Explore Cherokee Culture at Har-Ber Village Museum on Saturday, Nov. 3

Experience the culture of our Cherokee neighbors at Har-Ber Village Museum in Grove, Saturday, Nov. 3, during Cherokee Heritage Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Cherokee Heritage Day will be a day of cultural enrichment and fun. Hear Cherokee stories as told by Sequoyah Guess and Robert Lewis at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Listen as Tommy Wildcat fills the air with the haunting music of his flute at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Play the ancient game of marbles dating back to 800 A.D. and much more!

To honor the heritage of all the tribes in this area, Har-Ber Village admission will be free this day to all those who present their tribal IDs. 

During the Cherokee Heritage Day, you’ll be able to partake in a wide variety of activities. Print a keepsake of Sequoyah, the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary, in the Print Shop. Watch bead, basket weaving and bow-making artists at work. Smell the aromas of hearth cooking from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feel the fibers of weaving on a barn loom. Indian tacos will be sold by theGuess and Sixkiller families.

The Cherokee National Treasure award is a distinction bestowed upon Cherokee Nation citizens who have demonstrated their commitment to preserving traditional arts and cultural ways. Several of these National Treasures plan to attend this event, including Tommy Wildcat, Richard Fields, Betty Frogg, Robert Lewis, Vyrl Keeter and Kathy and Perry Vanbuskirk.

Richard Fields, a master bow maker from Tahlequah, has been crafting traditional Cherokee long bows for more than two decades. He and his wife operate the all-Cherokee artists 4 Winds, 7 Clans Gallery in Tahlequah.

Vyrl Keeter has 40 years of experience in flint knapping and is dedicated to teaching others the traditional art of flint knapping through classes and demonstrations and has offered classes at Har-Ber Village Museum in the past.

For Perry Vanbuskirk, making stickball sticks, bows and traditional Cherokee weapons comes second nature. He comes from a family of Cherokee National Treasures.

“If you are an Indian, it's already in you. You just have to start bringing it all out,” VanBuskirk said.

Buckbrush basketry has historic significance among the Cherokee and some of the finest examples have been produced by traditional basket weavers acknowledged as Cherokee National Treasures, including Kathy Vanbuskirk.

Kenny Glass is a Cherokee and Wyandot native originally from Kansas, Oklahoma. He is a textile artist, but also enjoys beading from time to time. He started sewing five years ago, making stomp dance skirts for the ladies at his ceremonial grounds, and then ventured out from there. He enjoys the mix of traditional Cherokee designs and cultural aspects with new and modern ideas.

“I graduated in 2012, with an AA in Art and a BA in American Indian Studies from Bacone College. I then received a Master of Science degree in Native American Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2017. I did some painting and drawing in school, but I spent most of my time doing beadwork—until I learned to sew.” Glass said. “Many have referred to me as a textile artist. The majority of my time is spent on clothing that is worn at our ceremonies and dances. Women normally wear skirts during our dances, and I have sewn for many people in this area. When I attend local dances, I often see a lot of my skirts.

“I like to think of my work as ‘wearable art’. I love to see people wearing my clothes and putting them to good use. That brings more joy to me than to have someone buy my work just to display it on the wall or something like that. I take commissions, and it often keeps me busy all year. I go to my regular job, then I come home and go to work behind the sewing machine.”

Author Kitty Sutton has been writing for many years and, in 2011, Inknbeans Press accepted her manuscript of an historical Native American murder mystery. First in a line of stories featuring Wheezer, a Jack Russell terrier, and his Cherokee friend, Sasa, it is called “Wheezer And The Painted Frog.” Sutton lives in the southwestern corner of Missouri near Branson with her husband, a Cherokee artist, of 47 years and her three Jack Russell terriers, one of which is the real and wonderful Wheezer.

Gloria Smoke-King, a bead designer and artist from Sallisaw, Okla., has been creating beaded items for more than 45 years. She learned how to bead while attending Seneca Indian School in Wyandotte, Okla., during her elementary school years and then taught her mother to bead. King and her sister, Rhonda, are Cherokee and are co-owners of Smokin DeSignz, where they create handmade native-designed accessories. The sisters will have beadwork, jewelry sets, miniature stickball, miniature drums and a few Christmas decorations of strictly Native design.

Har-Ber Village Museum is located at 4404 West 20th St., in Grove. An Oklahoma pioneer history museum, Har-Ber Village Museum is seasonal, smoke-free, mostly accessible and pet-friendly.

Visitors are invited to stroll through scenic Har-Ber Village Museum on Grand Lake O' the Cherokees at your own pace. Examine antique collections and reproductions housed in both original and replicated buildings reflecting the late 1800s and early 1900s. Explore hands-on exhibits, view demonstrations and shop for gifts in the Country Store.

Har-Ber Village Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Its season continues through November 4. The village will reopen again on the third Saturday of March 2019.

Admission is $10 for adults; $7.50 for seniors 62+; $5 for children ages 6-13; under 6 and members are free and includes all activities during the event. Again, admission is free to all those with a tribal ID.

Museum admission is not necessary to attend workshops, to shop in the Village gift shop, to eat at the Café or to walk the Nature Trail. 

For more information on Har-Ber Village Museum, call (918) 786-6446, visit www.har-bervillage.com or its Facebook page.