Anthony Sneed, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Robert L Hunter (Blackfeet Nation, Shoshone-Paiute, Washoe), and Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation, Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma) present “The Great Cherokee Grandmother” as the Museum of the Cherokee People hosted their annual Indigenous film screening, “The Way We Connect with the World,” on the evening of Friday, Aug. 2 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather photos)
By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Museum of the Cherokee People hosted their annual Indigenous film screening, “The Way We Connect with the World,” on the evening of Friday, Aug. 2 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. The evening included a local artisan market, live music from Agalisiga Mackey (Cherokee Nation), panel discussions with filmmakers and actors, and film screenings of this year’s featured films.
Featured films included:
“ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek),” directed by Loren Waters (Cherokee Nation, Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma) and produced by Waters and Rebecca Jim (Cherokee Nation). The film was a powerful story of love, water, land, and connection, as Waters followed Jim’s efforts to restore Tar Creek in Miami, OK.
Tia Panther, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, presents her film, “The Language of Ribbon.”
“The Great Cherokee Grandmother,” written and directed by Anthony Sneed (EBCI), starring John Henry Gloyne (EBCI). The audience erupted in laughter at the comedy, which poked fun at the common, misinformed claim of Cherokee ancestry through the ever-eluding Cherokee grandmother-princess figure. Gloyne produced an incredible performance in his debut acting role.
“INHABITANTS,” directed by Costa Boutsikaris and Anna Palmer, presented by Tribal Advisory Board member Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson (Hopi Tribe). Johnson presented an excerpt from the documentary, which follows five Native American Tribes in their effort to restore traditional land management practices.
“Mothertown,” directed and produced by Anthony Sneed (EBCI), with Director of Photography Robert L Hunter (Blackfeet Nation, Shoshone-Paiute, Washoe), told the profound story of former Principal Chief Joyce Dugan’s battle to return Kituwah to the EBCI. Dugan describes the years following the reclamation of Kituwah as a “cultural renaissance.”
“My Home, NC | Cherokee culture meets modern fashion,” produced by Brooks Bennett, featuring Luke Swimmer (EBCI). Bennett details Swimmer’s inspirational journey into creating Buffalotown Clothing Co., one of the most renowned, culturally specific style brands for the Cherokee community.
“The Language of Ribbon,” directed by Tia Panther (EBCI) and produced by Panther and Maya Harwood, is a student film Panther created while in school at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Panther’s film explores the importance of the ribbon skirt as a means for cultural preservation and identity in the 21st century.
Panther’s film featured several community members, most notably Cherokee women Missy Crowe, Sissy Toineeta, Karyl Frankiewicz, and Shannon Swimmer, who shared their experiences with wearing and creating ribbon skirts.
Crowe was an inspiration for Panther’s idea for the film, “Missy Crowe had gotten in front of Council and was talking about the women in their ribbon skirts at a march she attended,” Panther said.
“I started wondering, after all that we’ve been through as a people, why are ribbon skirts something that we still have and something that we hold on to? I really like the way that Missy Crowe put it when I asked her. She just simply said, ‘It still exists because we do.’”
