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"In law school, I slept in the library pretty often. There was a couch in the women's lounge….But I always dreamed about the water in Tenkiller. All those perch down there you could catch, any time, you know? A world of free breakfast, waiting to help get you into another day. I've never been without that. Have you?"
These lines are spoken by Annawake during her conversation with Franklin Turnbo concerning Turtle's case. Although Turnbo is reluctant to let Annawake pursue the case, he is convinced when she reminds him of this wonderful "world of free breakfast" that they have never been without. This image of the Nation suggests at least two qualities about Cherokee life that cannot be found anywhere else. First of all, the Nation is a place segregated from capitalist values espoused by American society at large. It is a place that offers an abundance of food to all who live there, without asking for anything in return. It is a place where human beings are not judged based on how much money they have. Secondly, the Nation offers a natural environment protected from human corruption. The Cherokee still live in balance with nature. Frank Turnbo recalls listening to the meadowlarks on the telephone wires, the same way Annawake remembers the lake filled with perch. Animal life does not only exist as food, but persists as part of a natural system. These two qualities of the Nation make it a unique place, a place that every Cherokee deserves to know and love.

These lines are spoken by Annawake during her conversation with Franklin Turnbo concerning Turtle's case. Although Turnbo is reluctant to let Annawake pursue the case, he is convinced when she reminds him of this wonderful "world of free breakfast" that they have never been without. This image of the Nation suggests at least two qualities about Cherokee life that cannot be found anywhere else. First of all, the Nation is a place segregated from capitalist values espoused by American society at large. It is a place that offers an abundance of food to all who live there, without asking for anything in return. It is a place where human beings are not judged based on how much money they have. Secondly, the Nation offers a natural environment protected from human corruption. The Cherokee still live in balance with nature. Frank Turnbo recalls listening to the meadowlarks on the telephone wires, the same way Annawake remembers the lake filled with perch. Animal life does not only exist as food, but persists as part of a natural system. These two qualities of the Nation make it a unique place, a place that every Cherokee deserves to know and love.

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