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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A documented historical survey of the Cherokee people, July 4, 2005
On September 6, 2005, the Cherokee Nation will observe the 66th anniversary of the adoption of its constitution, but the Cherokee tribe itself has survived since prehistory, and in the 19th and 20th centuries, found itself having to cope with land cessation, forcible relocation, and bloody wars, as it evolved to become one of the largest and most influential of the Native American tribes within the continental United States. In The Cherokee Nation: A History, Robert J. Conley (who is an enrolled member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees and lives in Tahlequah, Oklahoma) provides the reader with a documented historical survey of the Cherokee people from their origins in the Old South, through forced relocation west along the infamous "Trail of Tears", to the formation of a sovereign government which negotiated treaties with the United States government. The Cherokee Nation brings the history of these enduring Native Americans up to the present day, complete with recent political trends, as well as economic contributions of the Cherokee. Presenting a wonderfully informative and readable text, The Cherokee Nation is enhanced for academia and non-specialist general readers with the inclusion of a number of appendices including "Principals Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation"; "Chiefs of the Western Cherokees"; Chiefs of the Texas Cherokees"; The Confederate Cherokee Nation and Chief Stand Watie"; "Chiefs of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians"; Chiefs of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians"; Cherokee Nation Treaties"; and "Western Cherokee Treaties". The Cherokee Nation is a seminal work of superb historical scholarship and enthusiastically recommended for personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies collections.
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful introduction to the tribe for students, January 3, 2008
This book was commissioned by the Cherokee tribe, and written by a tribal member who has written 70 books. If you're wondering how thorough an author can be if he's written that many books, well, that's a good thing to wonder.
The book is designed for students. Each chapter has a glossary at its end, and the glossary really doesn't assume that students know anything at all. Each chapter also has a list of a few additional suggested readings. It emphasizes the main line of Cherokee history that ends up in Oklahoma, and it's not very good if you're interested in the Eastern Band that remained in North Carolina after the Trail of Tears.
Conley is overtly biased, and the book provides a pro-Cherokee standpoint. Still, within this perspective, he admits of divisions within the tribe--Conley does not feel obliged to paper over differences. However, he doesn't dig too deeply into those differences.
While the early chapters provide more analysis, the later chapters turn into lists of events, without interpretation. For example, Conley provides a brief factual history of the disputed three-way election that led to Joe Byrd becoming chief. The Byrd administration strongly resisted audits or investigations by members of the tribal council, leading to a large political crisis that included dismissal of the tribal marshals, boycotts of the council, and an election overseen by the Carter Center. Conley describes these events but doesn't tell us what's going on - - is this simply a matter of a corrupt coalition taking on a clean government coalition? Or two corrupt coalitions fighting over spoils? Is this associated with divisions between traditionalists and modernists? These are pretty obvious questions but Conley doesn't begin to suggest any answers.
His lack of critical perspective also evident in discussing W. W. Keeler, chief from 1949 to 1975. Keeler was both a tribal member and a high-level executive for Phillips Petroleum, eventually becoming Phillips' president and CEO. He was a politically-active Republican and eventually implicated in a Nixon scandal over illegal campaign contributions. He was chosen chief nine consecutive times during this period, appointed eight times by the federal government and elected by the tribe in his last term. It's not too hard to connect the dots here, but Conley doesn't go anywhere near the real story.
So, there are plenty of gaps and questions about the history that Conley has given us. There are also better books on parts of the tribe's story - - many books on the Trail of Tears, and Fingers' books on the Eastern Band come to mind. Nonetheless, the book provides a good start for anyone interested in the Cherokee tribe over its entire history, both before and after the Trail of Tears. If you're a teacher, this book would give your students an introduction to the topic while providing a foundation for further discussion.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended, July 19, 2007
Conley's book, "The Cherokee Nation: A History" is an eminently readable, concise but thoughtful account of the Cherokee people from prehistoric times up to the present day. The book is formatted in such a way as to make it an ideal text for high school and college classes. At the end of each chapter is a source list and suggestions for further reading. Also at the end of each chapter is an unusual but helpful feature- a glossary of key terms. The book contains interesting maps, photographs and drawings, along with a list of chiefs for the various factions of the Cherokee tribe and nation.
In addition to being easily understood, a principal strength of the book is that the author questions some traditional beliefs and sources about the Cherokee past without appearing to be a revisionist or an individual with an agenda in his writing. One such example is when Conley tells the story of Alexander Cuming, an Englishman who took seven Cherokee men with him to England in 1730. One of the Cherokee, Oukanekah, is recorded as having said to the King of England: "We look upon the Great King George as the Sun, and as our Father, and upon ourselves as his children. For though we are red, and you are white our hands and hearts are joined together..." Conley wonders if Oukanekah actually said these things and points out that the only version we have of this story is the English version. There is nothing to indicate if Oukanekah spoke in English or Cherokee, or if his words were recorded at the time they were spoken or were written down later. Conley also points out that in Cherokee culture, the Sun was considered female, so it is curious that King George would be looked upon as the Sun. The "redness" of Native American skin was a European perception. The Cherokee would have described themselves as brown. But Conley does not overly dwell on these things. He continues to tell the story using the sources available.
The one weakness of the book is shared by almost all history texts that attempt to document events to the present day. The last two or three chapters tend to read a bit superficially, more like history's first draft rather than how the rest of the book reads. In these last chapters, Conley's writing takes on a political bent, with harsh criticism of Chief Joe Byrd. The book portrays Byrd's successor, Chad Smith, in a heroic light. Conley's criticism of federal government involvement in the clash between the two factions also seems a bit shallow. The reader may feel as though he is not getting the full story, though there are some terribly autocratic quotes attributed to Joe Byrd.
The skill of Conley in communicating his ideas never diminishes, however. This book is highly recommended as a good place to start the study of Cherokee history. It serves as excellent reference material and belongs in the library of anyone serious about the study of Native Americans.
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