The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has announced its debut Winter Lecture Series, a free and exclusively virtual program held on select Wednesdays in December 2021, January 2022, and February 2022. Under the theme of Cultural and Language Preservation and Revitalization, the series features panelists from the EBCI and Cherokee Nation communities exploring the necessity of cultural and language preservation and revitalization.
“This subject is of the utmost importance,” says Jenn Wilson, Aniyuwiyahi Community Program Coordinator at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. “If we can encourage a greater interest and enthusiasm for it, then we can make headway in pursuing the preservation and revitalization of our language and culture amongst our tribal community members. It is our goal through this endeavor to foster a closer relationship with our community at large and to become a safe space for them to research, learn, and create.”
The series kicks off on Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. with Miss Cherokee 2021-22 Tyra Maney, sharing her platform through an interactive live Q&A session. The Q&A continues Dec. 15 as Teen Miss Cherokee Tsini McCoy, Junior Miss Cherokee Makaula Lambert, and Little Miss Cherokee Trinnity Jackson discuss their own pageant platforms. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance to Jenn Wilson at jenn.wilson@mci.org.
All events are free of charge and hosted virtually on Airmeet. Space is limited, and attendees may register for each panel they would like to attend via the links below. Additional information, including panelist bios, can be found at https://mci.org/learn/programming.
Dec. 8 at 3 p.m.: Live Q&A with 2021-2022 Miss Cherokee
Panelist: Miss Cherokee: Tyra Maney
Tyra Maney, 2021-22 Miss Cherokee, leads a Q&A session focused on her platform of Cultural Revitalization and traditional practices that are endangered or have been lost due to colonization. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance to Jenn Wilson at jenn.wilson@mci.org.
Dec. 15 at 3p.m.: Live Q&A with 2021-2022 EBCI Royalty
Panelists: Teen Miss Cherokee: Tsini McCoy, Junior Miss Cherokee: Makaula Lambert, Little Miss Cherokee: Trinnity Jackson
Join 2021-2022 EBCI royalty as they discuss their pageant platforms. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance to Jenn Wilson at jenn.wilson@mci.org.
Jan. 12 at 3 p.m.: Language & Identity: Methods of Revitalization
Panelists: Landon French, David Jumper, Kelly Murphy
Join Cherokee language instructors as they consider methods for revitalization––and the urgent need to put those methods into practice.
Jan. 26 at 3 p.m.: Art, Language, & Culture
Panelists: Roy Boney, Jeff Edwards, John Henry Gloyne, Keli Gonzalez
How can language influence art? Award-winning Cherokee Nation and EBCI visual artists share how the Cherokee language and syllabary inform and inspire their work.
Feb. 16 at 3 p.m.: Cultural Preservation
Panelists to be announced
What is culture? Speakers discuss historic cultural aspects, methods of preservation and revitalization, and how Cherokee culture appears today.
- Museum of the Cherokee Indian release
