Like most tribal communities, cases of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension far exceed national averages. As surrounding counties continued to grow their Covid case numbers early on with far fewer tests administered, Cherokee’s numbers looked unbelievable. This is also the site of a contagion prevalence anomaly. Something about this day seemed to encapsulate everything that was making Cherokee a leader in the fight against Covid-19 proliferation.Ĭherokee, North Carolina borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the Qualla Boundary comprises 56,000 acres in western North Carolina, across four counties. As I drove home later, it occurred to me that the line to have a 6-inch cotton swab stuck deep up your nose was actually longer than the line to access thousands of dollars. The aftermath of Memorial Day weekend would be a wake-up call. Initially, the lines were long but as new case numbers plateaued, the number of test-seekers dwindled. The EBCI has offered Covid-19 testing to its enrolled members and residents of the Qualla Boundary since March 15th. Tribal government, public health, the tribal hospital system, and a regional non-profit partnered and immediately began building improvised teams. So as I drove onto the Boundary, dodging out-of-state travelers itching to toss a few coins at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort or disappear into the woods of the Smoky Mountains, I was not surprised that I also had to wait in line behind blocked highway lanes as a steady flow of account holders deposited, cashed, or withdrew from the most recent per capita disbursement. Deliveries of Amazon packages spike and businesses in the surrounding counties have come to rely on biannual surges to their sales. If you want to make a quick trip to the bank or the post office, just forget trying on these two days. Twice a year, December 1st and June 1st, enrolled members of the EBCI receive a per capita gaming revenue disbursement. The Credit Union is located less than a hundred feet from the official border of the Qualla Boundary-just across from the welcome sign. The entrance to the Qualla Boundary, governmental seat of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is marked with a large wooden sign that reads, “Welcome to the Cherokee Indian Reservation.” On June 1st, 2020, a long line of vehicles, many of which had the official seal of the EBCI on their license plates, snaked its way around the Mountain Federal Credit Union parking lot and drive thru, spilling out into Highway 441’s summer tourist traffic. Except I forgot the one truism of being a tribal member-it ain’t about you. I could make my tribe proud and leave a legacy in letters by putting to use the hours of solitude. I could sit at home and make my very best attempt not to be a one-hit-wonder. Months of socially approved quarantine sounded like a dream come true. Amid a pandemic, I became the only published novelist member of my tribe (tribe meaning American Indian, not hipster yoga besties).
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