their manner of living that a stranger could rarely
distinguish an Indian's cabin or little cove farm from that of a white
man. Their principal crop was corn, which they ground for them-
selves, and they had also an abundance of apples, peaches, and plums,
and a few small herds of ponies and cattle. Their wants were so few
that they had but little use for money. Their primitive costume had
long been obsolete, and their dress was like that of the whites, except-
ing that moccasins took the place of shoes, and they manufactured
their own clothing by the aid of spinning-wheels and looms. Finely
cut pipes and well-made baskets were also produced, and the good
influence of the schools recently established was already manifest in
the children. 8
In 1882 the agency was reestablished and provision was madeHeart of the Alleghanies, pp. 36-42, 1883.
•^Commissioner H. Price, Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. Ixix-lxx, 1882.
* Kvport of Indian Commissioner, pp. li-lii, ls.s4.
SUIT AGAINST WESTERN CHEROKEE 1883 8G 177
The East Cherokee had never ceased to contend for a participation
in the rights and privileges accruing to the western Nation under
treaties with the Government. In L882 a special agenf hud been ap-
pointed to investigate their claims, and in the following year, under
authority of Congress, the eastern hand of Cherokee brought suit in
the ( lourt of Claims against the Tinted States and the Cherokee Nation
west to determine its rights in the permanent annuity fund and other
trust funds held by the United States for the Cherokee Indians. 1 The
case was decided adversely t<> the eastern hand, first bj the Court of
Claim- in