Premium
The Reduction of a Self‐Sufficient People to Poverty and Welfare Dependence: An Analysis of the Causes of Cherokee Indian Underdevelopment
Author(s) -
Anders Gary C.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/j.1536-7150.1981.tb01630.x
Subject(s) - underdevelopment , cherokee , poverty , welfare , indigenous , colonialism , development economics , state (computer science) , political science , ethnology , sociology , economic growth , economics , geography , law , archaeology , ecology , algorithm , computer science , biology
A bstract . This investigation of American Indian underdevelopment is based on historical data on the Cherokee people which demonstrate how a self‐sufficient people have been reduced to their present state of poverty and welfare dependence. Colonialism and the imposition of White control over Native institutions undermined the Cherokees' ability to innovate effectively. This hypothesis is substantiated by similar experiences of other tribes, as well as those of different indigenous groups , such as Alaska Natives , who have been more successful in preserving their traditional cultures.