Cherokee Museum

North Carolina's Cherokee Museum offers teacher workshops

This summer the Museum of the Cherokee Indian offers a variety of workshops and classes designed especially for teachers.

From June 14 through June 25, a two-week Cherokee History and Culture Institute will combine academic work with experiences on the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Teachers will be exposed to archaeology, history, Cherokee language and folklore as well as meet Cherokee people and visit Cherokee sites. The Institute is free to thirty North Carolina teachers from both elementary and secondary schools, but does require a refundable $50 deposit. Upon completion of a paper by July 25, participants will receive three graduate credits from Western Carolina University. Continuing Education Credits are also available for several one-day workshops in August.

On August 2 and 9, workshops for teachers who want to bring classes to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian will provide information and resources on how to incorporate the museum experience into the curriculum. Information and resources on Cherokee culture and history will be provided as teachers develop their own classroom strategies. The workshops begin at 9 a.m. each day and end at 5 p.m. A $10 registration fee is required for CEU credit through Western Carolina University.

On August 3 and 10, one-day workshops on Cherokee history and culture will provide information, allow participants to tour the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, meet members of the Eastern Band and take resources back to their classrooms. The workshops run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and carry one-half CEU credit from Western Carolina University. Registration and a $10 fee is required for CEU credit.

These summer programs are funded by grants from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Similar workshops and classes are planned for next year, too, as the Museum's young education department will continue to search for ways to improve teaching about Native Americans.

Information: Barbara Duncan, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, PO Box 1599, Cherokee, NC 28719; phone 828-497-3481; fax 828-497-4985; email: Chermus@Dnet.net