Museum of the Cherokee Indian

Museum of the Cherokee Indian

Location within North Carolina
Established	1948;75 years ago (1948)
Location	589 Tsali Boulevard, Cherokee, North Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates	35°29′04″N83°18′59″W / 35.48451°N 83.31642°W / 35.48451; -83.31642
Type	Art museum, history museum, cultural museum, archive, community center, educational center
Accreditation	North American Reciprocal Museum Association
Owner	Cherokee Historical Association
Website	mci.org

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian (MCI) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit cultural arts and history museum, educational center, and archive founded in 1948, and located in Cherokee, North Carolina. ^{[1] [2]} The museum provides permanent exhibitions, an artifact collection, workshops, educational programs, and a museum store. ^{[1] [3]} The museum has been operated by the Cherokee Historical Association, ^[4] and has been part of the North American Reciprocal Museum Association.

History

Founded as the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in 1948 by the Eastern Band of Cherokee, it was located in a log cabin building that also housed McLeans Indian Store and the Ocona Lufty Inn. ^{[1] [5] [6]} The museum's operations have provided tourism, jobs, and commercial enterprise in an area where unemployment was high; while simultaneously highlighting Cherokee people and preserving their cultural traditions as a fundamental part of the museums operation. ^[7] They work to counteract inaccurate imagery of Cherokee culture often found in mainstream media. ^[8] The Eastern Band of Cherokee also established other local attractions, including the Unto These Hills outdoor theater series in 1950; and the Oconaluftee Indian Village in 1952. ^[5] After a major renovation in 2023, the museum changed its name to the Museum of the Cherokee People to clarify that the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes are one people. Besides the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians based here in Cherokee, there is the United Keetoowah Band and the Cherokee Nation, the largest tribal government in the U.S., both of which are in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. ^[9]

Exhibitions and artists

Museum exhibitions have focused on Cherokee history and pre-history with topics such as "stone tools and weapons", "mineral displays", "Indian corn", "Cherokee pipes", "bone ornaments", "seashell ornaments", "game stones", "Oconaluftee Village crafts", "model of ancient burial", "mortar and pestle", "bannerstones, birdstones, and boatstones", "Cherokee people today", "Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee/British Delegations" (2004), and the "origins of the American Indian". ^{[10] [3] [11] [12]}

The Cherokee Potters Guild was formed in January 2003, after a series of workshops held at the Museum of the Cherokee. ^[1] The museum also hosts a number of annual summer and fall festivals, including the "Cherokee Voices Festival", and the "Festival of Native Peoples". ^[5]

Folklorist Barbara R. Duncan had been employed by the museum to research Cherokee legends, myths, and family stories. Some were published in "Living Stories of the Cherokee" (University of North Carolina Press, 1998). ^[13]

• Attakullakulla ^[14]
• Mary Adair
• Goingback Chiltoskey ^[1]
• Shan Goshorn
• Jenean Hornbuckle ^[1]
• Will West Long ^[15]

See also

• Cherokee Preservation Foundation
• List of museums in North Carolina

References

1. Power, Susan C. (January 1, 2007). Art of the Cherokee: Prehistory to the Present. University of Georgia Press. pp. 6, 155, 223, 225. ISBN   978-0-8203-2766-2.
2. Hargan, Jim (June 4, 2012). Explorer's Guide Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains (Fourth Edition). The Countryman Press. p. 373. ISBN   978-0-88150-968-7.
3. Summitt, April R. (May 15, 2012). Sequoyah and the Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet. ABC-CLIO. pp. 155–156. ISBN   978-0-313-39178-1.
4. Lawson, Russell M. (April 2, 2013). Encyclopedia of American Indian Issues Today [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 280. ISBN   978-0-313-38145-4.
5. Fariello, M. Anna (2018). Cherokee. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 84–85, 106. ISBN   978-1-4671-1653-4.
6. Frye, Jason (June 4, 2019). Moon North Carolina: With Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Avalon Publishing. p. 363. ISBN   978-1-64049-380-3.
7. Fariello, M. Anna (September 30, 2009). Cherokee Basketry: From the Hands of Our Elders. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-1-61423-002-1.
8. Simpson, Moira G. (December 6, 2012). Making Representations: Museums in the Post-Colonial Era. Routledge. pp. 139, 148. ISBN   978-1-135-63271-7.
9. French, Sarah (October 9, 2023). "'We're not just a history museum': Museum of the Cherokee Indian changes name to recognize all 3 tribes". WCNC. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
10. Mails, Thomas E. (1992). The Cherokee People: The Story of the Cherokees from Earliest Origins to Contemporary Times. Council Oak Books. p. 344. ISBN   978-0-933031-45-6.
11. H.R. 2534, H.R. 4530, and H.R. 4822: legislative hearing before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands of the Committee on Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, second session, June 13, 2002. United States Congress House Committee on Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands. U.S. Government Printing Office. 2002. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-16-069819-4.
12. Humanities. Vol. 25–26. National Endowment for the Humanities Humanities. 2004. p. 32.
13. McClinton-Temple, Jennifer; Velie, Alan (May 12, 2010). Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature. Infobase Publishing. p. 336. ISBN   978-1-4381-2087-4.
14. Reynolds, Jr., William R. (January 24, 2015). The Cherokee Struggle to Maintain Identity in the 17th and 18th Centuries. McFarland. pp. 358–359. ISBN   978-1-4766-1578-3.
15. "2007.20 - Mask". Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Retrieved July 19, 2022.

Further reading

• King, Duane H., ed. (1982). Cherokee Heritage: Official Guidebook to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

External links

• Media related to Museum of the Cherokee Indian at Wikimedia Commons