Save the Date!

Written & Directed by Brit Hensel (Cherokee Nation)
Starring Quannah Chasinghorse (Han Gwich’in, Sicangu/Oglala Lakota) and Shelby Factor (Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, Muscogee [Creek] Nation, Seminole Nation of Oklahoma)

After her sister Tama’s untimely passing, Birdie learns that the bond between them is stronger than life and death. In between states of memory and heartbreak, Tama and Birdie show how we can continue on in a different way if we are willing to listen.

Embodying the Mohawk value of tentsitewahkwe (we pick it up again), Jessica Shenandoah goes on a knowledge-gathering journey across all four seasons to reinvigorate the healing, land-based practices of her foremothers. Jessica reclaims knowledge that has been asleep for generations due to the destructive effects of boarding schools, forced religion and land theft.

Directed by Emma Barrow (Cherokee Nation)
Starring Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), Jennifer Rader (Sokaogon Chippewa), DeLanna Studi (Cherokee Nation)

A Cherokee woman fights to protect her niece from an unlawful adoption by her white grandparents as she reckons with feeling distant from her own culture.

Directed by Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation, Kiowa Tribe)

“Tiger” highlights an Indigenous award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist and elder Dana Tiger, her family, and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger t-shirt company.

Cherokee elders, like Rebecca Jim, believe that what happens to the water happens to us.
Without it, we cannot move culture forward and we cannot exist here.

“ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek)” tells a story of interconnectedness and Cherokee values through the lifelong fight of Rebecca Jim, a Cherokee Nation citizen and Waterkeeper Warrior, as she leads the effort to restore Tar Creek located in Miami, Oklahoma. U.S. government officials have designated Tar Creek as “irreversibly damaged,” but Rebecca refuses to accept that.

Directed by Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation, Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma)

A pleasant date between a man of Cherokee heritage and a Caucasian woman goes downhill when the woman flagrantly fixates on the very bane of Cherokee peoples’ existence: the Cherokee Grandmother syndrome.

Director: Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
Writers: Anthony Sneed (EBCI), Chris Thompson
Producers: Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation, Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma), Ross O’Shea, Anthony Sneed (EBCI), Peshawn Bread (Comanche, Kiowa, Cherokee)

Appearances can say a lot, but for women in a small community located in the mountains of North Carolina, a single article of clothing is worth a thousand words.

Directed by Tia Panther (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)

For millennia, Native Americans successfully stewarded and shaped their landscapes, but centuries of colonization have disrupted their ability to maintain their traditional land management practices. From deserts, coastlines, forests, mountains, and prairies, Native communities across the US are restoring their ancient relationships with the land. As the climate crisis escalates these time-tested practices of North America’s original inhabitants are becoming increasingly essential in a rapidly changing world.

Directed by Costa Boutsikaris and Anna Palmer

The site of the original settlement of the Cherokee, the Kituwah mound, was thought lost for centuries. In her moving retelling of the efforts to reclaim the tribe’s land, former Chief Joyce Dugan and fellow tribe members foreground the spiritual, emotional, and social impact of Kituwah’s legacy. “Mothertown” is the story of how the Cherokee finally took their “land back.”

Directed by Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)

Follow Luke Swimmer (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) on his path from powwow dancer to designer with Buffalotown Clothing.

Production, editing, and cinematography by Brooks Bennett

Agalisiga “Chuj” Mackey is a Cherokee guitarist/musician and singer-songwriter from the Cherokee Nation in Northeast Oklahoma. Chuj spent the early years of his life growing up on a creek bank in the small traditional Cherokee community of Kenwood. Chuj then moved to Tahlequah, the Cherokee Nation capital, to become a language learner at the Cherokee Immersion Charter School.

Chuj grew up participating in traditional ceremonies, ceremonial songs being the foundation of his voice which he carries with him as he creates more contemporary music. Chuj writes and sings original country-folk and blues music in the Cherokee language. He is inspired by classic country/blues artists like Jimmy Rodgers, R.L. Burnside, Merle Haggard, etc. Cherokee life and culture also informs his music as he sings about both the struggles and joys of growing up in a Cherokee community.

Additionally, he has performed at various events including the Cherokee National Holiday, the grand opening of the Bob Dylan Center, and the Anvdvnelisgi album concert in Cherokee, North Carolina. His goal is to perpetuate the Cherokee language and culture. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Chuj is a graduate of the Cherokee Language Master Apprenticeship program, music educator, and a father to a son who he plans to teach both the Cherokee language and music to.

On August 4 and 5, 2022, the Museum of the Cherokee People presented The Way We Speak with the World, a film and concert event celebrating the Cherokee language.

The Cherokee language is deeply tied to Cherokee identity; yet generations of assimilation efforts by the U.S. government and anti-Indigenous stigmas have forced the Tri-Council of Cherokee tribes to declare a State of Emergency for the language in 2019. While there are over 430,000 Cherokee citizens in the three federally recognized tribes, fewer than an estimated 2,000 fluent speakers remain—the majority of whom are elderly. The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately hastened the course. Language activists, artists, and the youth must now lead the charge of urgent revitalization efforts to help save the language from the brink of extinction.

This feature-length documentary was shot on-location in Oklahoma and North Carolina throughout 2019-2022; through intimate interviews, vérité footage of community gatherings, and extensive archival materials, the film explores the nuanced ways the Cherokee language is vital to maintaining a unique cultural identity and relationship with the world. The collaborative project is also meant to act as an empowering agent of hope for Indigenous voices despite enduring inequity. We are honored to have fluent Cherokee speaker, longtime Indigenous language activist and Academy-Award Honoree actor Wes Studi (ᏪᏌ ᏍᏚᏗ) along with Thomas Sadoski, actor, activist, and founding ambassador of War Child, USA, among our executive producers. Other EPs include Cherokee author Traci McClellan-Sorell and film producers Gill Holland, Katherine Harper, and Ben Speiser.

