A new exhibit at the Museum of the Cherokee People, illuminates the complexities of tribal sovereignty and educates visitors about the Eastern Band of Cherokees’ autonomy, its relationship with the federal government, and how the tribe has defined its own relationship with its land, people, and culture.
"sov·er·eign·ty signals a new approach to sharing Cherokee history for us here at the Museum of the Cherokee People," Co-curator and MotCP Director of Education Dakota Brown said in a press release. "Rather than the mainstream museum practice of using a chronological timeline to tell our story, we've taken a theme-based approach, an interpretive strategy we plan to use in future exhibitions. In researching sov·er·eign·ty, I have learned so much about the innovation and adaptability of our Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian ancestors. I hope our community and visitors feel as uplifted and inspired as I do."
In 2022, the museum decided to remove sacred and funeral-related items from public view and replace them with modern art produced by Cherokee artists in an exhibit called “Disruption.”
Before “Disruption,” the museum’s main exhibit hadn’t been updated in over 25 years, BPR reported.
“This exhibit will utilize a diverse range of objects and archival materials—some of which are new acquisitions that nave never been exhibited at the Museum before—to tell the complex story of how the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians came to exist as a unique political government,” Director of Collections and Exhibitions Evan Mathis said in a press release.
In 2023, BPR reported that the museum announced its new name removing the word, “Indian” from the museum’s title.
Shana Bushyhead Condill, executive director of the museum, formerly known as the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, explained that one word makes a big difference.
“We have been, for so long, seen as relics of the past. And the word ‘Indian’ of course is very dated. It’s also very incorrect,” Condill said. “It’s not something that we would ever say publicly as a descriptor of ourselves. Adding the word “people” literally personifies who we are as Cherokee people, and it makes it harder to relegate us to the past when we use that word.”
The museum’s name has also been updated in Cherokee to ᏣᎳᎩ ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯᎯ ᎢᎦᏤᎵ ᎤᏪᏘ ᎠᏍᏆᏂᎪᏙᏗ (Tsalagi idiyvwiyahi igatseli uweti asquanigododi): Museum of the Cherokee People.
sov·er·eign·ty is on view from March 15, 2024 through February 28, 2025 at the Museum of the Cherokee People. The Museum of the Cherokee People’s main exhibition is currently closed to the public as the organization prepares for a multiyear renovation project. Its temporary exhibit space, home to sov·er·eign·ty, along with the Charles George Beloved Veterans Hall and lobby, all currently undergoing updates of their own, will reopen to the public March 15.
