Tribal citizens from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation are presenting programs at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Saturday and Sunday, in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Cherokee War of 1776. The programming runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
The activities are in conjunction with the "Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation" exhibition and include traditional Cherokee dance, crafts and storytelling programs, blowgun demonstrations, 18th-century living history and lectures.
Gallery tours will focus on the importance of the Cherokee leader Dragging Canoe (Tsiyu Gansini), whose resistance against the United States lasted almost 20 years.
Lecturers include:
11 a.m. Saturday: Cherokee Nation citizen Brandon Dillard, "We Will Hold Our Lands: Cherokee Independence and the American Revolution," an overview of the 18th-century conflict.
11 a.m. Sunday: Travis Henline, curator of Indigenous History & Culture for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, "My Thoughts and My Heart are for War." The talk will look at the causes and consequences of the first war between the new United States and an Indigenous nation.
The programming is included in admission to the museum, which is $21 for adults; residents of Williamsburg, James City and York counties; William & Mary students are free. Discounted tickets are available for seniors and children.
Visit jyfmuseums.org for tickets and more information.