550 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1956 



black man who also refused it ; finally to the white man who accepted 

 the book. The Great Spirit then offered the bundle of roots to the 

 black man who refused it, and next to the red man, who accepted 

 it. That is why the Indians have become wise in the use of roots 

 for medicines and the white men in the use of books. 



THE TOWN LIFE 



From the earliest times the Cherokees have lived in settlements 

 or towns. The five towns of the Qualla Boundary today are Birdtown, 

 Yellow Hill, Painttown, Wolf town, and Big Cove. Yellow Hill and 

 Birdtown are located in the valley of the Oconaluftee while Big Cove 

 is on the Raven Fork branch, Painttown on Wright's Creek branch, 

 and Wolftown on Soco Creek branch. Each of these towns consisted 

 originally of a number of log cabins strung out at intervals of from 

 a quarter to a half mile apart. In the case of Big Cove two divisions 

 are noticed, an upper Big Cove proper or Raven and the lower Big 

 Cove or Calico. The town of Big Cove itself had in 1932 about 50 

 families of which possibly half a dozen were white families. Each of 

 the families possessed about 30 or 40 acres of hillside or woodland 

 and of this area perhaps six acres would be cultivated and planted 

 with corn, beans, and potatoes. The stock was and is scant, consisting 

 of a horse, cow, a few hogs, and some chickens. 



The five towns mentioned above, together with a sixth consisting of 

 Graham County households, are organized as the Eastern Band of 

 Cherokees with a chief elected every four years, vice chief, and town 

 delegates who compose a band council. Town unity is evidenced in 

 cooperative societies called gadugi, funeral societies, poor-aid societies, 

 town ball team, and town dance team. The towns differ in their clan 

 composition. The Wolf Clan predominates in Wolftown, Painttown, 

 Yellow Hill, and Birdtown, and disputes first place with the Deer 

 Clan in Big Cove. The Wolf Clan is not found in any degree in 

 Graham County. The Deer Clan claims the most members in Big 

 Cove and is numerous in Graham County. The Bird Clan is most 

 numerous in Graham County and ranks second in Wolftown, Paint- 

 town, and Yellow Hill. The Paint Clan predominates in Painttown, 

 the Blue Clan is found mostly in Big Cove, the Potato Clan is most 

 numerous to the westward, and the Twister Clan is strongest in Bird- 

 town and Yellow Hill. 



Stated in another way, clan distributions by towns show : 57 percent 

 of Big Cove consists of Deer and Wolf; 60 percent of Yellow Hill, 

 Wolf and Bird; 50 percent of Wolftown and Painttown, Wolf and 

 Bird; 65 percent of Birdtown, Wolf and Twister; and 73 percent of 

 Graham County, Bird and Deer. On the whole the less thickly settled 

 areas of Graham County and Big Cove show a greater predominance 



