Museum of the Cherokee People

Puckertoe Moccasin Making Class, Part 2
2024-06-26 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
This workshop is full. Please email programs@motcp.org with the subject line ‘Moccasin Workshop Waitlist’ to be added to the waitlist.

On June 6 from 2-4pm and June 26 from 2-4pm, learn to make your own mocs in a two-part Puckertoe Moccasin Making Class led by Museum of the Cherokee People Director of Collections & Exhibitions Evan Mathis.

Participants can expect to be able to make one pair of plain leather moccasins. The first class will consist of a brief historical overview of puckertoe moccasins, followed by patternmaking and cutting leather and materials. In the second class, participants will construct their moccasins.

This workshop is open to enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Participants must purchase their own materials: leather (approximately $90-120), white latigo soles (approximately $20), sharp scissors, sinew, a small awl, lighter, and size 7 Glover needles.

Registration is limited to 10 people. To view the full workshop description and sign up, please visit https://bit.ly/3QNWusD. If you are unable to successfully register, the workshop is full.

LGBTQIA2S+ Archival Collections Gathering Event
2024-06-13 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Museum of the Cherokee People is pleased to partner with Unequolada for an LGBTQIA2S+ Archival Collections Gathering event on June 13 in the Museum’s Multipurpose Room.

Walk-ins are welcome from 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm. Collections staff will be available to scan or photograph any archival items or objects relating to LGBTQIA2S+ experiences of members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, including but not limited to photographs, scrapbooks, audio/visual recordings, pamphlets and printed materials, posters, letters/written correspondence, visual art, sketchbooks, etc.

Staff will also be equipped to record oral histories for those interested in sharing their personal experiences, family histories, and recollections.

The Museum seeks to provide safe housing for these items and community access through the development of this collection.

Unequolada is a queer Anikituwah group. Our namesake is credited to a fluent-speaking queer Ankituwah elder. Their contribution is invaluable. Unequolada translates to rainbows. Building a safe and inclusive environment for our queer and Two-Spirit relatives is important for kin keeping, healing intergenerational trauma, and Two-Spirit and queer liberation. Our work aims to bring our community together and hold welcoming and safe spaces for our Two-Spirit and queer relatives.

Puckertoe Moccasin Making Class
2024-06-02 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing

ᏗᏓᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎦᏓᏆᏟ Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop at the Museum of the Cherokee People
2024-05-24 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
An exhibition of work by students in the Museum of the Cherokee People’s annual community learning pottery workshop, led by renowned ceramic artist Tara McCoy (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Didanisisgi Gadagwatli showcases the dedication of a new era of Cherokee artists.
McCoy developed her pottery workshop three years ago when she noticed a decline in practicing ceramic artists in the Cherokee community. Compelled to do her part in ensuring that there are future generations of Cherokee potters, she developed a three-month intensive workshop that invites aspiring potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and other federally recognized tribes to learn all facets of Cherokee ceramics.
Exhibited Artists: Mona Taylor (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Faith Long-Presley (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Steven Long (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Chelsea Hemphill (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Hope Long (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Jake Stephens (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Lori Sanders (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Monique Taylor (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Juanita Paz-Chalacha (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Kaliya Wachacha (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Adelia Crowe (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
About the Instructor: Tara McCoy (Eastern Band Cherokee), graduated from Cherokee High School and furthered her education at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. She graduated with a B.S. degree in Sports Medicine. After graduating, she returned to the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee, North Carolina and worked in various programs including Cherokee High School/Coaching, UNITY Treatment Center, Dora Reed Daycare and Women’s Health before settling down into a role at Cherokee Choices, a Diabetes Prevention Program, for 14 years. She currently serves as the Right Path Leadership Specialist at the Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute where her role is to help develop selfless leaders deeply rooted in Cherokee culture identity and leadership through teaching Cherokee values, culture, history, and language.
She is a 2011 Right Path Program Alumni, a 2011 Remember the Removal Bike Ride Legacy Rider, founder and supporter of the Cherokee Cancer Support Group, artist member of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. and promotes Cherokee art by organizing and teaching art shows and classes in her community. A member of the Wolf Clan, she has a lifetime’s experience in multi-medium Cherokee arts and is dedicated to teaching others both traditional and contemporary forms.
She began formally studying pottery, finger weaving, and beadwork in high school and has expanded her skills in the area of shell carving in the last four years after studying with renowned shell carver Dan Townsend. She has studied with Tammy Beane of Alabama and admired other Cherokee potters for their work, such as Joel Queen and the late Amanda Swimmer. McCoy is inspired by her culture, Cherokee legends, and nature as she crafts her designs. Her art has won multiple awards and ribbons in North Carolina and Oklahoma as well as being exhibited in museums across the country. McCoy believes everyone is an artist. She lives in the Birdtown community of Cherokee.

