Oklahoma Attractions Spotlight Cherokee Heritage

Oklahoma Attractions

Spotlight Cherokee Heritage

A peak into one of America’s most fascinating and little understood cultures awaits tour groups in Northeastern Oklahoma. Before my fam trip to the Cherokee Nation earlier this month, I confess that I had only a foggy idea who the Cherokees were. I was practically clueless about their history, language and achievements.

Thanks to an ambitious program launched this year by the Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism Department, word is spreading on what this 14county enclave offers the group traveler.

Catherine Foreman Gray, the department’s interpretive supervisor, sheds light on her people on four different, day-long itineraries that can be tailored to any group. She gears her talk to each group’s level of historical interest—and the history does get a little confusing. By day’s end, though, the pieces fall into place, and you come away with an appreciation for a group of fellow Americans that may have never crossed your radar screen.

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The Cherokees, who initially lived in the Southeastern U.S. before being forcibly removed by the federal government to make room for white settlers, had developed an advanced civilization and, as Gray points out, were far from being “savages.” Their constitution was modeled after the U.S. form of government, and they placed a high emphasis on education.

Q UOTES FROM WILL ROGERS

Unlike the Plains Indians, who moved from place to place, the Cherokees were farmers and merchants, Gray said. “No, we did not hunt buffalo. No, we didn’t live in tepees. No, we didn’t live on reservations.”

The purpose of the day tours is “to show what we’re all about” and clear up misconceptions, Gray said. She majored in history at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and minored in historical interpretation.

The cultural tour program started in May. Groups who provide their own bus pay only $30 a person, lunch included. Small groups using the Cherokees’ mini-bus pay $35 a person. Emblazoned across the bus in red Cherokee script is “Osiyo,” the traditional greeting that sets the tone for Cherokee Tourism’s branding campaign.

Advertising elements are aimed at overcoming false notions about the Cherokees and distinguish them from other Indian tribes: •

“If You Come Expecting Smoke Signals, Prepare To Be Surprised,” which refers to the Cherokee Nation’s printing of the first Native American bilingual newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix. This early use of “non-primitive” communication shows how progressive Cherokee society was in the 19th century.

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If You Come Expecting Tepees, Prepare to be Surprised,” which refers to Cherokees having never lived in tepees. In fact, the Cherokee Nation established the first institute of higher learning for women west of the Mississippi and later rebuilt the Cherokee Female Seminary in Gothic architectural style complete with turrets and gables. The regal structure is still in use today at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

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“Now, Planning a Cherokee Tour is as Easy as A-B-C,” which refers to Sequoyah, a Cherokee silversmith who created the first written Native American language. His syllabary (alphabet) of 86 characters, introduced in 1819, led to an immediate increase in literacy rates among Cherokee speakers.

“Meet the Man Who Never Met a Man He Didn’t Like,” for Oklahoma’s favorite son and Cherokee native Will Rogers. (The Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore was a real highlight for me.)

The Cherokee Nation jurisdiction, which is not a reservation, covers all of eight counties and parts of six more in an area spanning 7,000 square miles. It is home to 149,000 Cherokee citizens, who carry a citizenship card, or “blue card.” The Cherokees have their own police force, court system and other units of tribal government.

After the Navajos, the Cherokees are the largest group of American Indians (and they don’t mind the term “Indians.”) Oklahoma, with 39 tribes, has more Indians than any other state. Oklahoma license plates bear the words “Native America,” and you’ll see many plates with “Cherokee Nation,” “Muscogee Nation” and other tribal designations.

I never met a man I didn’t like.

My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.

I hold only two distinctions in the movie business: ugliest fellow in ’em and I still have the same wife I started with.

There is nothing of which I am more proud than my Cherokee blood.

I was born on Nov. 4, which is election day. . . .

My birthday has made more men and sent more back to honest work than any other days in the year.

A man only learns by two things, one is reading, and the other is association with smarter people.

Most people and actors appearing on the stage have some writer to write their material. Congress is good enough for me. They have been writing my material for years.

This would be a great time in the world for some man to come along that knew something.

They want peace. But they want a gun to get it with.

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Our journey through Cherokee territory pretty much followed the “Cherokee History Tour,” the most popular of the four new tours. It centers around Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation.

The Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, six miles from Tahlequah, tells the Cherokee story in a nutshell. It’s composed of three distinct elements—the recently renovated Cherokee National Museum, Ancient Village and Adams Corner Rural Village.

The museum’s centerpiece is the Trail of Tears exhibit, which explores the tragic exodus of some 16,000 Cherokees forced from their homes in Tennessee, North Carolina and other Southeastern states in 1838-39. They were rounded up and put in unsanitary stockades before boarding wagons for the long journey to Oklahoma, then known as Indian Territory. Thousands died of hunger, disease and heat, and were buried on the trail.

An elderly survivor of the federal government’s Indian removal policy wrote in 1929: “All the time there is new cry from wagons…old people and children. All day and all through night is cry and moan. Seem like I still hear cries and moans after so many years gone past.”

The Ancient Village, one of the Heritage Center’s outdoor museums, depicts Cherokee life before European settlement, featuring demonstrations of various crafts, from cooking and gardening to arrowhead, pottery and basket making. Groups can arrange a stickball game or blowgun shoot. A rebuilt Ancient Village will open next summer.

Adams Corner is a circa-1890 pioneer town simulating a rural Cherokee community prior to Oklahoma statehood. Original and replica buildings include a church, house, school and general store. For groups of 10 or more, Cherokee Tourism can arrange a traditional Cherokee hog fry at Adams Corner or other locations. The meal, a staple of family reunions, political campaigns and other special events, consists of fried pork, beans, vegetables and fry bread.

