The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians on the Qualla Boundary in western North Carolina had maintained an ethnic identity through adaptive strategies. The theories of Louise Spindler (1977) and Fredrick Barth (1969) were used in this study to analyze how the ethnic boundaries between this group and its white neighbors had been maintained. Simultaneously, an analysis of the school system, also utilizing an ethnographic research design, was conducted to investigate the role it played with regard to the adaptive strategies. In particular, this study was concerned with the function of schooling in maintaining equilibrium in the sociocultural system. / The Eastern Cherokee on the Qualla Boundary had not assimilated into the dominant white culture of Appalachia which surrounded them in the Mountains of westen North Carolina. They had utilized the resources available to them to develop strategies which reaffirmed an ethnic identity. These resources included the tribally held reservation land, federal recognition as an Indian tribe, tribal enrollment requirements, federal, state, and local laws, and tourist attitudes. / The Bureau of Indian Affairs school system played a minor role in the persistence of the Eastern Cherokee ethnic identity, yet neither did it detract from that identity. The Cherokee supported the institution and it adapted to the cultural environment in a manner supportive of the sociocultural system. An important factor in this adaptation to the perceived needs of the Eastern Cherokee was the availability of public schooling in two counties adjacent to the reservation. / This study provided a different perspective on the Acculturation of the largest community of the Eastern Cherokee and the role that schooling played on the Qualla Boundary. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-11, Section: A, page: 4635. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74344 |
| Contributors | DOUTHITT, ROY LEE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 270 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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