What is the genesis of A Cherokee Encyclopedia?
I had an idea to write a book about all of the Cherokee chiefs for the three federally recognized tribes—the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the United Keetoowah (Kituwa) Band. I fancied I would write a biography for each chief. I got into that a ways and realized I wasn’t going to be able to fill up a book, because there were a number of early chiefs about whom I could find no information. I had a contract with the University of New Mexico and told [UNMP Director] Luther Wilson the problem, and he agreed I could expand it into an encyclopedia. This allowed me to put in topics like clans, as well as celebrities other than chiefs. What’s a favorite entry in your encyclopedia? [Cherokee actor] Clu Gulager. He’s a good friend of mine now. I’ve been a big fan of Clu’s since the 1950s when The Tall Man was on television. I was watching an episode of the show, and my daddy said, “You know he is a Cherokee”—so I liked him better then. How about Cherokee Thoughts? Are
