Museum of the Cherokee People has announced the new exhibition ᏅᏬᏘ Nvwoti: Healing is Culture, on view now at Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA). (Photo courtesy of Museum of the Cherokee People)
Submitted by Museum of the Cherokee People
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Museum of the Cherokee People has announced the new exhibition ᏅᏬᏘ Nvwoti: Healing is Culture, on view now at Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA). Presented in collaboration with CIHA and located at the entrance of the Analenisgi Recovery Center, Nvwoti showcases how, through centuries of systemic oppression and attempted eradication of Native cultural practices, Cherokee people have continuously found physical, mental, and emotional healing through ceremony.
“We are honored to host this exhibit outside of the Analenisgi Recovery Center,” said Cherokee Indian Hospital CEO Casey Cooper. This exhibit elevates traditional pathways to healing – pathways that remain vital to the health and well-being of the Cherokee people. By highlighting the success stories of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who have embraced Cherokee medicine and ceremony to heal from mental health challenges and substance abuse, we endeavor to inspire others and reaffirm the power of cultural practices. This is more than an exhibit; it is a testament to our resilience, our heritage, and our commitment to fostering culturally rooted healing for the next seven generations of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.”
Alongside historic objects and photographs from the Museum’s collections, the exhibit uplifts living, first-person perspectives from Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal members who have found healing in Cherokee culture and experienced the transformative impact of reconnection. Nvwoti is curated by Museum Director of Education Dakota Brown and Director of Collections and Exhibitions Evan Mathis. The exhibition, on view through Dec. 31 was designed by Tyra Maney, Museum designer.
“One of CIHA’s Guiding Principles, ᏂᎯᏣᏤᎵ – ‘It belongs to you’ – is at the heart of the work we do and the care we provide and for me, this exhibit exemplifies the ownership we take in our own health,” said Zane Wachacha, Museum of the Cherokee People board member and Performance Improvement Specialist at CIHA. “Healthcare for the Eastern Band was not a gift but a right purchased by our ancestors through treaties, paid for with unimaginable sacrifices. This exhibit serves as a powerful reminder that our healthcare system, much like our cultural practices, is a legacy entrusted to us. By sharing stories of healing through Cherokee medicine and ceremony, we honor the resilience of our people and ensure that this inheritance continues to empower future generations.”
As the tribal museum of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Museum is honored to offer resources for Cherokee people interested in deepening their connection to culture or learning more about their tribal and family history. To book a private appointment to view the Museum’s archival and object collections, conduct research, or to schedule a genealogy appointment, please contact collections@motcp.org.
ᏅᏬᏘ Nvwoti: Healing is Culture Main Interpretative Panel
Healing is Culture
Healing is an important part of Cherokee culture and ideology, and the roots of trauma in our community are firmly connected to a long history of systematic oppression by the federal government. The intentional attempted removal of Cherokee ceremonial practices has left many in our community seeking reconnection. Despite these attempts, Cherokee pathways to healing have endured and many have found physical, mental, and emotional healing through community and ceremony.
Quotes on the Main Interpretative Panel
“I spent years chasing or following people and trends trying to find out who I was or where I fit in. Our culture was all I ever needed. The more you learn about how we lived and the things we did, the more you will understand yourself, your place in this world, and how we are supposed to live.”
- Levi West, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, b. 1989)
“The opposite of addiction is connection, and there is no greater connection than being Indigenous, being Cherokee! Culture really is the answer for me, and I know for a fact it’s how I made it as far as I have.”
- Rob Martens, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, b. 1981)
“The sound of my shells shaking and the leaders singing gives me a powerful feeling that I never thought I could experience. To be a part of something so sacred and special to our culture and being looked up to by others . . . it gives me a sense of honor and a meaning to my life that alcohol could never give on any night of the week. Culture and ceremony have changed my life.”
- Alea Tisho, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, b. 1996)
Objects in exhibit
1: Photograph (Untitled), 1935, Photograph of Will West Long (EBCI) holding an eagle feather dance wand and a gourd rattle. Frank G. Speck (b. 1881, d. 1950), Collection of the Penn Museum, 380083 (Penn Museum)
2: Photograph (Untitled), circa 1920’s, Cherokee traditional dancers performing the women’s dance, singer with water drum at the Cherokee Indian Fair in the 1920’s. Artist Once Known, Shephard Photo Collection, 2011.201.0001.20
3: Photograph (Untitled), 2024, Community Stomp Dancing at the 2024 Cherokee Winter Social on January 27th, 2024. Kristy Maney Herron, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Diné, b. 1979), Image Courtesy of the Artist
4: Photograph (Untitled), 1948, Big Cove dancers performing the Horse Dance at the old Cherokee Fair Grounds in 1948. Left to Right: Morgan Wolfe, person once known, Jim Driver, Sr., Wallie Driver, person once known, Lizzie Sequoyah, person once known, person once known; 2nd row center Allen Long. Artist Once Known, Collection of the Museum of the Cherokee People, 2009.002.0100.2
5: Mask (Untitled), A-ni-go-di-ge-wi (Wild Potato) Clan mask. Butternut wood, horsehair. Paul Hornbuckle, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, b. 1959), Collection of the Museum of the Cherokee People, 2019.202.0004
6: Mask (Untitled), Booger mask showing a smiling expression with tongue sticking out. Buckeye wood, paint. John Julius Wilnoty, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, b. 1940, d. 2016), Collection of the Museum of the Cherokee People, 2019.202.0011
7: Mask (Untitled), 1963, Yo-na (bear) dance mask. Bass wood, black paint, red fingernail polish. Sim Jessan, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, b. 1903, d. 1982), Collection of the Museum of the Cherokee People, 2019.203.0001
8: Mask (Untitled), Booger mask with large eyes and pyrography designs present on the nose. Buckeye wood, paint, pyrography. John Julius Wilnoty, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, b. 1940, d. 2016), Collection of the Museum of the Cherokee People, 2020.91520.0140
9: Mask (Untitled), A-ni-gi-lo-hi (Long Hair) Clan mask. Butternut wood, horsehair. Paul Hornbuckle, (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, b. 1959), Collection of the Museum of the Cherokee People, 2019.202.0003
