the  duties  and  compensation  of  the  same.  Said  council  shall  have  the  power  to  prepare  and  adopt 
by-laws  and  rules  for  the  general  government  of  the  people  and  the  duties  of  each  national  officer,  and  also  the  compensation  of  said  council, 
and  assess  the  national  funds  and  property  to  pay  the  same.  Said  council  may  prepare  by-laws  and  police  regulations  and  other  rules,  and 
submit  the  same  to  the  nation  in  general  council  assembled,  and  a  majority  vote  shall  adopt  or  reject  the  same.  They  shall  also  prepare  a 
system  of  .schools  in  ejich  settlement  and  provide  for  the  election  of  a  superintendent  or  board  of  trustees,  who  shall  organize  the  same  in 
accordance  with  said  regulations.  Said  council  may,  in  their  discretion,  lix  a  place  and  day  or  days  for  holding  a  national  lair,  where  each 
person  may  present  samples  of  grain,  stock,  weaving,  knitting,  spinning,  needlework,  butter,  and  any  article  of  agricultural  product  or  fruit, 
and  domestic  or  mechanical  product ;  and  also  a  measure  proving  amount  of  crop  per  acre,  atid  the  numlter  of  acres  cultivated  in  any  crop, 
and  fix  committees  to  grant  i)remiums  thereon  and  name  the  same,  and  one  premium  for  the  best  general  sj'stem  of  farming  to  be  shown  by 
the  general  statement. 

Signed   in  Cherokee:    John   Wayne-ua,   chairman;   Long  Bear,   Allen  Ratler,    Tramper,  William  McELmore,    John  Ax,  Sowanooka, 
Ken"-ska-lcskee,  Tah-quah-tee,  James  Blj-the,  Skeegee,  John  Large,  Wilson  Ax,  Jlink. 
Attest: 

N.  J.  Smith, 
Clerk  of  the  Committee  and  Council. 

Qualla  Town,  Jackson  County,  North  Carolina,  November  26,  1870. 

In  conformity  to  previous  appointment,  and  notice  having  been  gi\en  previously  to  the  different  towns  composing  the  Eiistern  Band  of 
Cherokees,  a  grand  council  is  this  day  organized  by  appointing  Suate  Owl  and  Cornta.ssel,  chairmen,  and  .Tohn  Lige  and  Samuel  W.  Davidson, 
clerks. 

The  credentials  of  the  delegates  were  presented  and  referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of  the  following:  Jackson  Blythe,  Will  McElmore, 
Swimmer,  Young  S(]Mirrel,  Ah-mah-chu-ah,  Wilson  Wolf,  Tom  Skitty,  Sam  Wolf,  Lewis  Smith,  Leander  Hornbuckle,  John  Dobson,  and 


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representing  the  Cherokees,  greatly  aided  inciuiry  respecting  their  present  legal  status  in  the  federal  ggHrts, 


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EASTERN  BAND   OP  CHEROKEES  OE  NORTH  CAROLINA.  19 

Willigeb,  who,  after  examining  the  credentials,  reported  favorably,  and  the  following  delegates  then  presented  themselves,  to  wit:  From 
Long  Ridge,  Cherokee  county,  R.  B.  Smith,  John  Going,  Will  West;  Hanging  Dog,  John  Owl  and  Teceteska;  from  Cheoh,  Jacob  Clieer  and 
L.  R.  Welch;  Buttalo,  Standing  Deer;  John  Jackson  as  proxy  for  Sand  Town  and  Henry  Smith  for  Notla. 

The  delegation  then  came  forward  and  signed  their  names  as  follows: 

Jackson  county,  N.  C:  Bla«k  Fox,  Wolf  Town;  Wilson  Welsh,  Wolf  Town;  George  Wilnota,  Paint  Town;  Joe  Welch,  Paint  Town; 
Le-ya-nah,  Lufta;  Lewey  Owl,  Lufta;  Jim  Ross,  Bird  Town;  Benj.  Brown,  Bird  Town;  Axe,  Raven  Fork;  Oolenasseh,  Raven  Fork. 

Cherokee  county:  R.  B.  Smith,  Long  Ridge;  Will  West,  Long  Ridge;  John  Going,  Long  Ridge;  John  Owl,  Hanging  Dog;  Teceteska, 
Hanging  Dog;  Jacob  Cheer,  Cheoh;  Loyd  R.  Welch,  Cheoh;  Henry  Smith,  Notla;  Standing  Deer,  Buflalo;  John  Jackson,  Sand  Town. 

Will  McElmore,  Lower  Hanging  Dog,  signed  in  presence  of  Samuel  W.  Davidson,  clerk. 

Ordered  by  the  council  that  an  election  be  held  on  Thursday,  Decemlier  1,  1870,  for  principal  chief,  to  serve  until  our  next  annual 
election  in  1871. 

December  1,  1870. — The  council  met  pursuant  to  adjournment  and  proceeded  to  business.  The  election  of  principal  and  second  chief 
was  then  opened  and  held  and  resulted  in  the  election  of  Flying  Squirrel,  or  Call-Iee-high,  as  principal  chief,  and  John  Jackson,  Oo-wah-lun-tee, 
as  second  chief. 

