Course Description

2026 Cherokee Studies Summit

March 26-27, 2026 (with a screening of PBS's A Sacred Thread documentary followed by discussion on March 25)
Western Carolina University, Bardo Arts Center

“ᎤᏪᏘ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎢᏯᎩᏏᏐᏗ” Reclaiming Ancient Cherokee: Language, Memory, and Land Restoration

Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Studies Summit, formerly known as the Cherokee Language Summit, has served as a collaborative gathering space for educators, learners, knowledge keepers, and community partners in Cherokee language and culture since 2017. The Summit continues its mission of fostering meaningful dialogue and strengthening networks across universities, tribal programs, and cultural institutions.

This year’s Summit brings together instructors, students, Cherokee speakers, scholars, and cultural practitioners to explore innovative approaches to teaching and learning Cherokee language, history, and culture. Through presentations, collaborative workshops, film screenings, and peer exchange sessions, participants will engage with emerging scholarship, digital archiving initiatives, community‑led projects, and intergenerational perspectives on language and cultural preservation.

In addition to academic sessions, attendees will experience living Cherokee culture through visits to significant cultural and historical sites, opportunities for guided reflection on Cherokee landscapes, and participation in WCU’s Spring Social Dance. The Summit blends scholarship, community knowledge, and experiential learning to strengthen cultural understanding and support ongoing efforts to revitalize and sustain Cherokee language and lifeways.

About Registration:

Registration is free for members of state or federally recognized tribes or employees of tribal programs. Registration is also free for students and employees of colleges and universities. (See Tribal Member/Educator/Student Option. A 100% off discount will automatically be added at checkout.)

Unaffiliated attendees should pay the $100 registration fee. (See General Registration Option)

Agenda for 2026 Cherokee Studies Summit

Wednesday, March 25

6:00 PM                 Screening of PBS’s A Sacred Thread documentary followed by discussion

Thursday, March 26

9:00 AM                 Onsite Registration (with coffee and pastries)

9:30 AM                 Connecting Generations: Digital Tools for Sharing Cherokee-Language Histories

• Digital Archive for Indigenous Language Persistence (DAILP)
• Eastern Cherokee Histories in Translation (ECHT)

11:00 AM              Cherokee Perspectives on Wellness Through the Arts    

• Trey Adcock (Center for Native Health)
• Driver Blythe
• Cherokee Studies student short film screening and discussion

12:15 PM              Lunch at WCU Dining

2:00 PM                 The Story of Cherokee Studies at WCU

• Mandy Choie

• The Cherokee Studies Oral History Project
• CS Alumni

3:30 PM                 Expanding the Story: Recent Works in Cherokee Scholarship

• Julie Reed

• Margaret Bender/Tom Belt
• Ben Frey

5:00 PM                 Catered Hors d'oeuvres dinner (Bardo Atrium)

5:30 PM                 WCU Spring Social Dance at Niggli Theater with singer Jarrett Wildcatt

Friday, March 27

9:00 AM                 Onsite registration with coffee and pastries

9:05 AM                 Living the Language: EBCI Adult Immersion Stories

9:30 AM                 Discussion of EBCI Tribal IRB process

10:10 AM              Reclaiming the Landscape: Cherokee Leadership in Cultural Site Restoration     

11:15 AM              Cherokee Astronomy and EBCI Culturally Significant Sites

12:15 PM              Catered Box Lunch (Bardo Atrium)

1:00 PM                 Guided Tour of Cherokee Cultural Sites with Archaeologists

• Wataga, Cowee, and Nikwasi mound sites