Cherokee Language Workshop
2026-01-19 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-21 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-26 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-28 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Speak more Cherokee in 2026! Local second language learner group Aniyona leads a free Cherokee language workshop, open to all, at Museum of the Cherokee People for the month of January. Arrive early to secure your spot.

Cherokee History & Stories
2026-02-02 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-03-02 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-04-06 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-04 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-06-01 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-07-06 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-03 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-09-07 17:00 - 18:00 and 3 more dates

Books on the Boundary: 'The Bone Thief' by Vanessa Lillie (Cherokee Nation)
2026-02-18 17:30 - 19:00
Books on the Boundary: A Museum of the Cherokee People Reading Circle is a quarterly book club for members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and guests. Club meetings take place on-site at the Museum Store unless otherwise noted.
Winter’s Read: The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie (Cherokee Nation)
When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town—a place with dark ties to an elite historical society—archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate…from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie.
In the hours before dawn at a local summer camp, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Walker receives an alarming call: newly discovered skeletal remains have been stolen. Not only have bones gone missing, but a Native teen girl has disappeared near the camp, and law enforcement dismisses her family’s fears.
As Syd investigates both crimes, she’s drawn into a world of privileged campers and their wealthy parents—most of them members of the Founders Society, an exclusive club whose members trace their lineage to the first colonists and claim ancestral rights to the land, despite fierce objections from the local tribal community. And it’s not the first time something—or someone—has gone missing from the camp.
The deeper Syd digs, the more she realizes these aren’t isolated incidents. A pattern of disappearances stretches back generations, all leading to the Founders Society’s doorstep. But exposing the truth means confronting not just the town’s most powerful families, but also a legacy of violence that refuses to stay buried.
From the national bestselling author of Blood Sisters (a Washington Post Best Mystery of the Year and Target Book Club pick) comes a new Syd Walker novel that proves the sins of the past are destined to repeat until the truth is finally unearthed.

RESCHEDULED: 2026 James A. Cooper Memorial Lecture in Cherokee Studies
2026-03-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
The James A. Cooper Memorial Lecture in Cherokee Studies is pleased to present ‘The Future of Tribal Sovereignty, Powered by the Past‘ by Stacy Leeds (Cherokee Nation), Willard H. Pedrick Dean, Regents Professor and Foundation Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University on March 20 at 5pm in the TJ Holland Education Room of Museum of the Cherokee People. A reception will follow.
Dean Leeds is leading scholar of Indigenous law and policy, with extensive experience in law, higher education, economic development, and conflict resolution. Leeds holds law degrees from the University of Wisconsin (LL.M.) and the University of Tulsa (J.D.), an M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee, and a B.A. in history from Washington University in St. Louis.
As the first Indigenous woman to serve as a law school dean, Leeds led the University of Arkansas School of Law (2011–2018) and later became the university’s inaugural Vice Chancellor for Economic Development (2017–2020). She has held faculty and leadership roles at the University of Kansas, the University of North Dakota, and the University of Wisconsin. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and the American Philosophical Society. She is a past recipient of the ABA’s Spirit of Excellence Award and the Cherokee National Statesmanship Award.
Leeds is a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice. She has served as a trial and appellate court judge in many jurisdictions and as a commercial arbitrator.
The James A. Cooper Memorial Lecture is free and open to all. Registration is not required.

Artist Talk with Karen Sixkiller (Cherokee Nation)
2026-04-24 16:30 - 17:30 | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Karen Sixkiller (Cherokee Nation) explores the aspects of magical realism and symbolism that combine her larger-than-life water beetle with the faceted geometric “mud” he perches on. Follow the technical journey of Karen Sixkiller’s simple clay maquette through the process of becoming a large bronze piece of public art.

Karen Sixkiller is a contemporary sculptor residing on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. Sixkiller creates sculptures using metal, ceramic, glass beads, leather/suede and fabric. As a Cherokee Nation citizen much of her work is informed by Native American understandings or stories. Cherokee Nation has purchased many of Karen Sixkiller’s ceramic and mixed media sculptural pieces for display in official buildings. She has permanent public art installations in Tahlequah OK, Olympia and Port Angeles WA, and now Asheville NC; as well as several temporary installations in Coeur d’Alene ID, Olympia WA and Lake Oswego OR. Her work has been featured at multiple Indigenous and non-Indigenous art shows.

Cherokee Language Workshop with Ogadudala
2026-05-04 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-06 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-11 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-13 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-18 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-20 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-25 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-27 17:00 - 18:00 | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Every Monday and Wednesday in the month of May, come practice your Cherokee with Ogadudala, with Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program (CLMAP) graduates Dreyton Long, Madison Hye Long, Elvia Walkingstick, and Meshay Long and Dadiwonisi graduate Jack Cooper.No registration is required, and language workshops at MotCP are free of charge.
