"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Dr. Duane King To Give Presentation

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma - Dr. Duane King, noted scholar of Cherokee history and director of Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum, will present a public talk on The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake, 1756-1765, in the Tribal Council Chamber on Thursday, Feb. 12,from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon at the Cherokee Nation tribal complex, 17675 S. Muskogee Ave.

The presentation will describe an art exhibit entitled “Emissaries of Peace,” that will visit the Gilcrease in 2009. “Emissaries of Peace” has already had an extended run at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in 2007. The award-winning exhibit was originally funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and received a presidential designation as a “We the People” exhibit. “Emissaries of Peace” will be at the Gilcrease from July 11, 2009, to January 10, 2010.

The exhibit showcases, through videos, artifacts, interactive displays and dioramas, diplomatic missions that were exchanged for the purpose of securing a lasting peace. In 1762, British officers Lt. Henry Timberlake and Sgt. Thomas Sumter spent three months in the Cherokee Overhill Country (present day southeastern Tennessee). Later the same year, three Cherokee leaders, Ostenaco, Cunne Shote, and Woyi, traveled with Timberlake to Williamsburg, Virginia, and London, England, to demonstrate the Cherokee commitment to the peace accords. The emissaries who participated in these diplomatic exchanges were amazed by the strange architecture, dress, and customs they encountered. The observations and experiences recorded in memoirs, periodicals, and archival records provide a fascinating glimpse into British and Cherokee societies in the eighteenth century as seen through the eyes of first-time observers.

The presentation will last about one hour with additional time allotted for questions from the audience. The public is invited to attend.

For more information about the presentation, please contact Cathy Monholland , phone: 918-453-5389.