Cherokee Self-Reliance

Abstract

This qualitative study was conducted using ethnography to identify how (a) self-reliance is conceptualized by the Cherokee; (b) the adult male Cherokee perceives, achieves, and demonstrates self-reliance; and (c) nurses can incorporate the Cherokee concept of self-reliance into health care of the Cherokee. The goal of self-reliance was included in the following mission statement of the 1976 Cherokee Nation constitution: “The mission of the government of the Cherokee Nation is to promote and sustain the self-reliance of its members” (Resolution No. 28-85, 1976). The conceptualization and perspective of self-reliance by the Cherokee must be understood to assist effectively in the development and promotion of self-reliance in the Cherokee, especially the male Cherokee. The cultural domain of self-reliance that emerged from the data is a composite of three categories that include being responsible, being disciplined, and being confident. Cutting across all three categories are the two themes of being true to oneself and being connected.