ROSE, Okla. — “Betty Christie Frogg: Carrying Her Culture” is on display at Cherokee Nation’s Saline Courthouse Museum.
Featuring Cherokee flat-reed baskets and traditional clothing created by the Cherokee National Treasure, the special exhibit runs through Dec. 31.
“Betty is a master artist of many traditional skills, and she remains dedicated to preserving and sharing those skills as a teacher,” said Karen Shade-Lanier, project coordinator for Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism. “Every basket, clay pot and piece of clothing she makes demonstrates not only her versatility, but also how fundamental culture and tradition are within her daily life.”
A second-grade teacher at the Cherokee Immersion Charter School in Tahlequah, Frogg also teaches traditional arts to all ages and frequently demonstrates her skills at events. Additionally, she lends her voiceover talent in the television and streaming program “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People” and in the animated series “Inage’i.”
Frogg is a Cherokee language speaker and a resident of Wauhillau. She weaves rivercane and split white oak flat-reed baskets in addition to round-reed baskets.
A Cherokee Nation citizen, Frogg is also skilled at other Cherokee traditional arts, including twining, pottery and creating traditional clothing. She was named a Cherokee National Treasure in 2010.
The Saline Courthouse is the last of nine district courthouses built in the 1800s by the Cherokee Nation. After years of ongoing work to restore, preserve and modernize the structure, Cherokee Nation reopened the site as a cultural museum with two featured galleries. One gallery features historical and cultural exhibits, while the other is dedicated to showcasing a different Cherokee artist every two months.
The Saline Courthouse Museum is located at 55870 S. 490 Rd. in Rose, Okla.
Cherokee Nation museums offer free admission and are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information on Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism, including museum operations, please call (877) 779-6977 or visit www.VisitCherokeeNation.com.
– Cherokee Nation release
