The Museum of the Cherokee Indian (www.cherokeemuseum.org)

Year 2008 Events

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UPCOMING MUSEUM EVENTS for 2008:

On September 19-20, the third annual Southeastern Tribes Cultural Arts celebration will bring together master dancers, craftsmen, artists and athletes from the five main southeastern tribes - Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole and Choctaw. This educational and entertaining event teaches and perpetuates the history and culture of these tribes through live demonstrations of traditional tribal dance, storytelling performances, craft demonstrations, primitive skills encampment and juried competitions.

Encampment demonstrators Jimmy Sanders and Diamond Brown will set up living history exhibitions and illustrate primitive survival skills used by tribes in the 1700s and 1800s, such as building bark huts, cooking, firemaking, flintknapping and carving arrowheads.

Dancers from each tribe will explain the history and significance of each dance prior to exhibiting performances of Stealing Partners and the Bear and Quail dance, among others. The Stomp dance, a strong traditional dance of southeastern tribes, will be performed by the Standing Pine Social Dancers and their entire community. The Warriors of AniKituhwa will perform age-old dances that have been resurrected using wax cylinder recordings - including the Cherokee War, Buffalo and Ant dances.

More than 50 artists and craftsmen will be on hand displaying their indigenous talents. Master craftsmen from each tribe will provide live demonstrations of rivercane basket weaving, finger weaving with beads, mask making, stone and wood carving and stamped pottery. Artists will exhibit their works and participate in a juried art competition. Archery, blowgun and running contests will test the prowess of the best athletes and competitors from each tribe as they compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes. Other special events include Cherokee Stickball demonstrations and the launch of the children’s book “Origins of the Milky Way.”

The original idea for the event was conceived by John Standingdeer, Jr., who envisioned a special sort of “extended family reunion,” where tribes would come together to keep their traditions alive. During this two-day event, visitors will have a unique opportunity to truly experience firsthand the language, history, talents and culture of Indians from the main Southeastern tribes. This event is sponsored by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for arts and crafts demonstrations; 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dance and storytelling performances. Adult admission is $10; children six to twelve are $6; children under six are admitted free. On Friday, school groups are invited from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for group museum tours and festival activities. Call 828.497.3481 for details. The Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds are located at 745 Tsali Blvd., off U.S. 441 in Cherokee.

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“Emissaries of Peace: the 1762 Cherokee and British Delegations” now open at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Many Emissary commemorative items available in museum store and online. ******************************************************************************************

New Edition of Timberlake’s Memoirs, edited by Duane King, lavishly illustrated with maps, artwork, and artifacts from the Emissaries of Peace exhibit and published by the Museum is now available in the museum store.

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Thirteen Moons: Removal, the 200-page translation by Myrtle Driver Johnson of the Removal section of Thirteen Moons, is presented in Cherokee syllabary and English phonetics on facing pages. This paperback book is available in the museum store and online.