The series will complement an exhibit at the Sam Noble Museum titled Collision & Creation: Indigenous Arts of the Americas, 1890-2015 that is opening on Friday, August 28th (public opening reception at 6pm). The Museum will be co-sponsoring the speaker series and providing refreshments beforehand.
Here is our schedule for the fall. Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month, 6:30pm reception, 7pm presentation, at the Sam Noble Museum.
- September 1st: Mr. Phil Cross, member of the Caddo Nation and lead singer and historian for the Caddo Culture Club, The History of Caddo Bows and Arrows
- October 6th: Dr. Elizabeth Horton, Station Archeologist at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park, Arkansas Archeological Survey, Motifs and Iconography in the Sacred & Ceremonial Textiles and Basketry of Southeastern Societies
- November 3rd, Ms. LaDonna Brown, Tribal Anthropologist, The Chickasaw Nation, Southeastern Indian Finger Weaving Designs
- December 1st, Dr. Ian Thompson, Director of the Historic Preservation Department, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Tribal Archeologist, and NAGPRA Specialist, The Choctaw Nation, Choctaw Traditional Foods and Land Management
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| Phil Cross carving bois d'arc for a Caddo bow |
First up, please join us in welcoming Phil Cross! Cross was raised on his family’s Caddo Indian allotted land in western Oklahoma. He is a member of the Caddo Indian Nation and of the Caddo Culture Club at Binger, Oklahoma. Cross serves as the historian for the Caddo Culture Club and is the lead singer for the Club’s dances, ceremonies and appearances.
Cross learned bow making techniques and successful hunting methods at an early age from Caddo and other Indian elders. He has been successful in taking big game, wild turkey, and all types of small game with his hand made bois d’arc bows. He has developed an extensive knowledge of the history of the bow and arrow of Caddo Indians and other tribes around the U.S. He has conducted workshops on Indian primitive bow making and archery for a variety of groups and youth across the U.S. His work is known worldwide and he has published a number of writings on the subject. His workshops include the use of ancient stone tools as well as modern shaping tools. He has been featured as a bow maker in a number of television programs including “Is this a Great State or What”, Channel 4, Oklahoma City, Ok, and “Outdoor Oklahoma”, OETA, Oklahoma City, OK.
