Eastern Band Cherokee Women

Cultural Persistence in Their Letters and Speeches

Virginia Moore Carney

• Publisher: University of Tennessee Press
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781621900726
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Cultural & Social Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

For the first time, the voices of Eastern Band Cherokee women receive their proper due. A watershed event, this book unearths three centuries of previously unknown and largely ignored speeches, letters, and other writings from Eastern Band Cherokee women. Like other Native American groups, the Cherokees endured numerous hardships at the hands of the United States government. As their heritage came under assault, so did their desire to keep their traditions. The Eastern Band Cherokees were no exception, and at the forefront of their struggle were their women. Eastern Band Cherokee Women analyzes how the women of the Eastern Band served as honored members of the tribe, occupying both positions of leadership and respect. Carney shows how in the early 1800s women leaders, such as Beloved Nancy Ward, battled to retain her people’s heritage and sovereignty. Other women, such as Catharine Brown, a mission school student, discovered the power of the written word and thereby made themselves heard just as eloquently. Carney traces the voices of these women through the twentieth century, describing how Cherokees such as Marie Junaluska and Joyce Dugan have preserved a culture threatened by an increasingly homogenous society. This book is a fitting testament to their contributions. Eastern Band Cherokee Women stands out by demonstrating the overwhelming importance of women to the preservation of the Eastern Band. From passionate speeches to articulately drafted personal letters, Carney helps readers explore the many nuances of these timeless voices.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1. Mothers of Men
• 2. Time Flowing Back on Itself
• 3. Boarding School Blues
• 4. A Time to Heal
• Conclusion
• Appendix A: Eastern Band Cherokee FemalesAttending Hampton Institute, 1878–1923
• Appendix B: Eastern Band Cherokee FemalesAttending Carlisle Indian School, 1879–1918
• Notes
• Works Cited
• Index