Stories are told through visual interpretation
and Cherokee Nation will convey their history through artifacts permanently secured or provided on loan for display at the
soon-to-be opened Cherokee National Supreme Court Building Museum with phase one renovations scheduled to be completed the
first week in July 2009. This venture will be the Cherokee Nation’s first wholly owned and operated museum.
As the exterior details are now being finalized, Cherokee Nation is putting out a call for artifacts in three
historic areas including the Cherokee National Judicial System, the Cherokee Advocate and Phoenix Newspapers and the Cherokee
Language with a request for items ranging from photos, stories and objects to furniture, periodicals and memorabilia. The
artifacts will visually communicate the ability of the Cherokee Nation to survive, adapt, prosper and excel.
The newly designed museum will showcase articles from the past and present that are indigenous to Cherokee Nation
and express the passion of its people for self-governance. Some highly desired items relate to the Cherokee Advocate,
which was printed in the Cherokee National Supreme Court Building. Written in both Cherokee and English, the Cherokee
Advocate was the primary means of the Cherokee Nation to inform its people from 1844 to 1906. It was Oklahoma’s
first newspaper and, at the time, the only tribal-owned and published newspaper in the United States.
“We hope to reach as many people as possible with this formal call for artifacts,” said David Stewart,
CEO of Cherokee Nation Entertainment, which manages the Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism Department.
“The physical display of these historic items will assist in conveying to the Cherokee people and
visitors to the museum the tremendous accomplishments and lasting legacy of the Cherokee Nation government and its people.”
All artifacts permanently donated or provided on loan will be cataloged and processed following museum standard
guidelines. Each piece will have the benefactor’s name posted near the respective display in recognition of the
generous donation and commitment to the preservation efforts of Cherokee Nation history.
Individuals, families and corporations can make artifact donations by contacting Travis Owens, senior project
manager at Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism, at (918) 384-5929 or email at travis.owens@cnent.com
Southwest Museum Services in Houston is designing and fabricating the interior museum space to create an engaging
and interactive guest experience. Past clients include Space Center Houston in Houston; Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma
City; and the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, Ark., among others.
The Cherokee National Supreme Court Building, built in 1844, is Oklahoma’s oldest public building and
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
