No.^ir' ^^^' EASTERN CHEROKEE GROUPS — KUPFERER 273 



Yet some use these facilities who are financially able to assume 

 reasonable costs for treatment but are not Federal employees. Fur- 

 thermore, several people who are employed in some capacity by the 

 Bureau of Indian Affairs use the hospital without charge. 



It is alleged by many people in this group that the Public Health 

 doctors are poorly qualified. "Public Health officials can't make a go 

 of it in private practice. They are more concerned with the salaries 

 than they are the people." One woman, a Generalized Indian, had 

 her first child at the reservation hospital. She said they left her in 

 labor for 2 days. Her second child was born in a private hospital, 

 and she takes all the children to a doctor in Waynesville. She vows 

 she will never go back to the "Indian" hospital for anything unless 

 she is ready to die. Another informant, a Rural White, insists that 

 the Public Health staff does not know what to do for her. She takes 

 her medical problems to Bryson City. Statements such as these 

 are typical of this group. 



Although there may be some truth in some of the charges about the 

 attitude of the health staff, comments suggest that a matter of status 

 is involved in the choice of therapy for people in the third group. 

 This is borne out by such remarks as: "I can afford my own doctor 

 bills," and "I'm no charity patient." I asked a Middle Class in- 

 formant whether she ever used the Public Health facilities. She 

 looked very surprised and answered, "Heavens no!" 



People in category 3 are much more sophisticated in health affairs. 

 Although they treat themselves at home, they seldom permit a 

 chronic condition or an unusual symptom to continue uncared for. 

 They make use of psychiatric counseling. They are quick to have 

 surgery when it is necessary. When they keep their children home 

 from school, the youngsters are kept in bed or indoors. 



Most of these people are not acutely aware of the extent to which 

 Indian medicine is still being practiced. One man said that it had 

 aU died out, although he supposed his grandmother used it. Another 

 denied any knowledge of native doctors, although probing revealed 

 that he did know who one of the doctors was. The few who do have 

 some awareness of the habits of Conservatives have no interest in, 

 or sympathy with, native medicine. A shopkeeper said, "Don't let 

 them fool you. Nine-tenths of them believe in conjuremen, so they 

 fool around with them . . . when they get to the hospital they are 

 half dead." A former nurse said of one well-known Indian doctor, 

 "He'U tell people anything he happens to think of." 



In general, there is no distinctive diflFerence between Indians in 

 the third category and White people from a similar educational and 



