TAHLEQUAH, Oklv. – A piece of history has officially come home to the Cherokee Nation. On Aug. 6, the Gilcrease Museum repatriated a 149 year-old printing press to the Cherokee Nation. The printing press published the Cherokee Advocate in the Cherokee language from 1844-1906. Prior to statehood, the paper was closed by order of the federal government and the press was sold. It was purchased by Tulsa oilman Thomas Gilcrease in the 1940s.
While the deaccession was voluntary for the Gilcrease Museum, 2024 updates to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act require museums to obtain consent from tribes and lineal descendants for exhibition or research on artifacts or human remains. The printing press had been on long-term loan to the Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum in Tahlequah prior to the repatriation.
“Our artifacts, our hair and our bones are not novelties for display without permission or regard for our story.” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskins, Jr.
The Gilcrease Museum, which is owned by the City of Tulsa and managed by the University of Tulsa, is named after Thomas Gilcrease, an oilman of Mvskoke heritage. An art collector, Gilcrease amassed a huge collection of art, artifacts, and documents including a Native American Art collection of over 250,000 artifacts. The collection, building, and property were deeded to the City of Tulsa in 1958.
In a statement, Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskins, Jr stated, “Journalism is an important aspect of free-speech exercise. It works alongside our three-branched government as a counterpart to our system of checks and balances. The free press, often referred to as the fourth branch of government, is core to our Cherokee story. As we coalesced into a governmental institution, so did the Cherokee press.”
For a virtual tour of the Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum and to view the printing press, visit CNSCM.
