Genealogy Resources & FAQs
FreeAdmission Tuesday – Saturday10 AM – 4 PM Genealogy Resources & FAQs Genealogy is the study of family descent, which gives individuals an opportunity to connect with or discover their Cherokee ancestors. We are excited to have two genealogists on staff at the Cherokee National Research Center. Our genealogists can assist individuals with family research. […]
Cherokee National Research Center
Free ByAppointment Tuesday – Saturday10 AM – 4 PM Cherokee National Research Center The Cherokee National Research Center is a state-of-the-art facility that is home to a collection of thousands of Cherokee artifacts and archives formerly housed at the Cherokee Heritage Center. We are committed to honoring the legacy of the Cherokee Heritage Center, who […]
Permanant Exhibits
FreeAdmission Tuesday – Saturday10 AM – 4 PM Permanent Exhibits The Cherokee National History Museum will guide you chronologically from the Cherokee Origin Story through the Modern Era of the Cherokee Nation, with art, tribal heritage and immersive experiences to bring the Cherokee story to life. Origin Story Begin your experience with an art installation […]
Cherokee National History Museum
FreeAdmission Tuesday – Saturday10 AM – 4 PM Cherokee National History MuseumTake a deep dive into Cherokee Nation history at the Cherokee National History Museum in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Located in the historic Cherokee National Capitol building, this Cherokee museum invites visitors to explore more than 7,000 square feet of timeless art, artifacts and tribal heritage. […]
Cherokee Nation Anna Mitchell Cultural & Welcome Center
Located right beside the Mother Road — Route 66 — and I-44, the Cherokee Nation Anna Mitchell Cultural and Welcome Center offers an exciting opportunity for travelers to learn about Cherokee history, art, and culture.
Cherokee Hunting
Author: Keli Gonzales ᎦᏃᎭᎵᏙ (ga-no-ha-li-do) is the Cherokee word for “hunting.” Skills and traditions pertaining to hunting influence other portions of daily life for many native peoples. Hunting is still a prominent aspect of Cherokee identity. Cherokees hunted to feed themselves and their communities using various weapons, but, like many things, hunting practices changed after […]
Cabin in the Woods
Author: Krystan Moser One of the most notable figures in Cherokee history is Sequoyah, the creator of the Cherokee syllabary. Sequoyah, or George Guess, was born around 1770 in what is now the state of Tennessee. Sequoyah spent more than a decade studying the structure of the Cherokee language, and in 1821 he unveiled a […]
The Cost of Free Land
Author: Krystan Moser On September 16, 1893, a shot rang out and more than 100,000 settlers raced to stake a claim on one of 42,000 homesteads in the Cherokee Outlet. The largest of the Oklahoma land runs, the 1893 run opened more land than any other individual run. The land run that resulted created about […]
Order in the Courts
Author: Krystan Moster Prior to the Trail of Tears and removal to Indian Territory, Cherokee Nation existed in our eastern homelands of what are now North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. The Cherokees operated schools, courts, a bilingual newspaper, and had a written constitution that laid out the foundations of a government and the laws […]
Through the Lens
Author: Karen Shade Photographer Jennie Fields Ross Cobb occupies a special place in Cherokee Nation’s history. Between about 1896 to 1906, she took her small box camera and photographed the people and places she knew. The result is a small collection of images offering a glimpse of life in Indian Territory before Oklahoma statehood in […]