CHEROKEES OF NORTH CAROLINA — GILBERT 551 



of one or two clans over the others than do the more densely populated 

 Painttown and Yellow Hill. Examination of the record of marriages 

 between clanspeople indicates that the chance propinquity of residence 

 has little to do with choice of mate. 



Intertown rivalry is expressed in the ball game. Great stress is laid 

 on magical power or the lack of it as the sole detriment to the winning 

 or losing of ball games. These games, together with the ball dances, 

 resolve themselves into a rivalry between teams of conjurers in the 

 opposing towns. The magical rites surrounding the ball game are ex- 

 tensive and esoteric but include a weakening of the opponents through 

 trickster joking of familiar clansmen in the opponent's town. Ex- 

 traordinary measures are resorted to in order to obtain the more pow- 

 erful conjurers for one's ball team. In fact the entire community has 

 been known to turn out to hoe the fields and perform work on the con- 

 jurer's fields in order to show their good will and regard for the 

 conjurer's abilities. The conjurer prays and divines the future. If 

 he finds the opponents stronger than the home team, he takes magical 

 measures to strengthen the latter. 



The life in Cherokee towns in early times has been described in great 

 detail in the Payne-Butrick manuscripts. The number of dwellings 

 varied from a dozen to 200, depending upon the importance of the 

 settlement. Townsites were usually on small creeks near the mouth, 

 while larger streams were used for water travel and fishing. Stock- 

 ades surrounded those settlements whose exposed position rendered it 

 necessary. In the center of the town stood the town house or council 

 house on a level area adjacent to the stream. The council house was 

 7-sided and in arrangement and use served as a temple for the Indians. 

 Within the council house was an altar of clay at which the sacred new 

 fire was kindled at certain specific times. 



Houses within the village were built with posts and wickerwork 

 plastered with clay and with a bark or thatched roof. There were 

 also hothouses for sweat baths and for cold-weather habitation. Store- 

 houses were used to hold stored food. There was a dance square in 

 front of the council house at which important ceremonies were held. 

 Nearby were ball grounds for the ball play and chunkey yards for the 

 chunkey game. 



Towns were classified as white towns and red towns, depending upon 

 their traditional ceremonial affiliation. There was a complete hier- 

 archy of so-called white or peace officials and a similar hierarchy of red 

 or war officials. 



CHEROKEE PERSONALITIES 



The preservation of Cherokee culture and traditions is largely an 

 affair involving personalities, particularly the medicine men. In John 



412575—57 36 



