Indigenous Peoples Week | The Charlotte Museum of History

In partnership with the Catawba Indian Nation, The Charlotte Museum of History hosted an Indigenous Peoples Week-Long Celebration on November 9-14, 2020. The free, family-friendly events streamed live on the museum’s Facebook and YouTube channels, offering a daily immersion into various aspects of Indigenous culture, including pottery, dance, food and agriculture. Keep an eye on our website for videos of our future celebrations!

Drumming & Dancing in the Catawba Indian Nation

The Catawba People have long used drumming and dancing as a way to recount their history and traditions. Kassidy Plyler, coordinator for the Catawba Cultural Center, explores the history of this art form and its importance to Catawba life.

Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site

Town Creek Indian Mound is a State Historic Site in central North Carolina. The site has been the focus of archaeological research for more than 50 years and has provided critical information for our understanding of early inhabitants of this region.

Veterans Day and the Catawba Indian Nation

Native Peoples have been an integral part of the American Armed Forces since the country’s founding. U.S. Army veteran and member of the Catawba Indian Nation Keith Brown joins Charlotte Museum of History president & CEO Adria Focht for a special Veterans Day conversation.

Reviving Traditions

Over the last few years, the Catawba People have been working to revive many of the traditions lost due to the anti-Native policies of the 19th and 20th centuries. Representatives of the Catawba Cultural Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina share what their research has uncovered.

Lunch & Learn: Catawba Pottery: Tradition & Innovation

Pottery-making has been an integral part of Catawba identity for more than 4,000 years. Techniques have always been passed down from master to apprentice. Chief of the Catawba Indian Nation Bill Harris and his student, Elizabeth Harris, put on a live demonstration of this historic art form and its modern innovations.

Native American Studies Center & the Folk Traditions of the Catawba People

The University of South Carolina at Lancaster Native American Studies Center is home to the single largest collection of Catawba Indian pottery in existence and has a mission focused on sharing and interpreting Native American history and culture. In a short presentation, Stephen Criswell, Ph.D., director of Native American studies, shares some of the many Catawba folk traditions.