The Cherokee Nation:
Individualism, Collectivism, Power, and Quality of Life

Individualism/Collectivism

“In the beginning there was no land; just water and the sky. The animals lived above the solid rock vault that formed the sky, but they were very crowded”(Perdue, 2007). This is the introduction of the Cherokee people’s birth and come to being on this earth. Like our tale of Adam and Eve, the Cherokee also had their version of it and their people were named Kana’ti and Selu. They had both lived in a paradise that was created for them, but had a flaw of wanting more and thus were cast out of their own Garden of Eden. When the original Cherokee people were cast out of their paradise they found themselves having to hunt and harvest their food. They developed methods to help kill the bigger animals and trounce on the smaller ones with little to no regard for their lives. The story goes on to tell that the Cherokee people began to get sick from the animals they were eating and their harvest were not growing the way they intended either. The animals were punishing the humans for not respecting their right to live along side with them. The Cherokee soon realized that they must perform rituals to avoid the diseases, give thanks to the animals and land for what they used, and that is when they began to understand the importance of respect for all living things and not dominion over them (Perdue, 2007). Cherokee’s today believe that they are one with their environment and what they do has ripple effects across the board. Working in harmony is an important practice for the Cherokee people. They believe that if the balance of nature is upset then trouble will find them. They understand the ramifications of what the loss of balance can cause, such as sickness, bad weather, failed crops, poor hunting, and many other problems. Cherokee

people are responsible for keeping the balance within themselves, the animals, plants, and other nations (learnnnc.org, Raley).

Power Distance The second cultural dimension, power distance reflects to the extent to which less powerful members of a group accept an unequal distribution of power (Adler with Gundersen, 2014, p. 54). The Cherokee Nation primarily resides throughout counties of Oklahoma and each one of those counties has their own tribal leadership councils in place. However, they all abide by the constitution that was implemented by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1975 and ratified by its people in 1976. In 1999 the constitution was re-created and in 2006 its people implemented it. People of the Cherokee Nation have different roles and responsibilities, but the constitution states that everything they do is for the betterment of their people and not to be shared with that of outsiders, including those of the United States (commonlaw.com, Cherokee). The Cherokee people have learned to learn the ways of the United States and understand the importance of them, but not with out giving up who they are as a collective group and entity.

Uncertainty Avoidance The Cherokee Nation has certainly been challenged with this dilemma for decades. Today, they have a new constitution that has laws and levels of government that help shape the future of their nation, culture, politics, education communication, and its people. As previously mentioned, the new constitution helps ease the balance needed within the Cherokee Nation and it people. This helps people know their individual roles and how they benefit the greater good of its people. They have people within the group that are designated and voted to represent the Cherokee Nation and what is important for them and the group as a whole. Education plays a big role as well; teachers and spiritual leaders are responsible for teaching the Cherokee ways of life to their young and understanding the importance of keeping their roots in tact. They also have to know the ways of the United States culture and how to interact with citizens of our Country. I believe Uncertainty Avoidance is high within this culture and is the reason why they keep to themselves for the most part, but are stringent on their ways of life and making sure their people are properly educated and practice the norms of their culture.

Way of Life The Cherokee Nation uses the being one with its environment, as its way of life model. From its humble condition in the 1970s, the Cherokee Nation has grown to massive proportions, employing 1,300 people, 85% of who are Cherokees with a $1.6 million monthly payroll (Conley, Cherokees). Many of the businesses they run are in real estate, health care, professional services, manufacturing, security, defense, technology services, and the Casino industry. 68% of the money is then recycled back into the communities by creating more jobs, promoting self-sufficiency, training and educating its citizens to fill jobs. The other 35% is funneled back into education, health services, housing programs, social services and other community based programs (cherokeenationbusinesses.org).
Conclusion
I believe the way of life the Cherokee Nation practices is good and now is also allowing them to grow not only as a Nation but as a people as well. They have endured many scars, failures, losses, and some of the most difficult moments that the U.S. has imposed on any one group or nation. I appreciate that they never gave up their ways of life and continued to push forward despite all the obstacles put before them. We can take a piece of that history ourselves as individuals. If we become aware of ourselves not only as an individual but as a community then we can achieve more.
References
Conley, R. (n.d.). Countries and Their Cultures. Cherokees. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cherokees.html
Home. (n.d.). Cherokee Nation Businesses. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://cherokeenationbusinesses.com/Pages/productsServices.aspx

Our History. (n.d.). Our History. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History/Facts/OurHistory.aspx
Raley, K. (n.d.). 2.7 Maintaining balance: The religious world of the Cherokees.
Perdue, T., & Green, M. D. (2007). The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. New York: Viking.
Selections from LAWS OF THE CHEROKEE NATION. (n.d.). Laws of the Cherokee Nation. Retrieved July 26, 2014, from http://www.commonlaw.com/Cherokee.html