PBS Film Segment Filmed in Bradley County (04/02/09)

Media Release

April 2, 2009

For More Information— Melissa Woody, 423-472-6587

Museum Center at 5ive Points to premiere PBS Film, Townsend to speak

The Museum Center at 5ive Points will premiere the 90-minute film “Trail of Tears” and present special guest speaker Russell Townsend, tribal historic presentation officer for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. The event is free to the public and will be held Tuesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. at the Museum Center on Inman Street.

American Experience’s We Shall Remain is a groundbreaking mini-series and multimedia project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. Five 90-minute documentaries spanning 300 years tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective.

Each of the episodes focuses on important historical events, telling five sometimes heartbreaking, but always inspiring, little-known stories. The series is the product of a tremendous collaboration between Native and non-Native filmmakers, advisors, historians and community leaders, placing Native American voices at the heart of the series.

The series will premiere on WTCI-TV (PBS) beginning Monday, April 13, at 9 p.m. and will air each Monday at 9 p.m. through May 11. Episode 3—dedicated to the Trail of Tears—will air on April 27, featuring footage from the region, including Red Clay State Park, New Echota Historic Site and the Chief Vann House. WTCI has given special permission to the Museum Center to host the premiere screening April 7, the first one scheduled for the Southeast Tennessee area.

The film will be accompanied by a presentation and discussion led by Russell Townsend. In his position as tribal historic preservation officer, Townsend is responsible for all government-to-government consultation concerning the protection of tribal cultural resources such as archaeological sites, sacred sites and traditional cultural properties. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Tulsa and is nearing completion of his doctorate in Anthropology at The University of Tennessee.

Townsend has been a professional archaeologist for 19 years and has taught archaeology at The University of Tennessee and served as director of Tennessee’s Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, a tribally owned facility on the banks of the Tellico Reservoir.

“The Museum Center at 5ive Points is honored to be the site of the screening of the Trail of Tears segment of We Shall Remain,” Lisa Simpson Lutts, executive director, said. “The Museum is committed to teaching and preserving the history of the Cherokee people in Bradley County through education programs and exhibits.”

She continued, “Working with the coalition of museums, historical organizations, the library and educational institutions has allowed all of us to showcase the important role that our region played in Cherokee history, and we will continue to work together to interpret this history.”

WTCI-TV (PBS) is leading a local outreach project for We Shall Remain in partnership with more than 12 organizations in the region, including the Museum Center at 5ive Points, the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, the Cleveland/Bradley County Public Library, Lee University, Cleveland State Community College, Red Clay State Park and the local historical societies. These partners are developing programs and outreach activities to make local connections to the national story presented by We Shall Remain and to help deepen public understanding of Native American history.

“As a PBS station, WTCI’s connections within the community are critical, and we view ourselves as a place for important dialogue about our history,” Paul Grove, WTCI president and CEO, said. “The We Shall Remain project has allowed us to not only strengthen our community partnerships, but it is our hope that we will be able to extend the reach of the series and its crucial message—that Native history is our collective history.”

Other Cherokee events on the calendar surrounding the broadcast of the “We Shall Remain” series include

• April 15—Cultural Fair 2009 at Cleveland State Community College, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. This event will feature storytelling and other activity including a Cherokee dancer and Cherokee weaponry demonstration. The event will be held on the CSCC campus on Adkisson Drive.

• April 16, 17 and 18—Joint Council Reunion of the Cherokee People at Red Clay State Historic Park. The Cherokee Nation, headquartered in Oklahoma, and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee located in North Carolina will gather together at Red Clay for a Joint Council. This event commemorates the 25^th Anniversary of the 1984 Joint Council and lighting of the eternal flame of the Cherokee Nation that burns at Red Clay. Red Clay State Park is the last Eastern capital of the Cherokee Nation before their tragic removal on the Trail of Tears.

• April 17—Cleveland Bradley County Public Library Book Club Review. The group will focus on the Robert J. Conley book, Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears. The club will meet at noon at the Library’s History Branch.

• April 19—Special guest Jack Baker, Tribal Council member of the Cherokee Nation and president of the National Trail of Tears Association, will speak at Rattlesnake Springs. Baker will be visiting from Oklahoma and is hosted by the Charleston-Calhoun-Hiwassee Historical Society. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at 2 p.m. Rattlesnake Springs is located on the privately-owned Moore farm on Dry Valley Road. Limited parking is available. Lawn chairs and carpooling are recommended.

• April 23—Special Lecture “The Trail of Tears and Beyond” presented by Dr. Dudley Gardner, historian and archaeologist at Western Wyoming College. Lee University and Cleveland State Community College are hosting this event which will be held at 7 p.m. in the Johnson Lecture Hall in Lee University’s Humanities Building on Parker Street. The lecture is free and open to the public.