The Vaquero and The Native American Heritage Exhibits Opening Reception

2029 North Main Street,Fort Worth TX 76164

06 December, 2022

Description

You are cordially invited to attend a reception celebrating the installation of two new permanent exhibits at the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum! "The Vaquero" and "The Macherie McDonald Native American Heritage Exhibit".DATE/TIME: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 | 5:30PM - 7:30PMLOCATION: National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, 2029 North Main Street, Fort Worth, TX 76164PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUESTEDFREE ADMISSION | FREE PARKING QUESTIONS: 817.534.8801ABOUT THE EXHIBITS & EXHIBIT CREATORSMACHERIE MCDONALD (1951-2022)THE NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE EXHIBIT CREATOR Macherie (Cherie) McDonald was born in Tulsa on September 13, 1951. Her father, Roy Long Jr., was Chief elect of the Caddo tribe of Oklahoma. Cherie’s bloodline included Seminole, Ottawa, Wea, Wyandotte, and Caddo. Cherie’s name KecketwawezewinAhnung (keh-cheh-twah-weh-zah-win -Ah-nung), meaning “Glory Star,” was given to her by Chief Charley Dawes of the Ottawa tribe. In 1985, she moved to Texas with her husband, Donald McDonald. Cherie focused on uncovering more of the Native American history within her and the generations preceding her. This contributed much to her artistic ability and creations. Cherie started creating Native American crafts, moccasins, and other apparel in her 30s until her mid-60s. She exhibited her creations under the name of Big Turtle at many showings in Dallas. Her ideas for design came from attending and seeing other crafts or gowns at pow wows, Native American conventions, and books. She would then design, first in her mind, of how she would re-create or change on what she saw by perhaps adding on an item here or there, applying other decorations, or by changing material or colors. With that in mind she would draw out the design in black and white, then create it in color. She would break down each area, as in the case of a war shirt, how the sleeves would look, what color of leather, the pattern of beads, their size and color, or what kind of feathers, always getting down to the finest detail. On many occasions we would travel to Oklahoma to purchase the material and accessories required for the outfit. She would then hand cut the leather and sew the pieces together. She would use a mannequin to properly fit the war shirt. After that came the beads, additional patterns, jingles, and feathers. All the work done by hand, never by a machine. Cherie had the opportunity to exhibit her reproductions at several events in Dallas under the name of Big Turtle, LTD. As Cherie had stated at one of her exhibits: “The Native American war shirts/scalp shirts were made using either tanned elk or deer hide. They are different being adorned with ornamental bead work, trade beads, numerous hair scalp-lock drops, hand painted feathers, rosettes, ermine tails, shells, and other decorations. War shirts are appreciated for their intense beauty and proud display of Tribal Honor. The painted designs tell the story of the warriors’ experiences and give the shirt an added sense of historical presence and power.” For items where a turtle shell was needed, she would, in earlier days, capture the turtle from a creek, clean it out by hand, then to ensure the inside of the shell was clean, place the shell on an ant’s nest so the ants would finish the job. After that it was adding the additional craft material to finish her design. Cherie enjoyed many outside activities as well including movies, antique malls, concert in the gardens in Fort Worth, the Dallas Symphony, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and visiting foreign countries. Her two favorites were Scotland, where she witnessed the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and the Vatican in Rome. We cannot leave out her diving with the sharks at the Denver Aquarium. THE NATIONAL MULTICULTURAL WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM OPENS NATIVE AMERICAN EXHIBIT FEATURING AUTHENTIC CLOTHING, JEWELRY AND ARTIFACTS CELEBRATING NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE Fort Worth, TX…November 10, 2022 - The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum has added a stellar collection of Native American artifacts to its gallery. The new exhibit consists of clothing, jewelry, tools and accessories donated by Mr. David Martellaro and his late wife Ms. Macherie (Cherie) McDonald. The collection curated and/or created by Ms. McDonald, whose bloodline included Seminole, Ottawa, Wea, Wyandotte and Caddo, sprang from her desire to uncover more of the Native American history within her and the generations preceding her. McDonald’s father, Roy Long Jr., was Chief elect of the Caddo tribe of Oklahoma and her name KecketwawezewinAhnung (keh-cheh-twah-weh-zah-win -Ah-nung), meaning “Glory Star,” was given to her by Chief Charley Dawes of the Ottawa tribe. Mr. Martellaro