This book traces the emergence of the Cherokee system of
laws from the ancient spirit decrees to the fusion of tribal
law ways with Anglo-American law.

The Cherokees enacted their first written law in 1808 in Georgia.
In succeeding years the leaders and tribal councils of the south-
eastern and Oklahoma groups wrote a constitution, established
courts, and enacted laws that were in accord with the old tribal
values but reflected and accommodated to the whites' legal system.
Thanks to the great gift of Sequoyah - his syllabary - the Cherokees
were well versed in their laws, able to read and interpret them from
a very early time. The system served the people well. It endured until
1898, when the federal government abolished the tribal government.