Oklahoma Cherokee

Wonderful new cards came from Oklahoma recently, courtesy of the Easter Bunny! All these cards celebrate the unique history of the Oklahoma Cherokee and bear the official tribal seal as well as the web address for Cherokee tourism: www.CherokeeTourismOK.com

Here an interpretor demonstrates farming at a recreated village in Park Hill. Women tended the gardens, made baskets, sewed clothing and added their voices to political decsions.

Knowledge and education have always been important to the Cherokee people. This statue honors Sequoyah, the creator of the written Cherokee alphabet. Within a few years almost all tribal members could read & write, producing newspapers and legal documents before removal. The statue stands on the grounds of Northeastern State University, previously the Cherokee women's seminary.

 The 3 remaining columns of the Female Seminary building dating from 1851

The Cherokees used their alphabet to produce a dual language newspaper before removal and they began printing in Oklahoma as well. This is the the 1st edition of the Advocate (1844), the paper continued until 1906. In 2010 the original printing press was restored and is on display.

Once they had arrived in Indian Territory, the Cherokee began to rebuild their governmental institutions. This is the Capitol Building of the Cherokee Nation, used for the Executive, judicial and legislative branches, built in 1869 after the Civil War damaged much of Native life. It was restored in 2013 and continues to be used by the Cherokee tribe.

These cards offer a nice tour through Cherokee history and culture without being stereotypical. Nice shopping by the Easter Bunny!

Shoshone-Bannock

Had a very nice card exchange from a man in Washington...he has traveled around Alaska and the NW, picking up some very nice Native cards along the way! This card features the Shoshone-Bannock of Idaho. Today they are a small community of about 5000 tribal members. Historically they lived in a territory located in parts of Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada. They hunted, fished, collected wild foods and participated in regional trade but they were impacted by travelers on the Oregon Trail. Their lands were reduced by treaties signed in the 1860s and they lost more in later years.

Its very nice to add cards from this region to my collection and I hope to find more!