Keetoowah Museum advances cultural preservation and education

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The John Hair Cultural Center and Keetoowah Museum expanded cultural programming and community engagement this year through a series of educational workshops, exhibits and language initiatives aimed at preserving and sharing Keetoowah history and lifeways.

UKB Tribal employees Ashley Hopton and Toni Workman making baby moccasins. photo: Giduwah Cherokee News

Among the museum’s most popular offerings is its Staff Development Lunch and Learn series, which allows tribal employees to attend hands-on cultural workshops during work hours. Participation is limited to 10 people per session, and classes routinely reach capacity.

Workshops this year included flat reed weaving, stickball equipment making, frybread preparation, basket starts, grape dumplings, Southeastern design painting, kanuchi preparation, beading and baby moccasin making.

Organizers said the program is designed to strengthen cultural knowledge among employees who are expected to become future tradition keepers. The series is supported by Echota Behavioral Health and the Tribal Opioid Response “Healing Our Nations Together” grant, which covers instructors, materials and meals.

Another ongoing initiative, the museum’s “Getting Back to Basics” series, focused on gathering and harvesting, canning and sewing. Each subject area included three four-hour classes held monthly. The final session of the sewing series concluded in mid-November.

The museum also introduced several new events this year, including a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Men and Children (MMIW/MMIP) REDress Project exhibit and walk, organized in collaboration with the Keetoowah Lighthorse. The exhibit featured empty red dresses displayed to represent victims, followed by a community walk around the museum complex.

During the event, Chief Wacoche read a proclamation recognizing victims of violence, committing to advocacy and education, and calling on tribal and governmental partners to address the crisis.

Another new event, the Keetoowah Quilt Show, was held during the annual Keetoowah Celebration. The exhibit ran throughout October and drew strong attendance, museum officials said. Organizers plan to expand the event when it returns in October 2026.

The museum also advanced long-term interpretive planning through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. A planning group composed of United Keetoowah Band members and museum staff met multiple times over the past year to shape how Keetoowah history is presented in exhibits and media.

Key themes identified include the origins of Kituwah identity, migration histories, the role of the Keetoowah as cultural guardians, and the tribe’s modern governance under its 1950 charter and constitution. Planned updates include interactive elements in the history gallery aimed at younger visitors.

In addition, the museum coordinated the tribe’s 2025 Summer Youth Program, which placed participants in several tribal departments, including education, historic preservation, environmental services and the museum.

The Keetoowah Historic Preservation Department also collaborated with museum staff to establish and maintain a medicine garden outside the cultural center. Plants grown include rivercane, buckbrush, bee balm and coral honeysuckle.

“Rivercane is part of our culture and our heritage,” said Historic Preservation Director Roger Cain. “It’s part of who we are as Cherokee people.”

Language preservation remains a central focus as well. First-language speakers continue translation work in partnership with Northeastern State University, with Cherokee language incorporated into games and public programming.

The museum also produces and sells cultural craft kits and relies on volunteers to assemble materials and assist with events, staff said.

Museum Director and tribal historian Ernestine Berry said visitors often encounter Keetoowah history for the first time at the museum.

“It is a privilege to share our history from our ancestors’ knowledge, perspective and experience,” Berry said, adding that visitors frequently express surprise at the depth of historical documentation on display.

Original article Marilyn Craig, Museum Marketing Coordinator John Hair Cultural Center