poorer Cherokees also had cattle and goats, but they did not keep the animals in fenced

pastures. They had smaller tracts of land and raised gardens which had corn, squash,

cucumbers, okra and potatoes. They were primarily subsistence farmers on their

privately owned lands. Children were sent to work off the property to produce additional

income (Employee of Cherokee Nation's Facility Management, personal

communications, August, 2005).

 During WWII, the federal government terminated the previous Indian policy. New

federal policy encouraged leasing Indian lands and assimilation (Hurt, 1987). During the

1960s, agricultural farm agents introduced conventional agricultural techniques and

innovations. Cherokees who were still farming commercially were able to benefit from

these innovations, but many lacked capital and credit to purchase large farm implements.

 Through thel950s to 1970s the Army Corp of Engineers built dams where

Cherokee settlements were. Many families were again displaced. Many received social

services and others moved to California (Wahrhaftig, 1978). In the 1960s the Cherokee

reunified to become a Nation and gained control over Cherokee affairs. The Cherokee

Nation was designated land within a 14 county jurisdiction in northeastern Oklahoma.

There was a decrease in small farm land holdings and an increase large land holding of

220 acres or more for farming and ranching. A decline in commercial farming was

evident, but many still raised home gardens. There were inadequate resources for

profitable large farms to develop. There was also a shift of political power from country

to town. The acculturated Cherokees entered more fully into the cash economy and

prospered. There was a further breakup of family unit (Wahrhaftig, 1966). The number

of wage laborers increased and some Cherokees worked on others' farms to harvest

beans, peas, strawberries and huckleberries. The need and desire to possess gardens and