290 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



side, and by giving of himself to his fellow Cherokee in regard to his time and his 

 material goods on the positive side." 



I have selected pertinent aspects of behavior which illustrate this 

 regnant value and which are also in sharp contrast to the behavior 

 of people who are not motivated by the Harmony Ethic. 



INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR 



The intermediary. — All groups have developed methods by which to 

 facilitate interaction; some of these devices are markedly different 

 from each other. Among the Conservative Cherokee there is a pre- 

 ferred way of behaving in certain dyadic situations in which one 

 person wishes to affect the behavior of another, for example, making 

 requests, reproaching others, and controlling children. The single 

 outstanding characteristic of this behavioral syndrome is the use of a 

 neutral third person in circumstances which could be conceived of as 

 threatening to amicable relationships. 



It is readily apparent in incidents involving requests of one kind 

 or another. School children, including high school students, fre- 

 quently send another child to request permission of the teacher to 

 sharpen a pencil or to leave the room. Employers comment on the 

 same practice among people applying for work. In fact, I became 

 the neutral thii'd person when Frances, an informant, wished to get 

 a job as a waitress. She mentioned this desire often, finally saying, 

 "I'd go to see the manager if I could get someone to go with me." 

 I accompained her and made the initial overture to the manager. 

 Go-betweens are also used in court cases. Several local lawyers 

 have remarked on the frequency with which defendants, even those 

 who speak English, bring an intermediary to com't through whom 

 they communicate. 



This behavior is not confined to contacts with Whites or nonkins- 

 men. One informant family was occupying a house, rent-free, which 

 belonged to the wife's aunt. Although the aunt wanted the couple to 

 move she did not approach them. Eventually she communicated her 

 desire to another, saying, "When I said they could live there, I didn't 

 mean forever." The neutral told the unwanted tenants that their 

 aunt wanted them to move. 



There was another domestic situation which reached crisis propor- 

 tions in the eyes of the participants: A young 20-year-old girl who 

 lives with her parents had one child by a man, unknown to the writer. 

 A year or so later she bore a child to her maternal parallel cousin who 

 was living with the family. Her mother disapproved highly of this, 



" Robert K. Thomas, quoted by Qulick, 1960, pp. 135-136. For a more complete description and Inter- 

 pretation of the Harmony Ethic, and associated Conservative values, see ibid., pp. 136-141. 



