No.^TSr* ^^^' EASTERN CHEROKEE GROUPS — KUPFERER 253 



efforts, cash is always in short supply, so Ed does some carpentry 

 work during the winter. 



There are eight McVey children. The oldest, Tom, is married to a 

 girl who is nearly "fullblood." He has some land adjoining his 

 father's; he farms this and also some land belonging to his father. 

 Bertha, the oldest daughter, graduated from high school this year. 

 She started to work at the Harn plant soon after school closed. The 

 rest of the children, except the baby, are in school. "And they will 

 stay there until they finish, if I have to take a belt to them," Ed said. 

 There are some things being taught that Ed and Martha do not 

 understand. "Don't seem like they need algebra and subjects like 

 that," High school diplomas are important goals to Ed, and he 

 believes that "It would be nice if one of the younger girls could take up 

 nursing or typing. The boys reckon they'll farm like their Daddy," 

 Ed needs them, too, because his rheumatism cripples him from time to 

 time. He comments on being an old man at 50. 



He is a regular patient at the Public Health hospital because of his 

 rheumatoid condition. On one occasion he was sent over to Asheville 

 for extensive X-rays, The McVeys use the health facilities and 

 services regularly. The baby suffers from asthma and is also under 

 treatment at the hospital, Martha takes care of the colds at home 

 with patent medicines. Once in a while she brews some herbal 

 infusion which she said her grandmother used to use, Ed does not 

 object to it, but he contends that "He'd be damned if he'd have one 

 of them conjurers spittin' and blowin' over him or his kids," 



The life of this family revolves around the farm and associated 

 activities, Martha belongs to a Home Demonstration Club and 

 attends monthly meetings. Several of the children are in 4-H clubs. 

 One of the boys received a scholarship to go to a 4-H camp near 

 Asheville. Ed scans the sky, hoping for rain during dry spells; he 

 worries that the seed will rot after a week of rain. He never misses 

 the noon farm and market reports. 



Tribal politics do not concern the McVeys often, especially now 

 that the blood degree for tribal membership has been settled. In the 

 period when efforts were made to establish a lower limit of % Indian 

 inheritance for membership, Ed was in the audience at council meet- 

 ings. Ed and Martha are on the 1924 RoU, but their children could 

 not have been enrolled on the new register. 



A few of Ed's neighbors are "fullbloods" or nearly so. The children 

 of all the families play together without any adult interference. Ed 

 has helped out one or two of the families with com during the winter. 

 But, he fusses, "By damn, they are lazy; some of them couldn't make 

 a go of it as a taster in a pie factory." Martha tries to shut Ed up 



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