Educational Opportunities

 

Another large influence is in all of the educational opportunities that we have from the Native American communities and those who research them that people in other states with lesser populations do not have. There are several museums including the American Indian Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Museum of the Native American Resource Center at UNC-Pembroke, and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee. There are outside performances and exhibits, which include “Unto these Hills” a Cherokee outdoor drama recounting the story of the Trail of Tears, “The Lost Colony” in Manteo on Roanoke, Occonaluftee Village, and the Town Creek Indian Mound on Mt. Gilead (Commission of Indian Affairs, 2013). Finally, there are several arts-based galleries and exhibits including the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc., Guilford Native American Art Gallery, and the Roanoke Island Festival Park (Commission of Indian Affairs, 2013). There are also professional research opportunities at different ancient sites. One example is Coweeta Creek, which is a Cherokee village (Rodning &VanDerwarker, 2002). Archaeologists study the Cherokee’s life, food, and way of living. This site was excavated in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but archaeologists are beginning to have an interest in the site again (Rodning & VanDerwarker, 2002). UNC-Pembroke is also a place for archaeologists to contribute to the education on the Native Americans through their resource center (The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 2014).