"Last month, volunteers fanned out across tribal lands to make a difference. The Cherokee Day of Caring is sponsored by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation as a formalization of the Cherokee tradition of “gadugi.” Traditionally, Cherokee people would gather to help one another in times of need. Today, most of the gadugi groups are known as Free Labor and help dig graves.

The Cherokee Day of Caring focused on helping elderly and handicapped tribal members with home improvement projects. The workers were making repairs, doing yard work, and in the Snowbird community the women were planting a garden. The volunteers were all laughing, and the beneficiaries of the work were smiling and enjoying a day of company.

The gadugi was a way to help one another in the community, but perhaps the greatest benefit to our Cherokee way of life was to connect with one another. I had a chance to speak with someone who worked with my dad nearly 40 years ago. It gave me a chance to hear about my dad and to tell his friend about our family today. That connection we have to one another through our collective history is what holds us together as a tribe and what will ensure we survive as a distinct culture into the future."

Get the Story:
B. Lynne Harlan: Tribe reclaims tradition of caring (The Asheville Citizen-Times 6/4)

Related Stories:
Lynne Harlan: Cherokees have history of sharing culture (4/16)
Lynne Harlan: Cherokee membership linked to federal roll (4/2)
Lynne Harlan: A new era in federal Indian relations (12/11)
Lynne Harlan: Eastern Cherokees fight for culture (11/30)
Lynne Harlan: USET celebrates 40th anniversary (10/23)
Lynne Harlan: Eastern Cherokees celebrate (10/9)
Lynne Harlan: Eastern Cherokee government (9/25)
Lynne Harlan: Eastern Cherokees make strides (08/28)
Lynne Harlan: Cherokee children reach for the stars (05/08)
Lynne Harlan: Cherokees defend cultural rights (04/10)
Lynne Harlan: Women in Cherokee society (03/27)