says he donated the collection to the museum so that his wife’s passion, art and legacy could be shared with the world for generations to come. “I wanted to share with the rest of the world her artistic ability and love for Native American artwork, tools and dress” explains Martellaro. “Her reproductions displayed the color, beauty, craftsmanship and history of many tribes. Displaying these items will give those who are unaware of what was accomplished by the different folks a vision of the beauty and history from the past of a forgotten people.” Cherie started creating Native American crafts, moccasins, and other apparel in her 30s until her mid-60s. She exhibited her creations under the name of Big Turtle at many showings in Dallas. Her ideas for design came from attending and seeing other crafts or gowns at pow wows, Native American conventions, and books. She would then design, first in her mind, of how she would re-create or change on what she saw by perhaps adding on an item here or there, applying other decorations, or by changing material or colors. National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Co-founder Jim Austin is thrilled to add this expansive and authentic display to the gallery, “This collection of authentic Native American artistry catapults us to new levels. The sheer volume of items donated by Mr. Martellaro far exceeds that of other collections around the country. Individuals will have a fully immersive experience from an educational standpoint and from a visual and practical standpoint each time they visit the museum and tour this new addition to the museum.” Cherie painstakingly mapped out every detail of each piece featured in the collection starting with drawing the designs in black and white, then creating them in color. She would break down each area, as in the case of a war shirt, how the sleeves would look, what color of leather, the pattern of beads, their size and color, or what kind of feathers, always getting down to the finest detail. On many occasions she and David would travel to Oklahoma to purchase the material and accessories required for the outfits. Cherie would then hand cut the leather and sew the pieces together. She would use a mannequin to properly fit the war shirt. After that came the beads, additional patterns, jingles, and feathers. All the work was done by hand, never by a machine. Of her work Cherie once stated, “The Native American war shirts/scalp shirts were made using either tanned elk or deer hide. They are different being adorned with ornamental bead work, trade beads, numerous hair scalp-lock drops, hand painted feathers, rosettes, ermine tails, shells, and other decorations. War shirts are appreciated for their intense beauty and are a proud display of Tribal Honor. The painted designs tell the story of the warriors’ experiences and give the shirt an added sense of historical presence and power.” David hopes others will be as inspired by the beauty, power and legacy of our nation’s indigenous people as Cherie was. He concludes, “I hope visitors get a sense of awe in the beauty and crafting that Native Americans could achieve. Much of what younger children, including those with Native American bloodlines, see Native American craft and garments in what they pickup from Hollywood. Hopefully, this will inspire them to research more, and perhaps, have some pickup and continue the art of Native American reproduction.” That hope is shared by all who are privileged to bear witness to this phenomenal new collection. Douglas Harman, Ph.D., CDME, TDMC THE VAQUERO EXHIBIT CREATORDouglas Harman's strong interest in the heritage of the West can be seen in many important programs and projects, including his work on the Chisholm Trail, Fort Worth and Tarrant County history and the Texas Trail of Fame. Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, Doug received his BA from Nebraska Wesleyan University. He went on to American University in Washington D.C. where he earned his MA and Ph.D. with a focus on urban government management. After five years of university teaching, Doug went into local government management, serving as city manager of Alexandria, Virginia for ten years. Doug is married to Judy, his childhood sweetheart, and they live in Fort Worth. They have two grown children, Sarah living in Denver and Greg in San Antonio. Doug came to Fort Worth to serve as city manager from 1985 to 1990, after which he was selected to be president of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau. He served at the FWCVB for sixteen years. As FWCVB president he gave strong attention to the city's western heritage. Over the years following he has helped develop traveling historical exhibits on Quanah and Cynthia Ann Parker, the Chisholm Trail and early Tarrant County history. In all of his efforts, he has given focused attention to the important multicultural heritage of the West. Over the past ten years, Doug has had a major exhibit on the Chisholm Trail at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Tarrant County