Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPFdn) announced on Tuesday, March 19 it has awarded 21 new grants totaling $1 million that support cultural preservation, economic development, job creation and environmental preservation. They include:
- A grant to the Junaluska Museum for a project that will enable Cherokee women to share traditional women’s knowledge with young generations. This project will help preserve traditional cultural ways.
- A grant to develop construction and operating plans for a language immersion facility and program in the Snowbird community. The grant will also enable development and implementation of a pilot program of Cherokee language instruction in the existing child development center.
- A grant to the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee to support a second year of bird-monitoring at Cowee Mound. The program gives Cherokee students a hand-on opportunity to learn about native bird species and the Cherokee names for the birds. The project will take place near the Cowee Mound, which will provide students with an opportunity to learn about the cultural significance of this historic Cherokee town.
- A grant to Cherokee Choices’ Healthy Roots program to enhance the Cherokee Youth Garden at the Kituwah Mound and improve the gardening experience for Cherokee youth so they become confident growers and traditional food advocates. The youth gardeners will work with Native Scapes Landscaping, a local business, to design and grow the garden, which will have a cultural theme based on a traditional pottery design. Produce grown at the site is sold at the Cherokee Hospital, with proceeds used to help fund the project the following year.
- A grant to the EBCI Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) to partner with Illinois State University to continue examination of the life-ways of the Overhill Cherokees in what is now eastern Tennessee at the time of first Spanish contact. THPO will house the research, which will be owned by the EBCI, and will partner with Illinois State in hosting an archaeological field school to encourage young Tribal members and others to consider archaeology as their field of study in college.
- A grant to support the newly formed Performing Arts School of the Mountainside Theatre. The school has been established to develop local actors, especially younger performers, for larger roles at the theatre.
- A grant to enable the Graham County Indian Education program to establish a six- week cultural arts and crafts camp. The camp is for children in Graham County who are 10-16 years of age and they will acquire skills in basket weaving, pottery, beadwork, and quilting.
- A grant to EBCI Enterprise Development to continue the popular Indianpreneurship program and support Cherokee High School’s second business plan competition. EBCI Enterprise Development works with the entrepreneurship class at the high school to encourage participation in the business plan competition, and it awards cash prizes to students. The competition will be expanded to include other schools in future years.
– Cherokee Preservation Foundation
