TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Smithsonian Institution preserves Native American history, and two artists and members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation participated in an event to celebrate National American Native Heritage Month in November.
“Mvskoke Etvlwv Festival” took place Nov. 1-2, presented as the “Muscogee Nation Bringing Rich History, Art and Culture to D.C.” The National Museum of the American Indian hosted the Muscogee (Creek) Nation at the Institution for the first time since 2017.
Brenda Bradford lives in Baron, Oklahoma, but has spent most of her time in Tahlequah. The spelling of “Baron” is debated and is also referred to as Barren.
Bobby C. Martin lived in Tahlequah for many years, and after he retires from John Brown University in May 2025, will be at his studio in West Siloam Springs.
“I was invited back in the summer to be one of the featured artists at the Smithsonian in November, and November is American Native Heritage Month, so the kickoff at the Smithsonian was with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,” Bradford said.
Bradford works in several mediums: metal, copper, wood carvings, wood-burning and photography. Her current focus is in photography.
“I was set up on the main floor, and it was a great opportunity, because we had people come in from all over the world,” Bradford said.
Her inspiration is nature, and a lot of her work is centered on water.
“Water draws me, and there is a lot of symbolism, but it creates its own art,” Bradford said. “You can see the art in water forms, and I’m really drawn to that.”
Art is important in Native culture and the culture is all about life. She is most comfortable in nature, which holds so much life, Bradford said.
“Nature – it’s where my spirituality is,” Bradford said. “Because when I’m there that’s where I can communicate, and that’s where I go when I need soothing and connection to God, as I understand him.”
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation website states the event provided a unique platform to educate visitors about the culture of the tribe.
“We’re thrilled to once again showcase the magnificence of Mvskoke culture and our most precious resource, our people, on a national stage at this year’s upcoming Mvskoke Etvlwv Festival in Washington, D.C.,” said Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill on the website.
Bradford said one of the more emotional parts of the event was the closing ceremony.
“A circle formed; they hold your hand and look you in the eye and each person gets greeted,” Bradford said. “When the circle is fully formed, then the ones who originally started it went around so that each person got to greet people, and its very bonding.”
The Smithsonian’s work is important in preserving Native American history, opening the doors for different tribes to share their culture within the museum, Bradford said.
“There was a Smithsonian employee in the gifts department that didn’t understand what a reservation would look like, and what did that mean, and who actually lives there,” Bradford said. “It was an opportunity to share because they have some outdated ideas of what a reservation looks like.”
Art is a unifying factor and helps bridge gaps, Bradford said. A couple of pieces Bradford sold were to people that connected to it by bringing back a childhood memory or something they had experienced in their own lives.
“Mark [Duvall, my partner], talked to a woman who really liked my hay bales in the snow at night,” Bradford said.
The woman left Oklahoma and didn’t get to see hay out in a field anymore, and was “really moved” by the piece, Duvall said.
Martin has been working and selling his art for over 30 years. He hadn’t exhibited his work at a Smithsonian event since 2017, and it was an honor to attend and be sponsored by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, he said.
Martin’s work focuses on painting and print making. He is teaching his last year at John Brown before he retires in May 2025.
“I have art in the Gilcrease Museum and Philbrook Museum of Art, but I’m not in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian,” Martin said.
Martin said the event allowed people from all over – who might not know about the tribe – to learn more about the history and culture of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and history of the removal.
“What was great was there were a lot more contemporary Muscogee artists invited,” Martin said. “In the past, it has been more traditional arts, performers and singers. But this time they wanted to include more contemporary artists and makers of jewelry and other art.”
Over 100 representatives of the tribe attended the festival, not just artists, Martin said.
“We took a big group of Muscogee hymn singers that opened and closed each day, and it was really educational to people in that part of the world on things that we take for granted about Oklahoma,” Martin said.
Exhibitors and visitors from the Nation were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the collection that is housed in an underground warehouse, Martin said.
“They have an underground warehouse of all tribal representation of the country in another location because they have so much,” Martin said. “We got to see some of the Muscogee (Creek) collection that they had.”
The staff and curators at the museum went out of their way to make the exhibitors and support staff feel welcome, Martin said.
“The Muscogee Nation didn’t just survive the bad history, but are thriving, and want to honor our ancestors who survived,” Martin said. “We are still here, making art, and have a thriving nation, and to me that was the biggest thrill.”