Historical Commission, the Friends of the Herd, the Friends of the Library and the Lakes Trail heritage tourism program. He has given many speeches on the various aspects of our multicultural West. Doug has also been an avid collector and dealer of old west gear. Dr. Douglas Harman was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum in 2018. NATIONAL MULTICULTURAL WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM ANNOUNCES VAQUERO EXHIBIT OPENING IN NOVEMBER 2022 The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum (NMWHM) is excited to announce the addition of a new exhibition detailing the history of The Vaquero. The exhibit opens in November and features 33 panels created by Douglas Harman, Ph. D. for the purpose of highlighting the role of the Mexican Vaquero in the development of the Old West. Donated by Clara and Bob Holmes, who serve on the museum’s advisory board, the display will be a permanent installment chronicling the rise, contributions and importance to the landscaping of the American West by these precursors to the cowboy. “The Vaquero exhibit was created by Douglas Harman, PhD, Tarrant County Historical Commission as chair of the Heritage Tourism Committee and funded by the Fash Foundation of Fort Worth. The exhibit shares pictures and stories about the Vaquero, The first Cowboy,” says Clara Holmes. “We want everyone everywhere to have the opportunity to view this exhibit and we are honored to have the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum serve as the permanent home for this important historical collection.” The origins of the vaquero tradition come from Spain, beginning with the hacienda system of medieval Spain. This style of cattle ranching spread throughout much of the Iberian peninsula, and it was later imported to the Americas. Both regions possessed a dry climate with sparse grass, and thus large herds of cattle required vast amounts of land in order to obtain sufficient forage. The need to cover distances greater than a person on foot could manage gave rise to the development of the horseback-mounted vaquero. The Texas tradition arose from a combination of cultural influences, as well as the need to adapt to the geography and climate of west Texas and, later, the need to conduct long cattle drives to get animals to market. In the early 1800s, the Spanish Crown, and later, independent Mexico, offered empresario grants in what would later be Texas to non-citizens, such as settlers from the United States. In 1821, Stephen F. Austin and his East Coast comrades became the first Anglo-Saxon community in Texas. Following Texas independence in 1836, even more Americans immigrated into the empresario ranching areas of Texas. Here the settlers were strongly influenced by the Mexican vaquero culture, borrowing vocabulary and attire from their counterparts, but also retaining some of the livestock-handling traditions and culture of the Eastern United States and Great Britain. Following the American Civil War, vaquero culture diffused eastward and northward, combining with the cow herding traditions of the eastern United States that evolved as settlers moved west. Other influences developed out of Texas as cattle trails were created to meet up with the railroad lines of Kansas and Nebraska, in addition to expanding ranching opportunities in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Front, east of the Continental Divide. The Texas-style vaquero tended to be an itinerant single male who moved from ranch to ranch. “We are thrilled to add this vital historical account of the vaquero to the museum’s collection,” says NMWHM Co-founder Gloria Austin. “At the core of the museum’s mission is educating the masses on the diversity of those who built the foundation of our country. Men and women of all races and ethnicities gave their time, talents, blood, sweat and tears to the development and expansion of the Old West, and we remain forever committed to highlighting the black and brown people of that era without whom this country would not have grown and thrived as it has.” Thank you to our Museum Sponsors!Public Events Policy Waiver An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 and variants still exists in any public place where people are present. By visiting/participating you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and variants. Mask are optional. Mask and sanitizer will be available. Non-vaccinated attendees are encouraged to wear a mask at all times (including parking lots), except when they are actively eating or drinking. National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum will continue to implement a series of health and sanitization policies and procedures and is monitoring guidelines from the CDC, and public health officials. Please be advised that these safety protocols remain subject to change. Thank you for helping us to keep our event location clean and healthy in this difficult time. Your cooperation helps to keep our non-profit organization running and supporting educational family oriented programs.