The  form  of  government  referred  to  the  committee  was  reported  favorably. 

It  was  then  moved  and  seconded  that  the  constitution  be  adopted  by  the  council,  which  motion  was  carried  unanimously,  and  the 
constitution  as  adopted  is  as  follows: 

1st.  Whereas  the  legal  representatives  or  councilmen  of  towns  or  settlements  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians  have  this  day  and 
date,  at  the  place  aforementioned,  met  according  to  general  agreement  and  underatanding. 

2d.  Said  council  be,  and  is  hereby,  duly  authorized  and  empowered  by  representation,  as  the  undersigned  showeth,  to  provide  for  the 
common  interest  and  enact  measures  by  which  the  aforesaid  band  of  Indians  may  be  represented  in  prosecuting  or  defending  all  matters 
pertaining  to  or  touching  the  interest  of  said  band  of  Indians  with  the  United  States,  or  state  or  states,  or  indi\iduaLs  of  the  United  States, 
In  whatever  relation  said  interest  may  be,  provided  that  nothing  herein  be  so  construed  as  an  abrogation  of  an}'  rights,  claim  or  claims,  of 
any  individual  or  individuals  of  said  band  to  the  legislation  of  said  council  in  common  property. 

3d.  All  membeis  constituting  the  aforesaid  council  shall  be,  and  they  are  hereby,  governed  and  bound  by  all  acts  pa.ssed  in  council  of 
delegates  and  approved  by  the  chief 

4th.  All  acts  done,  matle,  and  confirmed  in  grand  council,  as  aforesaid,  shall  be  effectual  and  binding  upon  all  members  belonging  to  or 
constituting  the  aforesaid  band,  as  a  band,  in  all  matters  held  in  common  or  pertaining  to  the  common  interest  of  said  baud  and  not  otherwise. 

5th.  Provided,  further,  that  there  be  and  the  council  is  hereby  authorized  to  appoint  an  annual  session  for  holding  grand  councils  at 
such  place  and  time  as  they  may  designate  and  determine  on,  and  no  called  or  appointed  council  otherwise  held  shall  be  held  valid  or  binding 
upon  the  aforesaid  baud  or  the  subjects  thereof  unless  the  chief,  in  his  judgment  and  reason,  thinks  the  interest  of  said  band  demands  or 
justifies  such  called  or  appointed  council;  also,  that  there  be  ordered  a  stated  election  to  be  held  iu  each  town  and  settlement  for  the  purpose 
of  electing  first  and  second  chiefs,  whose  power  and  right  of  governing  shall  extend  over  the  whole  band  of  Eastern  Cherokees  for  and  not 
exceeding  the  term  of  2  yeare;  also  for  the  electing  all  subaltern  officers  to  constitute  the  aforesaid  annual  council.  The  s;iid  subordinate 
term  of  office  shall  not  exceed  1  year  only  by  the  annual  election  of  the  band.  The  right  of  vote  by  which  said  band  shall  be  governed  shall 
be  exclusive  and  consist  only  of  its  male  members  of  16  years  of  age  and  upward.  And  the  aforesaid  officers  so  elected  shall  have  the 
exclusive  right  to  govern  and  rule,  and  all  the  acts  done,  made,  or  had  by  said  officera  for  the  term  elected  shall  be  binding,  held  binding,  and 
in  full  force  upon  said  band.  The  aforesaid  chiefs  so  elected  shall  have  no  power  nor  hold  any  right  of  jurisdiction  to  enact  or  enforce  laws 
within  themselves  over  the  band  of  which  he  presides  as  chief,  but  in  all  cases  or  interests  conflicting  or  touching  the  common  rights  of  said 
band  the  legal  reijresentatives  shall  be  duly  notified  by  the  chief  and  the  legislative  body  assembled. 

Signed  iu  Cherokee:  Flying  Sciuirrel,  principal  chief ;  John  Jackson,  assistant  chief;  Black  Fox,  Wilson  Welsh,  George  Wilnota,  Joe 
Welch,  Le-ya-nah,  Lewey  Owl,  Benj.  Brown,  Ax,  Oolenasseh,  Ross  B.  Smith,  Will  West,  John  Going,  John  Owl,  Teceteska. 

AMENDMENTS  TO  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEE  INDIANS. 

The  Eastern  Band  of  the  Cherokees  having  again  reunited  and  become  one  body  politic  under  the  style  and  title  of  the  "  Eastern  Band  of 
the  Clierokee  Indians";  therefore: 

We,  the  people  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  annual  council  assembled,  iu  order  to  establish  justice,  promote  the 
common  welfare,  and  to  assure  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity  the  blessings  of  freedom,  acknowledging  with  humility  and  gratitude  the 
goodness  of  the  Sovereign  Ruler  of  the  Univeree  in  permitting  us  so  to  do,  and  imploring  His  aid  and  guidance  in  its  accomplishment,  do 
ordain  and  establish  these  amendments  to  the  constitution  for  the  government  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians. 

