Native American, Non-US Legal Systems, Native American Studies, General, Comparative Politics, America 

"By the time of the first European contact, the Cherokee Nation had already developed a sophisticated government which embodied a belief in liberty and equality as well as a system of laws regarding murder, property, marriage, warfare, and international relations. This work explores the relationship between the members of the tribe and their law." - Voila 

Contents:
1. A race of mountain men : the people -- 2. A source of disunity : the regions -- 3. A leadership of crisis : the ascendency of chota -- 4. A rule by consensus : the towns -- 5. A family writ large : the clans -- 6. A native politeness : the headmen -- 7. A nation's mouth : the national council and speaker -- 8. A darling passion : the law of coercion and of equality -- 9. A right to vengeance : the law of homicide -- 10. A way of peace : the mechanics of vengeance -- 11. A touch of justice : the mitigation of liability -- 12. A social permissiveness : the law of marriage -- 13. An occupant's tenure : the law of property -- 14. A nephew's right : the laws of inheritance and status -- 15. A way to war : the law of the nations -- 16. A gift of scalps : the law of visitors and retaliation -- 17. A bloody hatchet : the war machine -- 18. A beloved occupation : the law of capture and adoption -- 19. A path swept clean : the making of peace -- 20. A still hot war : the keeping of peace -- 21. A scolding house : the Cherokee legal system -- 22. A way of dreaming : the Cherokee legal mind -- 23. A people of law : the future. 

Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-329) and index.