The Museum of the Cherokee Indian tells the story of the Cherokee people and sets the scene for the Cherokee Heritage Trails. Here the Cherokee community presents its perspective on its own history and culture. Located in Cherokee, North Carolina, about 50 miles from Asheville, the museum's impressive exhibit takes the visitor from 11,000 years ago to the present. Cherokee people were involved in creating the exhibit: elders as well as scholars consulted on the script; life size figures were created from full-body casts of local people; and many of the voices in the audio portions of the exhibit come from tribal members. This new award-winning exhibit combines artifacts with interactive technology, special effects, and colorful graphics.
At the Cherokee Voices Festival in June, Cherokee people demonstrate crafts, tell stories, perform music, and do traditional dance. Elders who do not usually travel long distances to festivals often participate in this event. Throughout the summer and fall, Cherokee artists and crafts people exhibit and demonstrate inside the museum.
For more on Cherokee heritage, see Unto These Hills drama and tour the nearby Oconaluftee Indian Village.
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is open daily, 9 am - 5 pm year-round except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Extended summer hours, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, are 9 am - 7 pm Monday through Saturday. Sunday schedule always 9 am- 5 pm. Admission: $9 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-14, 5 & under are free.
There is no charge to visit the Museum store. For more shopping, visit Qualla Arts Co-op next door (see below).
For more, go to the Museum of the Cherokee Web site.
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Qualla Arts and Crafts Co-Op
Next door to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian is the Qualla Arts and Crafts Co-op that sells only the best quality crafts, hand-made with natural materials by Cherokee people. Here you will find meticulously made baskets, pottery, woodcarving, bead work, jewelry, dolls, blowguns, and other items. But the co-op is more than another crafts store. For more than fifty years, it has provided year-round income for Cherokee crafts people by buying crafts during the winter as well as during the summer tourist season. Profits are shared with all co-op members, who must be enrolled in the Eastern Band. The co-op has helped Cherokee traditions survive, and has held high standards for their quality. In the process, it has become one of the most successful Native American crafts cooperatives in the country.
In addition to the sales area, an exhibit room provides information on crafts traditions through displays of materials, photographs of the process of creation, and examples of work. The Qualla Co-op is open 7 days/week year-round, closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Free admission.
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