Last year I attended a Cherokee history course in Rome, GA, that was taught by an official from Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, OK. The 4-day course (only $20), which came with a HUGE book (over 4-inches thick) was an amazing event. They are offering the course again this year. Information from their press release follows. I have posted other documents on my website, if anyone is interested in more information. Go to: www.scrankin.com/CherokeeHistory/registration2004.pdf www.scrankin.com/CherokeeHistory/media2004.pdf www.scrankin.com/CherokeeHistory/syllabus2004.pdf From their press release: "The Chieftains Museum / Major Ridge Home in conjunction with The Cherokee Nation will offer residents of Northwest Georgia and surrounding areas a four-day, thirty-two hour course in Cherokee Nation History over two weekends, November 6-7 and November 20-21, 2004, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM each day. Conducted at the Heritage Hall Campus of Floyd College in Rome, Georgia the course is open to the public, with only a twenty-dollar registration fee. All course materials will be provided. Citizens of the Cherokee Nation are especially urged to attend. Featured recently in the Cherokee Phoenix and Indian Advocate, this acclaimed course covers significant aspects of Cherokee legal, social, and cultural history from pre-contact to the present day. The course, addresses treaty rights and legislative agendas, as well as questions of culture and citizenship, with the goal of providing a better understanding of Cherokee nationality, leadership, and identity. As part of a new initiative to teach Cherokee history from a Cherokee perspective, community courses are one aspect of a tribal effort that also includes teaching Cherokee Nation employees, developing public school curriculum, entering into partnerships with universities and colleges, collecting community and family histories, and teaching the course in the Cherokee language. In 2002, Harvard University honored the Cherokee Nation History Course as one of sixteen exemplary initiatives nationwide promoting tribal excellence in self-government. Nationally-renowned Indian scholar and activist Vine Deloria, Jr. recently called the Cherokee Nation’s history project “the most exciting idea in tribal education I have ever heard of.” The November dates in Rome mark only the second time that the course will have been offered in the pre-removal Cherokee Homeland. All participants will receive a certificate from the Cherokee Nation upon successful completion of the class. For registration information, call Chieftains Museum / Major Ridge Home at 706-291-9494 or send an email to chmuseum@bellsouth.net."