Sustaining the Cherokee Family

Kinship and the Allotment of an Indigenous Nation

By Rose Stremlau | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

About the book

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the federal government sought to forcibly assimilate Native Americans into American society through systematized land allotment. In Sustaining the Cherokee Family, Rose Stremlau illuminates the impact of this policy on the Cherokee Nation, particularly within individual families and communities in modern-day northeastern Oklahoma.

Emphasizing Cherokee agency, Stremlau reveals that Cherokee families' organization, cultural values, and social and economic practices allowed them to adapt to private land ownership by incorporating elements of the new system into existing domestic and community-based economies. Drawing on evidence from a range of sources, including Cherokee and United States censuses, federal and tribal records, local newspapers, maps, county probate records, family histories, and contemporary oral histories, Stremlau demonstrates that Cherokee management of land perpetuated the values and behaviors associated with their sense of kinship, therefore uniting extended families. And, although the loss of access to land and communal resources slowly impoverished the region, it reinforced the Cherokees' interdependence. Stremlau argues that the persistence of extended family bonds allowed indigenous communities to retain a collective focus and resist aspects of federal assimilation policy during a period of great social upheaval.

Editions of Sustaining the Cherokee Family

Hardcover
ISBN 9780807834992
Paperback
ISBN 9780807872048
EBook
ISBN 9780807869109
EBook
ISBN 9781469602745
EBook
ISBN 9798890882868
EBook
ISBN 9798893133103

Read an Excerpt

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the federal government sought to forcibly assimilate Native Americans into American society through systematized land allotment. In Sustaining the Cherokee Family, Rose Stremlau illuminates the impact of this policy on the Cherokee Nation, particularly within individual families and communities in modern-day northeastern Oklahoma.

Emphasizing Cherokee agency, Stremlau reveals that Cherokee families' organization, cultural values, and social and economic practices allowed them to adapt to private land ownership by incorporating elements of the new system into existing domestic and community-based economies. Drawing on evidence from a range of sources, including Cherokee and United States censuses, federal and tribal records, local newspapers, maps, county probate records, family histories, and contemporary oral histories, Stremlau demonstrates that Cherokee management of land perpetuated the values and behaviors associated with their sense of kinship, therefore uniting extended families. And, although the loss of access to land and communal resources slowly impoverished the region, it reinforced the Cherokees' interdependence. Stremlau argues that the persistence of extended family bonds allowed indigenous communities to retain a collective focus and resist aspects of federal assimilation policy during a period of great social upheaval.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sustaining the Cherokee Family about?

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the federal government sought to forcibly assimilate Native Americans into American society through systematized land allotment. In Sustaining the Cherokee Family, Rose Stremlau illuminates the impact of this policy on the Cherokee Nation, particularly within individual families and communities in modern-day northeastern Oklahoma.

Emphasizing Cherokee agency, Stremlau reveals that Cherokee families' organization, cultural values, and social and economic practices allowed them to adapt to private land ownership by incorporating elements of the new system into existing domestic and community-based economies. Drawing on evidence from a range of sources, including Cherokee and United States censuses, federal and tribal records, local newspapers, maps, county probate records, family histories, and contemporary oral histories, Stremlau demonstrates that Cherokee management of land perpetuated the values and behaviors associated with their sense of kinship, therefore uniting extended families. And, although the loss of access to land and communal resources slowly impoverished the region, it reinforced the Cherokees' interdependence. Stremlau argues that the persistence of extended family bonds allowed indigenous communities to retain a collective focus and resist aspects of federal assimilation policy during a period of great social upheaval.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Sustaining the Cherokee Family?

History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas

Where can I read a sample of Sustaining the Cherokee Family?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807834992

How long is Sustaining the Cherokee Family and how many pages does it have?

Sustaining the Cherokee Family has 336 page(s)

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Sustaining the Cherokee Family?

Rose Stremlau

Who is the Publisher of the book Sustaining the Cherokee Family?

The University of North Carolina Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Sustaining the Cherokee Family is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807834992) and paperback(ISBN 9780807872048) and ebook(ISBN 9780807869109) and ebook(ISBN 9781469602745) and ebook(ISBN 9798890882868) and ebook(ISBN 9798893133103)

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Where can I buy Sustaining the Cherokee Family?