The world of Sovereignty is rich with history. Playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle recommended the following works to the production's creative team to help enrich our knowledge of Cherokee Nation, past and present - and we loved them so much we want to share them with you! 

1. Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation
This fluid and engaging book by John Ehle depicts the Cherokee Nation and the time before and during the traumatic Trail of Tears. It combines meticulous research with moving depictions of the historical figures of Sovereignty, including Cherokee leaders John Ridge, Major Ridge, John Ross, and Elias Boudinot, as they faced the crisis that would change their Nation forever. 

2. Mankiller: A Chief and Her People
Mankiller is the autobiography of Cherokee Nation's first female Principal Chief, Wilma Mankiller. Against the backdrop of Cherokee history, Mankiller describes her childhood, her family's government-sponsored dislocation to the Bay Area in 1956, her involvement in community activism beginning in the 1960s, and the hard work and heartfelt vision that brought her to the leadership of her Nation.

3. The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents
The Cherokee Removal of 1838–1839 unfolded against a complex backdrop of competing ideologies, self-interest, party politics, altruism, and ambition. Using documents that convey Cherokee voices, government policy, and white citizens’ views, Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green present a multifaceted account of this complicated moment in American history.  (Amazon.com)

4. Osiyo: Voices of the Cherokee People
Osiyo ("Hello" in Cherokee) is an Emmy-winning, documentary-style web program featuring the people, places, history and culture of the Cherokee Nation. Visit Osiyo.tv to watch.

Organized by Laura Brueckner