A project created by MSU students about the Cherokee Nation now appears on the American Indian tribe's national Web site.
As part of the class WRA 417: "Multimedia Writing," about 12 students researched and created a project focusing on the Allotment Era - a period between 1887 and 1934 when all of the land owned by U.S. American Indians was divided and delegated among individuals.
During one semester, the students incorporated research papers and images of the relocation with multimedia software to launch on the Web site, said Ellen Cushman, Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures associate professor and adviser of the project.
"It's such an honor that the Nation let us work for them in this capacity," Cushman said. "They valued the students."
The information collected by the MSU students is part of three phases that will look into the Allotment Era. Topics such as the laws and treaties that impacted the Cherokee tribe before the allotment, and relocation of individuals - including personal accounts - will be collected by future classes.
"People don't usually talk about the allotment - most frequently people talk about the Trail of Tears," Cushman said. "That is the most predominantly discussed era in time. But the allotment was just this incredible, powerful time that lots of people don't know about, so that is why it's important for us to talk about."
The award-winning Cherokee Nation Web site, www.cherokee.org, receives 8,000 hits per day and provides information and services concerning the tribe's culture, history and future, Cushman said.
Michael McLeod, a graduate student in the Digital Rhetoric & Professional Writing program, participated in the project researching the diplomatic relations between the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. government. He also was involved in CD-ROM programming for the project, which will soon be available in that format.
McLeod said he was interested in the class because he knew the product would reach a number of people.
"It was exciting that real people would be using what we created," he said. "A lot of the readings were painful, seeing things our government subjected to our indigenous people. At the same time, it was a great learning experience."
Cushman, who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, became involved in the project through her former Cherokee language teacher, who put her in touch with the tribe's Web site webmaster.
She said the topic of the project remains of importance today although it occurred more than 70 years ago.
"It's something that is still tangibly felt today even though they didn't go through the removal," she said. "Today the legacy of allotment is still felt and we wanted to educate people in this part of history."