Member Appreciation Night
2024-05-23 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
Join us for an evening celebrating you: our members! Enjoy behind-the-scenes tours, refreshments, and conversation at this exclusive after-hours event.
Past members are invited to renew their memberships, ensuring they continue to be a part of our vibrant community, and current members can learn more about how to upgrade their memberships, tailoring their support to match their evolving interests and engagement. Not a member of the Museum of the Cherokee People? Join today.
RSVP to Development Specialist Jeremy Hyatt (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) at Jeremy.hyatt@motcp.org, by May 16.

Community Listening Session
2024-05-16 | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
The Museum of the Cherokee People actively seeks input from the community for the update of its main exhibition. In the early phases of reimagining the exhibit, last renovated in 1998, Museum leadership will hold a listening session at the Museum, encouraging members of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to share their visions for a community-centered, community-voiced exhibit.
The main exhibit update is part of the Museum’s ambitious plans to prioritize self-representation in its exhibits and offerings, create an accessible space for all Cherokee people, and increase the safety of the objects in its care using museum best practices and Cherokee cultural protocols.
Attendees will be able to view and share feedback on conceptual drawings for the Museum’s future offsite collections housing and public facility. Complimentary dinner will be served.

Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Archiving Event
2024-05-02 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Museum of the Cherokee People seeks to provide a safe place to house copies of community materials for its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Collection. Community members are invited to bring items to be archived, including but not limited to photos, archival materials, newspaper clippings, video recordings, voice recordings, and any other materials (both physical and digital) that show images or provide information about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Museum of the Cherokee People Collections staff will be available to make digital scans on the spot and return the original material to its keeper. Requests to place access restrictions on relatives’ photos will be honored. Lunch will be provided during these sessions.
Qualla Boundary MMIW is a group of community members from the Qualla Boundary focused on honoring our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, protecting our relatives, using traditional practices, and educating ourselves and the community. Qualla Boundary MMIW is supported by the Center for Native Health.

Museum Store Spring Cleaning Sale
2024-03-19 09:00 - 2024-03-31 17:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
Sale applies to select merchandise only. All sale items are final sale and are not eligible for returns or exchanges. Items included in the sale are not eligible for additional discounts.

The Museum Store is open daily from 9am-5pm.

Gadugi Pottery Workshop with Tara McCoy (EBCI)
2024-03-16 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-15 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-17 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-16 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-13 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-12 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-11 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello)
The Gadugi Pottery Workshop, led by Tara McCoy (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) is a community learning opportunity designed to increase and improve traditional pottery-making in the tribal community. Registration is now open for the 2024 workshop to enrolled members of federally recognized tribes. Participants must commit to attending each day of the workshop:
January 11, 12, 13, 2024, 9am-4pm
February 16 & 17, 2024, 9am-4pm
March 15 & 16, 2024, 9am-4pm
Space is limited and this opportunity is offered at no charge. Interested participants should email their name and contact information to programs@motcp.org.

sov·er·eign·ty: Expressions in Sovereignty of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Opens at MotCP
2024-03-15 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello)
sov·er·eign·ty: Expressions in Sovereignty of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, an exhibition that illuminates the complexities of tribal sovereignty and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ continuing legacy of resilience, opens March 15, 2024 in the Museum of the Cherokee People’s changing exhibition space. Entry is included in general admission.

Books on the Boundary: A Museum of the Cherokee People Reading Circle - 'Even As We Breathe'
2024-02-28 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
Books on the Boundary: A Museum of the Cherokee People Reading Circle is a quarterly book club that discusses the best fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written by Indigenous authors. Join us quarterly at the Museum of the Cherokee People Store. Our Winter 2024 read is Even As We Breathe, a suspenseful historical fiction novel by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians). Bring your thoughts and questions to our meeting as we enjoy a Q&A with the author herself!

“Nineteen-year-old Cowney Sequoyah yearns to escape his hometown of Cherokee, North Carolina, in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. When a summer job at Asheville’s luxurious Grove Park Inn and Resort brings him one step closer to escaping the hills that both cradle and suffocate him, he sees it as an opportunity. With World War II raging in Europe, the inn is the temporary home of Axis diplomats and their families, who are being held as prisoners of war. Soon, Cowney’s refuge becomes a cage when the daughter of one of the residents goes missing and he finds himself accused of abduction and murder.

