No^78]^' ^^^' EASTERN CHEROKEE GROUPS — KUPFERER 247 



The use of ideal types as a methodological tool stems from the 

 work of Max Weber, appearing in his essays on religion and bureauc- 

 racy. "Ideal" does not, in this case, refer to an exemplary type but 

 to a pure or abstract one. It is a conceptual scheme to expedite 

 understanding (Weber, 1958, p. 59).^^ 



Redfield puts this concept to use in his study of the problem of 

 folk-urban relationships. He says: 



With others, I have found the imagined construction of a generalized typical 

 primitive or folk society useful in directing attention to certain kinds of questions 

 about societies and people. The conception asks special questions; it does not 

 answer these; only particular facts can do that. [Redfield, 1953, p. 224.] 



To be sure, Redfield deals with societies and in no way can the Chero- 

 kee types be regarded as societies or communities, but to the extent 

 that our types exist in a culturally definable manner, the concept is 

 heuristic. 



The research of George and Louise Spindler (1957, pp. 147-149) 

 seems to be a case in point. Although they perceive their descriptions 

 of certain personality types among American Indians to be reasonable 

 hypotheses, in fact the authors seem to be postulating ideal or pure 

 types. They say that a study of the variation from their core of 

 psychological features wUl lead to greater understanding of the 

 behavior of Indians, both historically and in the present. 



PORTRAITS OF FOUR FAMILIES 

 JOHN AND LIZA RUNNER (CONSERVATIVE) 



About 50 yards away from a dirt and gravel road there is a three- 

 room house perched precariously on four columns of rocks. Only 

 the weight of the house assures its continuous contact with the 

 foundation. The framing is largely of two-by-fours; some of the 

 joists and rafters are two-by-sixes. All of it is rough-sawed lumber 

 from the local miU. The exterior siding is of oak slabs covered with 

 tar paper. The interior is lined with pieces of cardboard from packing 

 boxes. The labels Carnation Milk, Keliogg's Cereal, and Campbell's 

 Tomato Soup, add the only color to the drab surface. In two of the 

 rooms there are two double beds and an iron cot. A wood-burning 

 iron stove occupies a corner of the "front" room. The stovepipe 

 makes its erratic way to a hole cut in the outside wall, providing a 

 hot and dry spot for an unceasing accumulation of wet diapers. A 

 large wood- coal-burning range in the kitchen is the only kitchen 

 appliance. It is lighted at least twice a day to prepare meals for the 

 family. In winter it is another source of heat, but in summer it 



13 See also Bendix, 1960, p. 281; "Typological simplifications . . . these models are artifacts of the re- 

 searcher based on historical materials." 