Article  I. 

Section  1.  The  power  of  the  Kxstern  Band  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  shall  be  divided  into  two  distinct  departments,  the  executive  and 
the  legislative,  the  executive  to  consist  of  the  principal  and  assistant  chief,  and  the  legislative  of  the  council. 

Article  II. 

Section  1.  The  legislative  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  council,  and  all  enactments  of  the  council  shall  be  signed  by  the  chairman  of  the 
council  and  approved  by  the  principal  chief,  and  in  all  their  deliberations  the  vote  shall  be  taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  unless  otherw  iso  directed 
by  the  council. 

Section  2.  Each  member  of  the  annual  council,  before  he  takes  his  seat  to  transact  any  business  of  the  council,  sh.all  fake  the  following 
oath  (or  affirmation) : 

"  I,  A  B.,  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  have  not  obtained  my  election  or  appointment  as  a  member  of  this  council  by  bribery  or 
any  undue  or  unlawful  means  or  duress  or  fraud,  used  by  myself  or  othei-s,  by  my  desire  or  approbation  for  that  purpose;  that  I  consider 
myself  constitutionally  qualified  as  a  member  of  this  council,  and  that  on  all  questions  and  measures  which  may  come  before  me  I  will  give 
my  vote  and  so  conduct  myself  as  in  my  judgment  shall  appear  most  conducive  to  the  interest  and  prosperity  of  the  E;>stern  Band  of  the 
Cherokee  Indians,  and  that  I  will  bear  true  faith  and  allegiance  to  the  same,  and  to  the  utmost  of  my  .ability  and  jiower  observe,  conform  to, 
support,  and  defend  the  constitution  thereof". 


20  STATISTICS  OF  INDIANS. 


Article  III. 


Section  1.  No  person  sliall  ever  be  eligible  to  any  office  or  appointment  of  honor,  profit,  or  trust  who  shall  have  aided  or  abetted, 
eonnscled  or  enconraged  any  pemon  or  pereons  guilty  of  defrauding  the  Eastern  Band  of  the  Cherokees,  or  who  may  hereafter  aid  or  abet, 
couusel  or  encourage  any  pretended  agents  or  attorneys  in  defrauding  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees. 

Article  IV. 
Section  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  annual  council  to  pass  such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  be  necessary  and  proper,  and  to  decide 
differences  by  arbitrators  to  be  appointed  by  the  parties  who  may  choose  that  summary  mode  of  settlement. 

(Abstract.) 

Supreme  executive,  the  priucip.al  chief,  term  4  years;  vice  or  assistant  chief.  By  males  of  18  years.  Eligibility  of  either,  age  3.'},  and  at 
least  one-fourth  Oierokee,  of  band.  In  case  of  de.ath,  resignation,  or  disability  of  both  council  appoint  until  removal  of  disability  or  successor 
be  elected.     Councilman  must  be  21.     Compensation  of  chief  and  vice  not  changeable  during  term. 

Oath  of  principal  chief : 

"  I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  faithfully  execute  the  duties  of  principal  chief  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Clierokees,  and  will, 
to  the  best  of  my  .ability,  preser\e,  protect,  and  defend  the  constitution  of  the  Eiisteru  Band  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  ". 

Principal  chief  may  on  extraordinary  occasions  convene  the  council  at  such  phice  as  the  council  shall  designate  as  the  seat  of  government. 

Principal  chief  from  time  to  time  give  information  as  to  the  state  of  aflaii-s  and  recommend  measures  .as  he  may  think  expedient.  He 
sluall  take  care  that  the  rules  and  regulations  be  faithfully  executed;  shall  visit  the  different  towns  and  settlements  at  least  once  in  2  years. 

All  officere  and  members  of  council  take  oath,  etc.  Council  lor  2  yeare.  Treasurer  chosen  by  council  for  2  yeare  and  give  bond.  No  money 
drawn  except  by  warrant  from  the  president  in  consequence  of  appropriations  by  council.  Treasurer  receive  and  account  for  moneys  at  each 
session  of  the  annual  council. 

Article  V.  (Abstract.) 

No  person  eligible  to  any  office  who  denies  the  existence  of  a  God  or  a  future  state  of  rewards  and  punishments.  Free  exercise  of  religious 
worehip  and  serving  God  forever  enjoyed,  but  not  construed  as  to  excuse  acts  of  licentiousness  inconsistent  with  the  peace  and  safety,  etc. 
Council  may  decide  the  expediency  and  principal  chief  nominate  to  council  when  necessary  to  send  a  delegate  to  transact  business  w  ith  the 
United  States,  and  he  shall  keep  up  a  friendly  correspondence  tlirough  the  medium  of  its  proper  officere.  All  commissions  to  be  in  the  n.ame 
and  bv  the  .authority  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians,  sealed  with  the  seal  of  the  probate  court  of  the  county  where  the  council  is 
held,  iiitested  by  clerk  of  council,  and  approved  by  the  princ'ipal  chief.  Religion,  morality,  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good  go\  ernmeut, 
the  preservation  of  liberty,  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of  education  shall  forever  be  encouraged  and  cherished  by  the 
Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians.  Annual  council  may  propose  amendments  as  two-thirds  deem  expedient,  the  same  not  to  be  passed  until 
the  meeting  of  the  next  council. 

