BOOK GUIDES
Native Ways of Knowing Literature Circle Discussion Questions
Chapter 7: Reconstruction Through Ashes: 1865-1887 Rebuilding, Leadership, and Self-determination After the Civil War What does the phrase “Reconstruction Through Ashes” suggest about the condition of the Cherokee Nation after the Civil War? How did Cherokee leaders work to rebuild unity and governance following the war? What challenges made reconstruction especially difficult for the Cherokee Nation? In what ways did Reconstruction policies imposed by the United States affect Cherokee sovereignty? How does this chapter show resilience and self-determination despite devastation and external pressure? What examples from the text illustrate Cherokee agency during this period? How did issues of citizenship, land grab policies, and rights become central during Reconstruction? Why were these issues so significant for the future of the Cherokee Nation? What connections can you make between the struggles described in this chapter and later challenges the Cherokee Nation would face? Chapter 8: Assault on Nationhood: 1876-1907 Allotment and Assimilation 1.Why does the author describe this period as an “assault on nationhood”? What specific federal policies or actions threatened the Cherokee Nation’s sovereignty during these years? 2.How did federal initiatives such as allotment and the Dawes Commission undermine Cherokee governance and land ownership? Who benefited from these policies, and who was harmed? 3.In what ways did Cherokee leaders and citizens resist, adapt to, or negotiate these attacks on sovereignty? What strategies were used to preserve Cherokee nationhood despite increasing pressure? 4.How did changes to land ownership and citizenship affect Cherokee identity and community life? Why were these changes especially damaging to Tribal self-determination? 5.How does this chapter help explain the transition from Tribal governance to Oklahoma statehood? What was lost, and what forms of Cherokee identity or governance persisted? 6.What lessons does this chapter offer about the relationship between U.S. expansion and Tribal Nations? 7.What were the objectives of the Dawes Act, and how did it impact the Cherokee landholdings? How did the policy of allotment challenge traditional Cherokee communal land practices? 8.Discuss the formation and goals of the Keetoowah Nighthawk Society in response to assimilation pressures. 9.In what ways did the Cherokee resist or adapt to the U.S. government's assimilation policies? 10.How did changes in land ownership affect the social and economic structures of the Cherokee Nation? 11.Analyze the role of education and missionary efforts in the assimilation process.
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