Directed by ᎤᎶᎩᎳ / Schon Duncan (United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Michael McDermit

Produced by Keli Gonzales (Cherokee Nation), Laura Heberton

ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak) is available to stream in its entirety with your public library card or university login via Kanopy.

An Indigenous language is lost every two weeks around the world. With only 2,000 living fluent Cherokee speakers, the recorded album ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ (Anvdvnelisgi, pronounced Ah Nuh Duh Nay Lees Gi), celebrates the Cherokee language in a modern world.

Led by Cherokee citizens as part of a wide-ranging commitment to preserve and expand the Cherokee language, ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ, which translates to “Performers” in English, is produced by Cherokee filmmaker and creator Jeremy Charles and distributed by Horton Records, a non-profit 501c-3 committed to providing support and tools for Tulsa-area musicians to broaden their reach. The project was funded in part through the Commemoration Fund, dedicated to supporting bold and innovative efforts to correct social, political and economic injustices that impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx and People of Color.

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is honored to welcome all artists who performed on the Anvdvnelisgi ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ record to Cherokee for an unforgettable live performance.

Performers:
Aaron Hale (Psychedelic Singer/Songwriter)
Agalisiga Mackey (Country)
Austin Markham (Pop)
Colby Luper (Metal)
Desi & Cody (Rock)
IIA (Pop)
Kalyn Fay (Folk/Americana)
Medicine Horse (Metal)
Monica Taylor (Folk/Americana)
Ken Pomeroy (Alternative Folk)
Travis Fite (Reggae)
Zebadiah Nofire (Hip-Hop)

The very first The Way We See the World, held on July 22, 2022 at the Mountainside Theatre (home of Unto These Hills), welcomed special guests Sterlin Harjo (Seminole Nation, executive producer/showrunner of the Golden Globe-nominated FX series Reservation Dogs), Brit Hensel (Cherokee Nation, director of the Sundance-selected short “ᎤᏕᏲᏅ [What They’ve Been Taught]”), Keli Gonzales (Cherokee Nation, associate producer of “ᎤᏕᏲᏅ [What They’ve Been Taught]”), Anthony Sneed (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, writer/director/producer of the short films “SWIPE” and “STRIPPER”), and Peshawn Bread (Comanche Nation, writer/director, “The Daily Life of Mistress Red”).

This film explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker. “ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught)” circles the intersection of tradition, language, land, and a commitment to maintaining balance. This film was created in collaboration with independent artists from both Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Director: Brit Hensel

Associate Producers: Keli Gonzales, John Henry Gloyne

Featuring: Thomas Belt, John Henry Gloyne, Ernie Tiger, Elwood Gloyne, Waloshi Gloyne, Booger Gloyne, Beau Carroll, Johi Griffin, Bear Allison, Keli Gonzales, Tsinas Johnson, Sanoyi Johnson, Walel Johnson, JP Johnson

A delinquent teenage boy learns a valuable lesson about growing up.

Director, Writer, Editor: Anthony Sneed
Director of Photography: Aakash Raj
Cast: Nick Hunter, Lorenzo Rodriguez, Alina Phelan DOP: Editor: Anthony Sneed
Producers: Doug Barden, Zane Kalnina, Anthony Sneed

When 13-year-old Cricket walks past the local strip club with his friends, nothing can prepare him for who they see walking into work: his mom. With rumors starting to spread, Cricket must take matters into his own hands to clear his mom’s name and prove that she isn’t a stripper.

Director, Editor: Anthony Sneed
Writer: Anthony Sneed & Chris Thompson
Cast: Crystle Lightning, Fenix Taylor, Kale Walkingstick, Tayvin Bark, Noah Dosset
Director of Photography: Robert L Hunter
Producers: Anthony Sneed, Thomas Hartman, Tiffany Conklin

“The Daily Life of Mistress Red” is a mockumentary that explores the world of kink, Native women and defeating white supremacy. Marie Callingbird is a Native fashion boutique owner by day and Mistress Red by night. Mistress Red is a dominatrix for hire who takes the effects of racism, sexism and colonization into her own hands by educating white supremacists through pleasure. This project focuses on issues within the circle of Indigenous women, racism, and the acceptance of sexuality.

Writer/Director: Peshawn Bread
Producer: Jhane Myers
Cinematographer: Sunrise Tippeconnie
Producer/Assistant Director: Micheal D. Jones
Supervising Producer: Jennifer Reeder
Editor: Rob Fatal
Cast: Jennifer Rader, Tyra Nicolay, Eric Davis, Amber Tassel, Ryan Wilson, Masheyti Romero

Among the Cherokee people in North Carolina, the cultural tradition of stickball exemplifies “more than a game.” Cherokee women played the game at the turn of the 21st century for several years and reflect on their time playing and what the game means to the past, present, and future of Cherokee people.

Producers: Natalie Welch, Nick Geidner
Directors: Isaac Fowler, Tim Morris

Cast: Emra Arkansas, Shannon Bark, Sheena Bark, Doris “Dorsey” Arch, LeChay Arch, Kayla Arch, Gerri Wolfe Grady, Keyonna Owle, Odie Owle, Leroy Littlejohn, Dr. Jeremiah “Jerry” Wolfe