Article  VI. 

Council  shall  consist  of  2  from  each  town  or  settlement  of  100  souls,  of  1  extra  on  an  excess  of  200,  and  for  less  than  100  still  1.  Council, 
at  the  annual  session,  shall  appoint  2  judges  of  elections.  In  fault  of  election,  a  majority  may  send  a  delegate  with  certificate,  with  the  names 
of  those  selecting  the  delegate.  Election  to  be  held  on  the  first  Thursday  in  September.  Executive  council  to  consist  of  principal  chief, 
assistant  chief,  and  3  sissociates,  nominated  by  the  principal  chief  and  confirmed  by  the  council.  The  annual  council  shall  be  held  on  the  first 
Monday  of  October  at  place  designated  by  council,  or,  on  emergency,  by  the  principal  chief.  Tlie  annual  council  shall  be  called  to  order  by 
the  assistant  chief,  and  a  chairman  and  clerk  be  elected.  In  the  absence  or  neglect  of  the  assistant  chief  any  member  of  the  executive  council 
may  organize  the  council.  The  oflicers  of  the  council  shall  be  1  first  and  1  second  clerk,  an  interpreter,  marehal,  messenger,  and  doorkeeper. 
The  oath  may  be  administered  by  any  officer  of  the  state  or  the  United  States  authorized  to  administer  an  oath.  Conviction  of  felony  shall 
exclude  from  office.  Tlie  annual  council  may,  by  a  commission,  provide  for  the  purchase  of  laud  tor  the  Eastern  Band  of  Clierokee  Indians; 
provided,  that  any  commission  provided  for  under  this  ordinance  may  be  nominated  hy  the  principal  chief  and  confirmed  by  the  annual  council ; 
provided  further,  that  no  act  of  such  commission  shall  be  constrned  to  interfere  with  or  in  any  manner  impair  the  rights  of  individual  members 
of  said  baud.  The  annual  council  shall,  by  appropriate  legislation,  provide  a  public  .school  system  for  the  Eiisteru  Band  of  the  Cherokee 
Indians.  The  veto  power  exists  except  against  a  two-thirds  vote.  Style  of  enactment:  "  Be  it  enacted  by  the  annual  council  of  the  Eastern 
B.and  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  ",  etc. 

(Signed)  J.  W.  Hildek,  .and 

Attest:  /  T.  Z.  P.  Enola,  Chairman. 

John  G.  Tatham,  Secretary  of  Council. 

IIexry  Smith,  Interpreter. 
Approved:  LoYi)  R.  Welch,  Principal  Cliief. 

CiiKOH  Council  Ground,  October  13,  187.5. 

OFFICERS  AND  COUNCIL  OF  EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEES:  1890-1891. 

Prinoip.al  Chief — Nimrod  J.  Smith  (Clia-la-di-hih,  Charles  the  Killer). 

Assistsmt  Chief — John  Going  Welch  (Tsani,  Always  Going). 

Chairman  of  Council — Jesse  Reed. 

Council — Stihvell  Saunooka  (Shawnee),  Andy  Standing  Bear  (Enidth  Alirwigadawga),  Wesley  Crow  (Caw-daah-ry-eh-lig-is-ki,  Crow 
Marker),  Davis  George  (Dew-isi-ool-ay-oeh,  Went  Astray),  Sampson  0\\1  (S.ah-mi-si-uih  Oo-goo<»o,  Hooting  Owl),  Bird  Salolanita  (Young 
Squirrels),  .Tesscan  Climbing  Bear  (Yo-no-ga-la-ki),  Abr.ah.am  Hill  (0-<iuan-ih),  Morgan  Calhoun  (Au-gan-aahf-to-dah,  Ground  .Sausage  Me.at), 
Suate  Martin  (Suy-e-taTlu-tlu,  Mixed  Martin),  Will  (Ttali-lah-lah,  Redheaded  Woodpecker),  John  MuUethead  (Tsis-ila-qua-lun-na,  Mullethead 
Fish),  Armstrong  Cornsilk  (Ka-nau-tsi-da-wi  Oo-ne-noo-di),  and  John  Davis  (Axe,  no  Indian  name). 


.  Eleventh  Census  :     1890. 


Eastern   Cherokees. 


AVu)  Y«rl,  Enj/rmmg  Jc  l-rinlhia  <:,..  EASTERN   BAND  OF  CHEROKEE   COUNCILMEN   OF   1891. 

Rear  Group.     Rev.  John  Jackson  Graham.  Co.,  N    C.     Morgan  Calhoun,  Big  Ccve. 
Front  Group,    Wrri,  Tj-la-lah,  Bird  Town.    Wesley  Crow,  Wolf  Town, 


EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA.  21 

INCORPORATION  OF  THE  EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEE  INDIANS:   1889. 