Even As We Breathe invokes the elements of bone, blood, and flesh as Cowney navigates difficult social, cultural, and ethnic divides. After leaving the seclusion of the Cherokee reservation, he is able to explore a future free from the consequences of his family’s choices and to construct a new worldview, for a time. However, prejudice and persecution in the white world of the resort eventually compel Cowney to free himself from larger forces that hold him back as he struggles to unearth evidence of his innocence and clear his name.”

Even As We Breathe is available for purchase at the Museum Store and in our webstore.

Keep up with book club happenings by joining our Books on the Boundary Facebook group.

Rivercane Processing Workshop
2024-02-23 09:00 - 2024-02-24 16:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
Join Waylon Long (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) and Museum of the Cherokee People Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialist Dylan Morgan (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) to learn how to process (bust, peel, and shave) rivercane. This community learning opportunity is open exclusively to enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Space is limited, and online registration is required. If you are unable to register using the link, that means that this workshop is full. If you would like to be put on the waitlist please email programs@motcp.org with subject line “Rivercane Processing Workshop Waitlist.”

Buffalotown Pop-Up Shop
2024-01-27 12:00 - 16:30 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
Buffalotown Clothing Co. returns to the Museum of the Cherokee People for a pop-up shop from 12-4:30pm on Saturday, January 27. The Cherokee-owned design and apparel company will have new designs of shorts, shirts, hoodies, and stickers for sale.
Buffalotown Clothing Co. is an Indigenous-owned company that embraces our Cherokee identity, culture, and language through our products and designs. Most of our designs have a story behind them and may resonate with you in your own way, and that’s osda (good)! Learn more at thebuffalotown.com.

Museum & Store Closed for Staff Training
2024-01-06 - 2024-01-10 | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
The Museum and Store will be closed for staff training January 6-10, reopening to the public January 11.

Museum & Store Closed For Inventory
2024-01-02 - 2024-01-05
The Museum and Store will be closed December 30-31 and January 1-2, 2024 for the New Year’s holiday. Both will remain closed for inventory January 2-5 and staff training January 6-10, reopening to the public January 11. Guests are welcome to visit the Store during lobby renovations, and general admission tickets are not required for store entry. The Museum Store is open from 9am-5pm daily.

Museum & Store Closed for New Year's Holiday
2023-12-30 - 2024-01-02
The Museum and Store will be closed December 30-31 and January 1-2, 2024 for the New Year’s holiday. Both will remain closed for inventory January 2-5 and staff training January 6-10, reopening to the public January 11.

Party Like It’s 1998: A New Year for the Museum of the Cherokee People
2023-12-29 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
Join the Museum of the Cherokee People for a final look at its current main exhibit, first opened in 1998, and Disruption before we take the first steps toward a renovated museum! Enjoy conversations with Disruption and Gadugi Pottery Exhibit artists, live entertainment, a cash bar, food trucks, and opportunities to learn more about the Museum’s work in 2023 and beyond. Dress to impress in your 1998 best for a chance to win a prize! Admission is free for Museum members and members of federally recognized tribes.
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Holiday Pop-Up Market
2023-12-14 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
On December 14 from 5-8pm, shop small, shop local, and shop Indigenous with us at MotCP’s Holiday Pop-Up Market. Interested artists and vendors can apply to participate here: bit.ly/3Roqigh

Community Listening Session: Wolftown
2023-12-07 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Wolftown Community Club Building
The Museum of the Cherokee People seeks feedback, thoughts, and ideas from tribal citizens as it prepares to update its main exhibit and public facility. Join Museum leadership for complimentary dinner and conversation to share the history, culture, stories, and themes that you’d like to see at your tribal museum.

Conversation & Tintype Photography Demonstration with Will Wilson (Diné)
2023-12-03 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Join photographer Will Wilson (Diné) in conversation, followed by a live tintype photography demonstration. Wilson’s visit to Cherokee follows his December 2 artist talk at McClung Museum of Natural History in support of the exhibition In Conversation: Will Wilson. This community learning opportunity, open to members of federally recognized tribes, is presented in partnership with McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. In Conversation: Will Wilson, is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Community Listening Session: Big Y
2023-11-30 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Big Y Community Building
