Jerry Wolfe

Partial Transcript: Jerry Wolfe introduces himself. He is a tribal member of the Eastern band of the Cherokee in Western Carolina. Jerry talks about all the changes he has seen over the years.

Keywords: tribal member of the Eastern band of the Cherokees; Jerry Wolfe

Subjects: Jerry Wolfe

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about growing up and the poverty he experienced. He discusses the Cherokee Indian School and what life was like at the boarding school. Jerry lists all the townships in the area and the rules for attending the one room school house in the township. The boarding school was very strict not allowing them to speaking their language. The punishment for getting in trouble was a strapping. The boarding school was the only way to get an education.

Keywords: no speaking native language; Cherokee Indian Boarding School

Subjects: The Cherokee Indian School

Partial Transcript: The school was built in the 1890s by Quakers. Jerry talks about daily life at the school. He discusses attending school. The school life was very difficult. The United States flag was put up and taken down every day and the students had to salute the flag each time. It was very much a military environment. They had to march in order everywhere they went, nothing like what schools are today

Keywords: United States flag; military environment; Quakers

Subjects: What daily life was like at the boarding school

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about having to salute the flag and not being able to speak his own language. It was a way of life they accepted, they didn’t know any better. His mother attended boarding school up until the 5th grade. She could read and taught Jerry English.

Keywords: Boarding school

Subjects: How Jerry felt about saluting the flag and not being able to speak his own language

Partial Transcript: Jerry discusses the jobs available to the Native Americans. The fathers took whatever work was available. Jerry’s dad helped build the railroads for timber transport. Wages were very small and the work dangerous. There were no benefits for the employees. The Cherokee hospital had 1 doctor and 2 nurses.

Keywords: benefits; railroad; wages; Native Americans

Subjects: What jobs were available to the Native Americans?

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about how many people lived on the reservation and the medical care available to them. It was very hard to get any medical care.

Keywords: medical care; Reservation

Subjects: The number of people on the reservation and the medical care

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about growing up on the reservation and his daily morning ritual. It was a very primitive life and very hard. There was no electricity, running water; even at the boarding school hot water was not readily available. Kids just assumed that was the way everyone lived.

Keywords: growing up; morning ritual; primitive life; reservation

Subjects: Jerry growing up on the reservation

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about growing potatoes for the meals at the school. They grew all kinds of vegetables for the school. They grew all the vegetables used at the school. At home they used what they raised. They did purchase a few items that they could not raise, sugar, salt, flour etc. They used a spring house to preserve food. Jerry explains how the water was brought to the house.

Keywords: spring house; Potatoes

Subjects: The items raised by the people and what they purchased.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about the fact that the school owned gardens, cattle, and orchards for food. The kids were used to work the gardens. Jerry retells a story he remembers about the summer he was in the 5th grade and the students came from home in the summer to work the school garden. The students sold the vegetables they raised to the employees of the school. There was no lunch so the students would pool the money they brought from home and buy a watermelon to share.

Keywords: cattle; orchards; school garden

Subjects: When Jerry went in the 5th garden he worked in the school garden which was 7 miles from his house.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about after a day at the school farm he would walk the 7 miles back home in the dark. Every year the students went to Sylva to shop but it was not much fun. They had no money. The year those 5th graders went in to the 6th grade the gentleman who had them working in the garden gave them all 50₵. When they were in the 6th grade they got $1.75. The gentleman told the boys that the girls had no summer program and that would they give the girls 75₵. The boys voted, reluctantly, to give the girls 75₵.

Keywords: Sylva NC; dividend; Shopping

Subjects: In the 6th grade the boys received $1.75 dividend and voted to give the girls 75₵.

Partial Transcript: When the war broke out all the older boys went off to fight. They were and still are very proud to support their county.

Keywords: proud; War

Subjects: They older boys went off to fight in the war.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about how much life has changed and how people are affected in today’s economy. People have stopped doing the trades they did in the past. The time spent making a basket cannot be recouped in today’s economy. We speed through everything; we have no time to stop. They have been robbed of their culture by the fact no one has any time. Jerry gives an example of a stick ball team. In the old days if the manager said “we are practicing tomorrow at 2:00pm” everyone would show up. Today everyone has something to do. They wouldn’t be able to make time to play.