By  an  act  of  the  general  assembly  of  North  Carolina,  ratified  the  11th  day  of  March,  1889  (Laws  of  Nortli 
Carolina,  1889,  chapter  211,  page  889),  the  North  Carolina  or  Eastern  Cherokee  Indians,  resident  and  domiciled 
in  the  counties  of  Cherokee,  Graham,  Jackson,  and  Swain,  were  created  a  body  politic  and  corporate  under  the  name, 
style,  and  title  of  "  Tlie  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians,  with  all  the  rights,  privileges,  franchises,  and  powers 
incident  and  belonging  to  corporations  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  North  Carolina". 

By  section  2  said  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians  was  authorized  to  sue  and  implead,  and  might  be  sued  and 
impleaded,  touching  and  concerning  all  the  property  of  whatever  nature  held  in  common  by  the  said  band  in  said 
counties. 

By  section  3  any  grants  to  any  person  or  persons  for  any  of  the  land  held  by  said  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee 
Indians,  and  under  whom  said  Indians  claimed  title,  as  also  all  deeds  made  by  commissioners  of  the  state  to  any 
person  or  persons  for  what  are  known  as  Cherokee  lauds  held  by  said  Cherokee  Indians  in  said  counties  and  under 
whom  said  Cherokees  claim,  are  held  as  valid. 

By  section  4  it  was  provided  that  in  all  cases  where  titles  or  deeds  have  been  executed  to  the  said  Eastern  Band 
of  Cherokee  Indians,  or  any  person  or  persons  in  trust  for  them  under  that  name  and  style,  by  any  person  or  persons, 
either  collectively  or  personally,  officially,  or  in  any  capacity  whatever,  such  deeds  or  titles  should  be  held  as  valid 
against  the  state  and  all  persons  or  any  person  claiming  by,  through,  or  under  the  state  by  virtue  of  anj'  grant  dated 
or  issued  subsequent  to  the  aforesaid  deeds  or  titles  to  the  said  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians. 

Bj'  section  5  it  was  provided  that  in  case  any  person  or  persons  claiming  any  part  of  the  lands  described  in  the 
preceding  sections  adversely  to  the  said  Indians  under  colorable  title  or  titles  shall  be  sued  by  reason  of  such 
adverse  claim,  or  any  possession  under  such  colorable  title  or  titles,  said  act  shall  not  be  used  in  evidence  on  either 
side  nor  in  any  way  prejudice  the  rights  of  either  party,  but  such  suit  or  suits  shall  be  determined  as  if  said  act  had 
not  been  passed. 

By  section  G  said  act  took  effect  from  and  after  its  ratification. 

SOLDIERS. 

The  following  are  the  surviving  union  soldiers  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokee  Indians  of  North  Carolina. 
The  names  are  correct,  Imt  the  spelling  may  differ  from  that  on  the  muster  roll. 

John  Going  Welch,  Thomas  Otter,  James  Otter,  John  Brown,  Owkwataga,  Mason  Eatley,  Steve  Johnson,  John  Taylor,  John  Canott,  John 
Igotpa,  David  Patridge,  James  Walkingstick,  and  Thomas  Canott,  all  of  Company  D,  Third  regiment  North  Carolina  mounted  infantry;  R.  B. 
Smith,  company  and  regiment  unknown. 

The  following  are  the  surviving  widows  of  union  soldiers : 

Nancy  Brown,  widow  ol'^Benj.  Brown;  nochildren.  Ah-nu-yo-lii  Walker,  widowof  .Tohn  AValker;  Ichild  under  163earsof  age;  married 
since  death  ol'  soldier,  but  her  husband  is  dead.  Wah-li-sah,  widow  ol'  Thom.is  Oo-lay-i\vay;  no  children.  Stacy  Taylor,  widow  of  George 
Kanot;  had  :5  children  by  Kanot,  all  under  Iti  j'ears  of  age;  remarried  since  death  of  soldier.  Nancy  Mumblehead,  widow;  no  children;  is 
drawing  a  pension. 

The  following  are  the  surviving  confederate  soldiers,  those  marked  with  a  *  indicating  those  who  afterward 
entered  the  federal  service  : 

Company  A,  Si.xty-ninth  North  Carolina  Regiment — Peter  Greybeard,  lyo-ha-ne  (Swimmer  Fox),  Swa-tah  (Suate  Owl),  Toy-a-ne-teh, 
Chu-wa-lookeh,  Coh-goh  (Wesley  Crow),  Cah-hah  (Wild  Cat),  Chlantees-t^^i  (Pheasant),  Ezekiel  Greybeard,  *How-ee-neo-ta  (James 
Walkingstick),  J&ssan,  John  Lossih,  * Keen-tis-kee  (John  Igotpa),  * Oo-ste-na<»o  (John  Taylor),  Oo-lassta-eh  (Joe  Lowin),  Oo-teet-geeskih 
Wallaski,  *Oolstooih  (John  Brown),  *Olter  Now-eyontich  (Tom  Otter),  *Mason  Reckey  (Mason  Ratley),  .Jesse  Reed,  *  Soo-tpiechee  (in  Cherokee 
nation  west),  Squenseli,  San-to-neh  (James  Keg),  Mickee  Skittes  (whereabouts  unknown),  *Jolm  Saudere,  Suque-yeh,  Samuel  Needa,  and 
Te-ses-kih. 

