Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPFdn) announced on Friday, Sept. 28 it has awarded 22 new grants totaling nearly $2 million. The grants support cultural preservation, economic development, job creation and environmental preservation. They include:
A grant to the EBCI Cooperative Extension Service to transform existing space at its location into a modern, energy-efficient meeting and teaching area. The new space, which will be used for programs offered by the EBCI Cooperative Extension Service and its partners, will incorporate energy-efficient appliances, technologies and construction practices.
A grant to the Big Cove Community Club to enable elders, who will donate their time and talents, to teach traditional ways of living, including how to gather and prepare seasonal foods, make traditional crafts and sew. The classes, which will be open to the entire community and be geared primarily toward young women, will enable Cherokee cultural practices to be preserved and intergenerational understanding and appreciation to grow.
A grant to Cherokee Central Schools to implement the new North Carolina Common Core curriculum into the Cherokee Central Schools system. The curriculum includes programs that challenge students and offer opportunities for creative expression, basic exploration and learning problem solving skills, enabling Cherokee youth to receive the best education possible and to become future leaders for the EBCI.
A grant to support the marketing efforts of the Greater Cherokee Tourism Council. Members include Cherokee Historical Association, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the Qualla Arts & Crafts Cooperative, the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce, EBCI Fish & Game, EBCI Transit, EBCI Parks & Recreation, Sequoyah National Golf Club, and EBCI Travel & Tourism. The funds will be used for ad creation, media buys, web site improvements and social media usage that will attract visitors to Cherokee.
A grant to the Asheville Art Museum, which will work with Qualla Arts & Crafts to develop and publish an interactive online database of Cherokee artists that the public can access on both Qualla’s and the Asheville Art Museum’s web sites. The database, whose purpose is to increase the visibility of individual Cherokee artists and Qualla Arts & Crafts, will include artists’ biographies, images of their work and other information. The Asheville Art Museum will also use the grant to purchase work of EBCI artists and expand its existing Cherokee collection.
A grant to the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) to identify and preserve Cherokee historical sites and farmland along the Little Tennessee and Tuckasegee rivers. The grant will enable the LTLT to develop a convening process with the EBCI that will support tribal influence and encourage active participation in all matters pertaining the the Hall Mountain tract overlooking the Cowee Mound, as well as development of a common vision for the future of the West Mill area, which includes the Cowee Mound, the Hall Mountain tract, and the old Cowee School building. The grant will also identify culturally significant sites outside the Qualla Boundary as the Tuckasegee River was a traditional waterway for the Cherokee people that connected ancient settlements and other cultural sites.
A grant to North Carolina State University, which will enable Cherokee basket makers to grow and maintain bloodroot patches in their home gardens. Basket makers have been having problems accessing sufficient quantities of the dye plant, and because of bloodroot’s slow growth and low seed output, continued harvest from wild populations is not sustainable.
– Cherokee Preservation Foundation
