Museum & Store Closed
2025-12-31 - 2026-01-01 | NC

Closed For Inventory
2026-01-02 - 2026-01-09 | NC

Cherokee Language Workshop
2026-01-12 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-14 17:00 - 18:00, 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.

Museum & Store Opening at 10:30am
2026-01-13 10:30 - 17:00 | NC
Due to expected winter weather, Museum of the Cherokee People will open on delay. Please check our Google and social media pages for further updates.

Museum Closed
2026-01-15, 2026-01-25, 2026-01-26 | NC

Museum Closing Early at 1pm
2026-01-24 09:00 - 13:00 | NC

Museum Opening Late
2026-01-27 10:30 - 17:00 | NC

Museum Closed
2026-02-02 - 2026-02-03, 2026-02-02 | NC
MotCP is closed due to ongoing weather conditions.
Please monitor our social media and Google listing before visiting for the most up-to-date information.

Cherokee History & Stories
2026-02-02 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-03-02 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-04-06 17:00 - 18:00 | NC

Fingerweaving Fridays
2026-02-06 14:30 - 16:30, 2026-02-13 14:30 - 16:30, 2026-02-20 14:30 - 16:30, 2026-02-27 14:30 - 16:30, 2026-03-06 14:30 - 16:30, 2026-03-13 14:30 - 16:30 | NC
Bring a current project or begin a new one using the Museum’s supplies.

Cherokee History & Stories
2026-02-09 17:00 - 18:00 | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Kathi Littlejohn (EBCI) leads an informal lecture in the TJ Holland Education Room.

Books on the Boundary: 'The Bone Thief' by Vanessa Lillie (Cherokee Nation)
2026-02-18 17:30 - 19:00 | NC
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.

Unrelenting Art Market
2026-03-17 12:00 - 18:00 | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
Shop art, handmade goods, and more from Native vendors at the Unrelenting Art Market!

Interested in vending? Apply here: weblink.donorperfect.com/unrelenting

On Tuesday, March 17, Museum of the Cherokee People (MotCP) opens ‘ᏧᏂᏲᏍᎩ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ: ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎯ ᏃᎴ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏁᎦ ᏓᏂᎦᏘᎴᎬ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎤᏙᏒᎲᎢ Unrelenting: Cherokee People and the American Revolution,’ a first-of-its-kind exhibition centering Native voices, perspectives, and creativity in response to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
On view through December 30, 2026, the exhibition features historic objects in conversation with works by Cherokee artists, merging cultural heritage, military history, and contemporary art for a nuanced examination of a pivotal moment in Cherokee and American history.

Opening Reception - Unrelenting: Cherokee People and the American Revolution
2026-03-17 16:30 - 18:30 | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
A pivotal moment for Cherokee sovereignty, the American Revolution marked a change for Cherokee government, land base, community, and family structure. Featuring historic objects in conversation with works by contemporary Cherokee artists, Unrelenting delves into 250 years of Aniyvwiya innovation, adaptability, and resistance, centering Native voices, perspectives, and creativity in response to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

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.