Keywords: no time; stick ball; Life has changed

Subjects: How we spend our time has changed.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about the pressure everyone feels today to just live day to day. The old traditions have become slack. There is no way to earn a living doing the old crafts.

Keywords: old traditions; Pressure

Subjects: Why the old traditions have grown slack.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about the original school garden when he was in the 5th grade. It became what they now call The Boys Club. During the war the garden went slack. When everyone returned from the war The Boys Club started up again. Jerry is very proud to be a founding member.

Keywords: The Boys Club; proud member.; School garden

Subjects: The beginning of the Boys Club.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about the effect the casino has had on the economy. He thinks it has done some good for the community. It has helped to slow people down. They get a per capita check so some of the pressure to survive has been lifted. The casino supports programs in the school system. The students are being taught the Cherokee language. The casino supports many community improvement programs. There was a lot of concern when the casino was first proposed.

Keywords: community improvement projects; economy; Casino

Subjects: How the tribe has benefited from the casino.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks why it is important to keep the Cherokee language alive. Without their language, they would just be a people. The language makes them who they are. It is their identity. By knowing their language they can read about the history of the tribe.

Keywords: history; identity; Cherokee language

Subjects: Why it is important to keep the Cherokee language alive.

Partial Transcript: Jerry discusses what he would like to pass on to his children and grandkids. Jerry has written a lot about the history of the tribe. He mentions Standing Wolf who was a great leader. Jerry wants his kids to realize where they came from and the family lineage.

Keywords: family lineage; Standing Wolf

Subjects: What Jerry wants his kids to remember after he is gone.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about why it is important for kids today to remember the past. It is important to remember who they are and how they came to be. The kids need to remember the names and the contributions those grandfathers made.

Keywords: contributions; grandfathers

Subjects: Why it is important kids remember past history.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about Colonial Thomas. During the civil war the Cherokee fought with Confederate Colonial Thomas, they were known as Thomas’s Legion. Thomas was a white man. He lived with Grounding Bear. There is no history as to why he lived with this Cherokee family. Thomas went to the one room school house and grew up to be a lawyer. He was a great help to the tribe. He spoke up for the tribe. Jerry felt the Great Creator gave Thomas to the Cherokee to save them. They do not live on a reservation. They live on Qualla Boundary or Qualla Township. The land was purchased with grant money that William Thomas help the tribe secure.

Keywords: Great Creator; Grounding Bear; Qualla Boundary; Qualla Township; Thomas’s Legion; civil war; Colonial William Thomas

Subjects: The impact William Thomas had on the tribe.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about what the American people can learn from the Cherokee to help them find their way. The Cherokee learned how to make tools from the settlers. The Cherokee in turn helped the settlers get established. Relationships can ruined by a “bully”.

Keywords: settlers; American people

Subjects: The relationships between settlers and Cherokee.

Partial Transcript: Jerry discusses what people can learn from the Cherokee traditions and culture. A lot of people ask about medicinal plants and remedies. Some come asking about relatives. They want to learn more about their family history.

Keywords: medicinal plants; Cherokee traditions and culture

Subjects: What people can learn from the Cherokee traditions and culture.

Partial Transcript: Jerry talks about the values of being a tribal member. It is something that cannot be purchased. Language has a great value and to knowing who you are.

Keywords: tribal member; Values

Subjects: The value of being a Cherokee.

Partial Transcript: Jerry discusses the most important values his parents instilled in him. Jerry’s parents were always disciplinarians. His mother taught him respect for other people and to always be nice to people and help everyone. His dad taught him how to work, hard labor work. Never be afraid to get dirty.

Keywords: get dirty; respect; values

Subjects: What values Jerry learned from his parents.

Partial Transcript: Jerry shares his hopes for the Cherokee tribe. He hopes the stories can be taught to the young people. Jerry is very proud of what the small children are learning today.

Keywords: proud; small children; Hopes

Subjects: The hopes Jerry has for the coming generations.