Comjiany  B,  Sixty-ninth  North  Carolina  Regiment — N.  J.  Smith,  alias  .Tarrett  Smith,  John  Ross,  John  Wah-ye-neete,  Danelah,  Dick-a- 
geeskee,  John  Davis,  *Echu-le-hah  (Steve  Johnson),  Kooe-Skooe  (Ross  Cochran),  Larchee,  Lazy  Bigmeat,  David  Murphy,  Oo-chum-teh  (Come- 
back Wolf),  Okanieh,  -Jim  Otter,  ''David  Patridge,  Watteh  Sell-alle-seh,  Seipio-yo  Sell-alle-seh,  Segilleh  Bigmeat,  Tah-lee  Casabsta  (perhaps 
Ca-lol-ster),  Tohesky,  W.ih-has-eh  (Tom  Skifty),  Moses  Wolf. 


INDEX. 


EASTERN  BAND  OF  CHEROKEES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA  AND  EASTERN  CHEROKEES. 


Abraham  Enloe  and  Ixis  locality,  12. 

Agricultural  implements  very  rude,  11. 

Agricultural  products,  and  value  of,  1890,  8. 

Agriculture  the  chief  employment,  14. 

Allowance  from  United  States  to  Kastern  Band  applied  to  scliool  purposes,?,  9. 

Allowance  from  United  States  to  Eastern  Band  from  a  school  fund,  9, 15. 

Amendments  to  constitution  in  1875, 19,  20. 

Ancient  relics  manufactured  for  sale  to  white  people,  14. 

Annuities  distributed  until  1835,  17. 

Annuities  from  land  sales,  1809-1817,  17. 

Area  of  cultivated  land  in  1890,  8. 

Area  of  land  held  in  1835,  17. 

Area  of  Qualla  boundary,  7. 

A  Sunday-school  boy's  question,  13. 

B 

Baptist  convention  of  North  Carolina  sustains  a  minister,  14. 

Basket  making  practiced  by  a  few,  14. 

Berries  and  wild  fruits  abundant,  11. 

Big  Witch,  an  aged  Cherokee,  at  home,  12. 

Bird,  Rev.  John,  a  venerable  missionary;   his  opinion  regarding  a  central 

place  of  worship,  13,  15. 
BIythe,  James,  United  States  Indian  agent,  furnishes  data  collected  during 

persona!  visitations,  8. 
Boarding  and  training  school,  9,  16. 
Boundaries  specifically  defined,  12,  13. 
Brass  band  formed  by  pupils  of  training  school,  16. 
Bridges  constructed  in  a  crude  manner  by  Eastern  Cherokees,  14. 

c 

Catholics  not  found  among  the  Cherokees,  14. 

Censuses  of  Eastern  Cherokees  mentioned  by  Commissioner  of  Indian  Aflairs 

Price  in  1884,  8. 
Censuses  of  Indians  of  North  Carolina,  7,  8. 
Center  of  interest  and  divergence  at  the  agency,  12. 
Character  of  lands  occupied,  11. 

Character  of  the  people,  industrious,  moral,  and  law-abiding,  7,  18. 
Cherokee  industries,  14. 
Cherokee  political  meeting,  12. 
Cherokees  divided  into  two  bands,  1809-1817,  17. 
Cherokees,  Eastern,  number  of,  in  1890,  7. 
Cherokees  have  a  written  language,  7,  15. 
Cherokees  retain  the  physical  features  of  the  race,  9. 
Chief  Nimrod  J.  Smith  opposes  the  training  school,  16. 
Chief,  principal,  i^romises  a  personal  reform,  15. 
Chitolski  at  his  model  home,  12. 
Christianity  generally  accepted  by  the  band,  14. 
Christian  teachers  only  are  employed,  14. 
Church  buildings  very  dilapidated,  14. 
Church  comniunicants  and  baciksliders,  15. 
Church  organizations  languishing,  14. 
Citizen  clothing  in  general  use,  8. 
Citizens  of  the  United  States,  Eastern  Cherokees,  7. 
Clay  for  brick  accessible,  14. 
Climate  invigorating  and  healthful,  U. 
Clothing  the  same  as  that  of  white  citizens,  8. 
Commissioners  of  federal  court  award  certain  lands,  18. 
Confusion  as  to  titles  caused  by  defective  surveys,  11. 
Congress  confirms  certain  titles  in  1876,  18. 
Congress  initiates  settlement  of  titles  in  1874,  18. 
Constitution  as  amended  in  1875,  19,  20. 
Constitution  of  1870,  19. 
Contributions  for  church  purposes,  15. 
Corn  crop  rarely  fails,  11. 
Counties  of  Cherokee,  Graham,  Jackson,  and  Swain  partly  occupied  by  the 

Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees,  7, 11,  21. 
Court  adjudications  considered,  18. 
Crimes  of  any  grade  very  rare,  15. 
Crops  embrace  fruit  and  usual  farm  products,  11. 
Crops,  statistics  of,  for  1890,  8. 
Crow,  Wesley,  home  of,  13. 


