As odd as it may sound, Cherokee Indians are traveling to Europe to rediscover their past.

Artifacts from early explorations to the Americas are housed in museums throughout Europe. Efforts to catalogue those artifacts and perhaps return some of them to the Qualla Boundary are gaining momentum.

James Bird, cultural resources director for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Marie Junaluska, a tribal council member and member of the Ani`Yun`wiyahi (Principal People) committee, recently returned to Cherokee from a trip to Spain and Belgium.

Accompanying Bird and Junaluska on the trip were Dr. Jay Segel and Ron Monterosso of New England Antiquarian Research and Title (NEART) and Junaluska’s daughter, Nina. This was the second trip to Europe on behalf of the EBCI for Segel and Monterosso.

NEART has been contracted by the Tribe to research Cherokee historical resources in Europe.
According to Segel, NEART has a long history of working with Native Americans to research European archives. Segel said NEART’s motto is “bringing history home.”

During trips for the Mohicans, Segel noticed the large collection of Cherokee artifacts. He contacted Bird, who realized the value of the research. Soon a relationship between the EBCI and NEART was begun, Segel said.

Bird said searching European museums was something the Tribe had been considering. One of the first cultural issues Chief Leon Jones raised after he was elected was in regard to foreign archives, Bird said.

The Spanish were some of the earliest Europeans to make contact with the Cherokee. Records date back to the 1540s. Segel said European records of Native Americans were “more honest, unadulterated.” Bird agreed, saying colonists, early settlers and the American government all had a vested interest in how Native Americans were perceived. He said American records were “ethnocentric.”

Bird said the amount of material was incredible. Researching the archives in the Museum of Archaeology in Seville, Spain, could be a lifetime vocation, she said.

Maps, documents, deeds and names are very important to tribal cultural and historical offices, according to Bird. The tribal cultural office has a responsibility to locate and identify Cherokee sites, not only on the Qualla Boundary but in the region.

Most of the artifacts studied on the trip were located in the Royal Central Museum of Africa in Brussells. These artifacts included carved wooden masks, stone pipes, games, baskets and stickball sticks. Many of the artifacts were in pristine condition.

Bird said while the trip was exciting, it included a lot of hard work. Researchers had to provide documentation to gain access to archives, and once inside the sheer volume was daunting.

The first two trips to Europe were funded through National Park Service grants. Bird said the specific grants used for the first two trips have been cut, but that monies may be available through other programs.

“The research is important and we have made a lot of good connections. Every document seemed to lead to another document, and every museum to another museum,” Bird said.

“If I can find the money, on our next trip we will target the huge collection in Seville and focus our work,” Bird said.

“I would like to involve students and spark scholastic interest in academic research for tribal members,” he said.

While the tribe would like to have the documents and artifacts, Bird noted there is no international law regarding repatriation for Native Americans. It is up to the conscience of those who control the resources.

Segel said, at present, the only way to get anything back was through diplomatic relations. He said he had spoken with Chief Jones about initiating efforts to normalize relations between the EBCI and some of the foreign governments in hopes of recovering some of the artifacts and documents.

Segel said on their first trip to the Natural History museum in England they discovered a Cherokee skull. It was tagged “male; Cherokee; Appalachia.” It was just one of the many Cherokee artifacts in the museum.

Bird said the Tribe was trying to get the 100-year old Cope-Elias house at Kituwah on the National Historic Register. He said the “Mother Town” would be the perfect place to display the ancient Cherokee artifacts.

Even if the tribe can't permanently recover the materials, there are lending programs between museums that the Tribe could pursue, Bird said.

There is one box of documents, photocopies, CDs and slides, from the first trip to England at the cultural offices at Kituwah. The materials from this trip to Spain will be delivered to NEART offices in West Tisbury, Mass., where they will be translated and reviewed and forwarded to the Tribe.

Faith Davidson, a Mohican archivist, said the information provided by NEART about her tribe has proved invaluable. She said it has filled in many gaps regarding the history of the Mohicans. NEART will be making a trip to France for the Mohicans this year.

Chief Jones is excited about the results of the research NEART has done on behalf of the Cherokee. He hopes that some type of cooperative agreement can be worked out to allow the Tribe to reclaim a part of their past.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News