Learning Cherokee history and customs

Published 3:46 pm Tuesday, October 20, 2026

The Polk County Museum Staff recently hosted a group of homeschoolers who came to the museum to learn about Cherokee history and customs. Rita (aka Gentle Rain) and Jane (aka Buffalo Sister) from the Chickamauga Band of Cherokee, brought many things they have created for the students to view. There were blankets and dresses, and especially beautiful fringed garments of dyed leather…one dress was dyed purple using berries to make the dye…that dress was made of pig leather; the other dress was made from Peruvian lamb. There was also beautiful beadwork and many other objects created by the women. There were many questions asked, and a great deal of discussion. The goal and purpose of the Historical Society of Polk County Missouri (there are about 11 places named Polk in the United States, therefore we need to be specific) is to not only display artifacts and objects from the past, but also to teach the rich history of our county. Native Americans are very definitely interwoven into that history. Are you aware that when Missouri became a state in 1821 that our area, right here where we are was still “Federal Indian Territory” until 1838? The estimated population of Native Americans in our area at that time was 20,000…the result of many different tribes being pushed westward due to European expansion. This had nothing to do with the Trail of Tears, which occurred due to the passage of the “Indian Removal Act” in 1830.