D 

Details  of  Qualla  boundary,  12,  13. 

Distinction  between  eastern  and  western  bands,  17. 

B 

Earnings  of  individual  Cherokees,  amount  of,  9. 

Economic  and  social  condition,  7. 

Education  and  schools,  9,  15,  16. 

Emigration  westward,  1809-1817,  voluntary,  17. 

Encroachments  upon  Indian  lands  by  white  people,  8,  18. 

Engineering  upon  roads  very  creditable,  11. 

English  language  used  in  ordinary  intercourse  by  many  Indians, 

Exchange  of  eastern  for  western  lands,  17. 

Exemplary  school  pupils,  15. 

Expenses  of  training  school,  9,  16. 


Farming  machines,  use  of,  impracticable,  11,  12,  14. 

Farming  the  chief  employment,  14. 

Federal  authorities,  co-operation  of,  in  the  investigation  of  violations  of  Indian 

land  laws  and  encroachments  of  white  people  on  Indian  lands,  8,  18. 
Fishing,  trout,  good,  12. 
Friends  founders  of  the  training  school,  16. 
Funds  for  schools  derived  from  interest  on  educational  fund,  9, 15. 

Q 

Government  aid  needed  to  repair  buildings,  17. 

Government  republican  in  form,  18. 

Graham  county,  Cherokees  occupy  lands  in,  7,  II,  21. 

Grant,  General,  established  the  denominational  system,  16. 

Grants  of  western  lands,  T7. 

Gristmills  simple  in  construction  and  numerous,  12. 

H 

Health  statistics  of  the  Qualla  boundary,  8. 

Hills  are  too  steep  to  admit  of  use  of  improved  farming  implements,  11,  12,  14. 

Hinges  of  houses  made  mainly  of  wood,  11. 

Hobbs,  Barnabas,  founder  of  the  training  school,  15,  16. 

Home  of  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees  described,  11. 

House  accommodations  very  simple,  11. 

Houses  without  windows,  11. 


Illegitimate  births  less  than  among  white  people,  15. 

Immorality  and  crime  very  rare,  15. 

Improvements  needed  at  the  training  school,  17. 

Incorporation  of  Ea.stern  Band  of  Cherokees  by  general  assembly  of  North 

Carolina  in  1889,  7,  21. 
Increase  in  numbers  noted,  7. 
Industrial  development  quite  promising,  14. 
Industries,  14. 

Industries  taught  at  the  training  school,  16. 
Industry  common  to  this  people,  14,  15. 
Intemperance  not  prevalent,  15. 

Intemperate  or  profane  employes  lose  their  positions,  15. 
Irrigation  natural  and  adequate,  11. 


Jackson  coimty,  Cherokees  occupy  lands  in,  7,  11,  21. 

Jackson,  John,  and  others,  native  ministers  and  helpers  connected  with  the 
Baptist  church,  15. 


K 

Kaolin  accessible,  14. 

Keeler,  Widow,  postmistress  of  Birdtown  post  office,  13. 


Land  areas  defined,  17. 

Lands  aboimd  in  choice  timber,  11. 

Live  stock  statistics  for  1890,  8. 

Location  of  Eastern  Baud  of  Cherokees  defined,  11. 


23 


24 


STATISTICS  OF  INDIANS. 


^ 


e 


M 

Management  of  traininp:  school  under  review,  17. 
Manufacture  of  wooden  spoons  quite  common,  14. 
Marriage  observed  and  honored,  15. 
Mechanical  employments  quite  limited,  H. 
Melons  and  garden  products,  a  suthciency  of,  U. 
Methodist  church  sustains  a  minister,  15. 
Mission  ent^'rprise  formerly  a  success,  14, 
Morality  fostered  by  the  training  school,  14,  15.  16. 
Morality  urged  as  a  prerequisite  for  oiiice,  15. 

Muttonhead,  Willie,  questions  hia  Sunday-school  teacher  regarding  the  school- 
house,  13. 


N 


Native  ministers  and  helpers.  14. 
North  Carolina  at  fault  as  to  titles,  11. 


O 


Occupations  chiefly  farming,  lumbering,  and  day  labor,  ^ 
Officers,  elective,  and  qualifications  stated,  20. 
Owen,  Rev.  S.  G.,  preaches  three  times  a  week,  14. 


Pagan  rites  no  longer  observed,  14. 

Physical  features  of  the  race  retained,  9. 

Plowing  done  with  a  single  steer,  11,  12, 

Pneumonia  incident  to  sudden  changes,  11. 

Population  at  various  dates,  7,  8, 

Potatoes  prolific  in  bearing,  11, 

Pottery  exhibits  ingenuity  and  skill,  14, 

Price.  Hon.  Hiram,  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1834,  mentions  censuses  of 

Eastern  Cherokees,  8, 
Princip..:  chief  promises  to  reform,  15. 
Pupils  of  training  school  and  their  studies,  16. 


