Meet the Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialists

Xander is from the Birdtown community of Cherokee. His cultural interests include storytelling, basket making and weaving, singing, dancing, finger-weaving, and carving. Before joining the Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialist team, Xander worked at the Museum as a Front Line Associate. During that time, his interest in culture deepened, and he began learning from his coworkers. Xander’s favorite part of being an Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialist is “being able to come to work to learn about my culture and give back to the community.”

Dylan Morgan enjoys educating the public about the traditional Cherokee art form of basketry and Cherokee history and culture. Specializing in rivercane basketmaking, his work has been featured in various exhibitions at the Center for Craft, Kananesgi Art Market, and Queen House Gallery, among others. Dylan credits his inspiration and passion for rivercane basketry to many Cherokee artists, including Lucille Lossiah, Gabriel Crowe, Pat Welch, and Louise Goings. Morgan first became interested in basketry while working at the Oconaluftee Indian Village, under the guidance of Lossiah and Crowe. Watching Lucille Lossiah work, Dylan learned that baskets are more than just containers: they are living members of the community, each with a story to tell. Dylan’s basket designs are inspired from Cherokee legends, nature, or use intricate symbols passed down within families: each basket is unique. He hopes to pass on the craft to future generations and to keep weaving until his fingers fall off.

Nola grew up in the Big Cove community on the Qualla Boundary. Her passion for cultural preservation is what drives her to continue to take in as much knowledge as she can every day. As a Lead Cultural Specialist at the Museum, Nola enjoys demonstrating and teaching finger-weaving (she is a first-generation finger weaver herself), as well as storytelling and leading tours.

Peanut is from the Big Community of Cherokee. He enjoys singing and dancing and is learning how to weave baskets and stone carve. On being a member of the Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialist team, he remarks, “I get to learn about my culture—can’t get any better than that.” As he continues to pursue his cultural interests, Peanut plans to learn as much as he can in order to pass on what he knows to his community.

Jean currently resides in Cherokee’s Painttown community. An educator and traditional dancer, she holds a deep love for learning Cherokee culture and sharing it with others. It’s a passion that has endured throughout her life and storied career.

Reflecting on her experiences, Jean cites living in New Mexico from 1965-1982 and learning about Southwestern tribal cultures as a transformative time. “It was the dancing in the pueblos that really caught my attention,” she recalls. “It was a whole different world in comparison to my upbringing in the Yellowhill community.”

Jean came home to Cherokee in 1982 and began a teaching career at Cherokee Central Schools. Volunteering for the annual Cherokee Cultural Celebration at Red Clay State Historic Park inspired to create her own dance group, and she began recruiting individuals from Cherokee’s communities to form the Qualla Boundary Traditional Dancers. Her love of bringing people together to dance extended to Cherokee’s schools, where she organized student performances and taught elementary school children dances with the assistance of a singer.

As an Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialist at the Museum of the Cherokee People, Jean enjoys dancing with the students of New Kituwah Academy and learning about Cherokee history and traditions, including gathering river cane and weaving basketry. In her free time, you’ll find Jean traveling and enjoying fiction and historical books.