WEST SILOAM SPRINGS, Okla. – A new “Deep Creek” exhibit at the Cherokee Casino & Hotel West Siloam Springs depicts Cherokee life from the late 1790s to the early 1800s.
The life-size exhibit, located between the hotel entrance and River Cane Buffet, was officially opened to the public during an April 23 ceremony and complements other Cherokee art on display inside the hotel and casino. On display is a Cherokee homestead and husband and wife mannequins – modeled after real-life Cherokees – outside a waddle and daub summer home.
“Deep Creek” is named after a location in western North Carolina where many Cherokee towns and homes once prospered prior to the Cherokee’s forced removal in 1838-39.
“We anticipate this unique artistic and educational exhibit will add to the overall experience at West Siloam Springs,” Principal Chief Bill John Baker said. “It gives us the opportunity to have guests come through and see a Cherokee village. We hope it will intrigue them about our early contact history and maybe entice them to come on to Tahlequah to our heritage center and our other venues.”
In the exhibit, the wife is in 1840s-period replica dress, wearing a metal cuff. Her husband is clothed in simulated homespun cotton trousers; blue-and-red-striped garters; metal armbands; an ornamental collar, known as a gorget; and a hair feather adornment. Both mannequins are adorned with trade bead necklaces and feather capes authentic to the time period.
The exhibit also features a stretched deer hide and woven baskets. The art pieces featured in the exhibit are the works of several local Cherokee artists.
For the exhibit, Cherokee National Treasure Roger Cain created the waddle and daub home, a kanuche maker, gourd bowl, gourd dipper and the wood table with woven top. Cain’s wife Shawna, also a Cherokee National Treasure, created the river cane baskets and the full-length male turkey feather cape.
Virginia Stroud painted the 8-foot canvas backdrop for the exhibit. Cherokee National Treasure Noel Grayson made the stretched deer hide display in front of the home, while Joseph Erb made the copper gorget, cuffs and armbands. Lisa Rutherford created the female feather cape, and Corey Still made the male feather hair adornment. Danielle Culp made the finger-woven belt worn by the female mannequin.
Cherokee Nation Businesses’ cultural art team made the trade bead necklaces.
Gina Olaya, CNB director of community and tribal relations, said the clothing used in the exhibit was thoroughly researched.
“What we wanted to do was show that this is truly what Cherokees wore back then,” Olaya said. “We tried to get the mannequins to a 5’5” height because we were told that was the average height of Cherokees back then.”
In accordance with Cherokee Nation law, 1 percent of the construction costs for new facilities or renovations exceeding $500,000 are set aside for procurement of artwork and artifacts.
At new tribal facilities, historical themes from throughout the CN are used to tell the tribe’s story through art and architecture. The theme for the casino at West Siloam Springs is “Emerging Nationalism: Conduit for U.S. Relations (1790-1830).” This period was a time of learning, thoughtful evolution and the reshaping of a nation after the American Revolution. The “Deep Creek” exhibit recreates a scene from that period.