Q 


QiialificationB  for  office  stated,  20. 
Qualla  boundary  defined,  and  area  of, 


,  11-13. 


R 

Religious  exercises  at  the  training  school,  16. 

Religious  services  held  at  schoolhouses,  14. 

Removal  of  Indians  by  force  attempted  by  General  Bcott,  18, 

Removal  westward  a  voluntary  movement,  17. 

Reservation  system  not  applied  to  the  Cherokees,  7- 

Revival  of  church  work  desired,  15. 

Rivers  and  streams  numerous  and  described,  11,  12. 

Roads  indicate  engineering  skill,  11, 

Routine  of  duty  and  studies  of  training  school,  16, 


Sawmill  needed  near  the  government  agency,  14. 

Scenery  varied  and  beautiful,  11. 

School,  district,  buildings  owned  by  the  Cherokees,  9, 

School  facilities  among  the  Cherokees,  9,  15, 

School  fund  and  its  source,  9,  15. 

Schoolhouses  used  for  religious  worship,  14. 

Schoolhouses  well  furnished,  12, 

School  in  Graham  county  discontinued,  15. 

School  loc-ations  and  names,  9,  15, 

School  programme  at  training  school,  16. 

Schools  and  education,  9,  15,  16, 

School  statistics,  9,  15. 

School  system  very  etJieient,  14,  16. 


Scott,  General,  attempts  to  enforce  migration  westward,  18, 

Sectarian  jealousies  weaken  the  churches,  14. 

Sectarian  teachers  excluded  from  training  school,  14. 

Seed  generally  sown  by  hand,  14. 

Self-sustaining  and  self-reliant  as  a  people,  7. 

Senate,  United  States,  valuation  of  Cherokee  lands  by,  17. 

Soldiers  and  soldiei-s'  widows,  21. 

Spray,  William  H.,  superintendent  of  training  school,  14. 

State  of  North  Carolina  incorporates  the  Eastern  Band  of  Cherokees,  1889,  7,  21, 

Statistics  of  Cherokee  schools,  9,  15, 

Stock,  live,  statistics  of,  for  1890,  8, 

Struggle  to  retain  the  ancestral  home,  18. 

Sunday  schools  maintained,  14. 

Superintendent  Spray,  his  management  of  the  training  school  and  his  religious 

influence,  14,  16,  17. 
Survey  of  1876  of  the  Qualla  boundary,  11. 
Survey,  new,  necessary  to  settle  titles,  11. 
Surveys  conflicting,  11. 
Swain  county,  Cherokees  occupy  lands  in,  7,  11,  21. 

T 

Temperance  obligatory  upon  school  employes.  15, 

Temperance  proposed  as  a  requisite  for  office,  15. 

Temperance  societies  not  formally  organized,  15, 

Temple  survey,  11, 

Thomas,  W,  H.,  acts  as  trustee  for  the  Eastern  Cherokees,  18. 

Timber,  many  kinds  of,  and  supply  abundant,  14. 

Timber,  supply  of,  abundant  for  many  years,  11, 

Titles  before  Congress  in  1874,  18. 

Titles  confirmed  by  Congress  in  1876,  18. 

Titles  impaired  by  North  Carolina's  disregard  of  records  and  tiles.  U. 

Traditions  preserved  to  some  extent,  7. 

Training  school,  schools,  and  education.  9, 15,  16,  17, 

Training  school  management  under  review,  17. 

Training  school  prosperous  and  popular,  16, 

Treaty  of  1817  exchanges  eastern  for  western  land,  17. 

Treaty  of  1819  the  basis  of  annuities,  17, 

Treaty  of  1828  encourages  emigration  by  a  bounty,  17, 

Treaty  of  1833  redefines  boundaries,  17. 

Treaty  of  1836  is  resisted  by  the  band,  17. 

Treaty  of  1846  suspends  enforced  emigration,  18, 

Trustee  for  Eastern  Cherokees,  18. 

u 

Union  church  edifice,  a  central,  favored,  15. 
United  States  court  as  to  land  titles,  18. 
United  States  Senate  values  the  Cherokee  lands,  17. 
Unity  of  the  two  Cherokee  bands  maintained,  17. 

V 

Valleys  narrow  and  hillsides  steep,  11. 

Valuation  of  the  Cherokee  lands  by  the  United  Slates  Senate,  17. 

Vegetables  extensively  raised,  11, 

\v 

Wages  low,  but  cost  of  living  small,  9. 

Wagon  making  cArried  on  by  Davis  Welch,  1  J. 

Water  power  only  used  in  the  mills,  12, 

Water  supply  ample  for  irrigation  and  generally  difl'used.  11. 

Welch,  John  Going,  vice  principal  chief,  home  of,  13. 

White  intruders  in  1890,  8. 

Wiggins,  Rev,  J.  A.,  preaches  once  each  month,  15, 

Windows,  houses  without,  11, 

AVitch,  Big,  aged  105,  at  home,  12, 

Witchcraft,  few  believers  in,  14. 

Working  bees,  12. 


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N.  MA.NCHESTER, 
INDIANA.  46962_ 


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