The Heritage Center stands on the site of the first Cherokee National Female Seminary. Three columns of the original building remain standing.

The “Cherokee History Tour” also visits Seminary Hall at Northeastern State University. The 1889 edifice, the campus’s crown jewel, was built as the Cherokee Female Seminary after the first one burned. Most students became teachers. Today NSU students in Seminary Hall can take classes in such subjects as Native American studies and Cherokee language. In a plaza in front of the building, a new statue recognizes Sequoyah and the Cherokee alphabet he invented.

Also in Park Hill is the 1844 Murrell Home, the only surviving antebellum plantation home in Oklahoma. George Murrell was not a Cherokee but married a woman from a wealthy Cherokee family who was a niece of Chief John Ross. (The name of fairskinned, blue-eyed Ross, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1828-1866, crops up frequently during the day.)

Sights in downtown Tahlequah include the Cherokee National Capitol and Cherokee National Supreme Court Building.

The latter, the oldest government building in Oklahoma (1844), is being renovated and will open next spring with exhibits on the Cherokee judicial system and Cherokee Advocate newspaper (printed in the building). Street signs in Tahlequah are in both English and Cherokee.

Our tour also visited Fort Gibson Historic Site. The frontier fort was established in 1824 to keep peace in Indian Territory. Costumed interpreters can do various living history programs for groups. Themes range from music and gardening to the Civil War and Buffalo Soldiers.

Cherokee Tourism also does a “Will Rogers History Tour” that celebrates the life of Will Rogers, who was part Cherokee and proud of it. Our group had a private evening tour of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore. I enjoyed the museum so much that I returned three days later to see what I missed.

Museum galleries showcase the wit and wisdom, movie and Broadway careers, and international stature of Will Rogers, the leading celebrity of his day until he was killed in a 1935 plane crash in Alaska. A new room focusing on his Cherokee heritage opened in September. (His father, Clem Rogers, was a prominent Cherokee senator and judge.) This is one of the largest museums in the country dedicated to someone who was not a politician or military hero.

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Before my visit to the museum, I was vaguely aware of Will Rogers, but had no idea that his accomplishments touched so many areas. He was a champion roper, radio personality, Hollywood actor, newspaper columnist, philosopher, aviation enthusiast, polo player, friend of U.S. presidents and goodwill ambassador. But he was best known as a spokesman for the common man, an “old friend” appreciated for his honesty during the dark days of the Depression. His homespun humor and timeless quotes (many of them jabs at politicians) still are relevant today.

Rogers started his climb to stardom with his rope twirling skills. As a young man, he appeared as the “Cherokee Kid” in Wild West shows around the world. Then he became the toast of Broadway as he bantered with audiences while spinning his lariat. Soon the political humor eclipsed his roping as his jokes on current events and government high jinks struck a chord. At his peak Rogers was the highest paid male movie star and the most widely read syndicated columnist. He also had the most popular Sunday evening radio show.

Exhibits include Will Rogers movie posters, his valuable saddle collection and other personal effects, including the typewriter found in the plane wreckage. Best of all are the video stations and theater presentations showing Will in action. The Story of Will Rogers, a 1950s documentary narrated by Bob Hope, chronicles his life from growing up in Claremore to his death at age 55. Visitors also can view clips from Will Rogers Follies: A Life in Revue, the hit 1990s Broadway show starring Keith Carradine as Rogers.

Interpretive guide Andy Hogan, a retired school principal, portrays Will Rogers for tour groups. Spinning a rope and clad in chaps and Western hat, he brings the Oklahoma luminary to life.

In a sunken garden at the hilltop museum is Rogers’ tomb, inscribed with his most famous quote: “I never met a man I didn’t like.” A statue of the Cherokee native on horseback towers above the tomb and graves of family members.

Just down the hill is the Hammett House Restaurant, famous for its “mile-high” cream pies. The sizzling Apple Delight is served warm in a cast-iron skillet and topped with ice cream and brandy-butter sauce.

Also worth checking out in Claremore is the J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum, a treasure house of pistols, rifles, military artifacts, and Western and Native American memorabilia. Group tours of any length, from 15 minutes to an hour, are available.

Oklahoma boasts more miles of the original Route 66 than any other state. The section of the “Mother Road” in and around Claremore is Will Rogers Memorial Highway. A fun Route 66 landmark near Catoosa is the Blue Whale, the brightly painted remnant of an old water park.

Catoosa is home to the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, operated by Cherokee Nation Entertainment. Ideal for groups who want plush accommodations and gaming action, the Hard Rock abounds with rock music memorabilia, from Gold Records and autographed guitars to stage costumes worn by Brittney Spears, Madonna and the Jonas Brothers. Restaurants include Wild Potato Buffet, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and McGill’s on 19, a fine dining penthouse perch. Center Bar has an 80-foot-long frozen bar top. A new events center for concerts and sports will open next summer.

Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, also known as Dog Iron Ranch, is a short drive from Claremore, near the town of Oologah. Set on a peaceful hill overlooking Lake Oologah, the white, Greek Revival house is surrounded by a white picket fence. Burros, goats, cattle, chickens, ducks and peacocks roam the grounds. A chuckwagon picnic lunch under the trees can be arranged, and the barn has party space for groups. Inside the house, visitors see the log-walled room where Rogers was born in 1875 and view a black-and-white video narrated by Will Rogers Jr. In the barn they can watch a version of The Ropin’ Fool, a silent movie narrated by the son.

For more information, contact the Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism Department at 877-779-6977, www.cherokeetourismok.com; and Claremore CVB, 877-341-8688, www.visitclaremore.org.