This week’s article is on Cherokee crafts from the 18th century explained and demonstrated at Diligwa Village at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. This reconstruction of an authentic Cherokee village from 1710 is a great site to visit to get a feel for how the Cherokee lived back then. Many thanks to Feather Smith and Betty for their contributions. Cherokee Textiles [watch video] One of the techniques used by the Cherokee in the 18th century for making

This week we are going to explore the weapons and games used by the Cherokee in the 16th century based on the guide and demonstrators of Diligwa Village at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. THE BLOWGUN (Danny) [watch video] The Cherokee child’s first hunting tool before the bow and arrow was the blowgun. Blowguns were made from river cane. They would gather the cane, lay it out to let it dry, pick the straightest one and cut it off to the length they wa

Osiyo. In this segment, we are going to learn about Cherokee housing, circa 1710, at Diligwa Village at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The village features representative housing, public buildings, ball and game fields, and crafts and weapon demonstrations. When we visited, our guide was Feather Smith [watch a short video with Feather Smith explaining the housing]. In a typical Cherokee village, circa 1700, the living areas would be enclosed in fort-l

Nestled in a thick forest, the Cherokee Heritage Center showcases Cherokee culture and history. A short, pleasant drive brings you to the shady parking lot with the Cherokee National Museum to the left and the Diligwa–1710 Cherokee Village–to the right. Three brick columns rise up from a beautiful fountain in front of the Museum to remind us that this was once the site of the Cherokee Female Seminary. Your first stop is inside the Museum which houses The Trail of Tears

visiting the Cherokee Judicial Museum and the old prison [Part 1], we drove up to Park hill to see the John Ross Museum [Video of Grand Opening]. The museum is housed in an old rural schoolhouse which was built on the site of an old Cherokee Schoolhouse and next to the Ross Family Cemetery. Inside one room is set up as a representative classroom with placards full of information on the civil war’s impact on the Cherokee in Oklahoma. Another is set up as a representative o