Troy Wayne Poteete, Executive Director, National Trail of Tears Association.

The 2023 Moccasin Bend Fall Lecture Series begins on Monday, September 18th at 7 p.m. featuring Troy Wayne Poteete. Poteete's presentation will illuminate major upheavals that have threatened survival of the Cherokee Nation from the forced removal in 1838-39, through Oklahoma Statehood in 1907. Drawing inspiration from the resilience of the Trail of Tears generation, the Cherokees have confronted each crisis to preserve their government, history, culture, and language. He'll discuss the modern day Cherokee Nation, a distinct cultural and political entity, once again thriving in northeastern OK. Activities in support of the National Park Service marking and interpretation of the Trail of Tears removal routes provide opportunity for Cherokees to share with people in their original homelands, and along the routes their ancestors trod, this larger story of repeatedly triumphing over tragedy.

Speaker Bio:

Troy Wayne Poteete was a founding member of the Trail of Tears Association and served continually on its Board of Directors for over twenty years before assuming his current post as Executive Director for the organization in 2014. He served as a Justice of the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court 2007-2017, and as tribal legislator, representing the Three Rivers District in the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council 1991-1999. A seasoned storyteller and lecturer on Cherokee history, Poteete’s presentations draw on a rich family history in the South of the Cherokee Nation, and a lifetime of service in the Cherokee Nation government.