By AJ Eversole

I was delighted to chat with respected Cherokee historian, Twila M. Barnes, about her latest release from Capstone, The Cherokee People, Culture and History. The book is part a wonderful Indigenous Peoples series from Capstone that seeks to showcase a deep look into various Natives across the present-day United States, written by authentic voices from those tribes.

What inspired you to write this book for young readers specifically?

Specifically, the Cherokee author Andrea L. Rogers. Capstone Publishing reached out to Andrea’s agent, asking for Andrea to write a nonfiction book for children about Cherokee history. Andrea said she didn’t write nonfiction but knew someone who could do it.

She had more faith in me than I did because I didn’t think I could write a book. And she was always there during the process, encouraging me, like a mentor should be. I’m forever indebted to her for passing such a wonderful opportunity my way.

How did your Cherokee heritage influence your approach to telling this story?

When I write, I always hold myself accountable to the Cherokee people. This was no different. Every word I wrote was based on how I thought the Cherokee people would view it and how it could affect the three Cherokee tribes.

In the end, I didn’t always have the final decision on how something was stated because of word limits, editorial changes, etc., but Andrea had already prepared me for that and said, “You’ll have to pick which hill you are willing to die on.”

Later, there was one time the editor changed something, and I insisted it be left as I wrote it because of the importance in the exact way it was stated. If changed, there was the potential to allow misinterpretation of Cherokee history which could cause harm. When the editor understood that, it was left as I’d written it.

What do you hope young readers will take away from learning about Cherokee culture and history?

I hope non-Cherokee readers learn an accurate history of the Cherokee Nation and its people who are still here today. I hope young Cherokee readers can find mentions of their own personal history somewhere in the book, no matter which one of the three tribes they belong to.

How did you decide which traditions and historical events to highlight in the book?

While writing the book, my grandchildren were in the second, fourth, and fifth grades. I asked them what traditions they would like to read about. That helped me gauge what other children the same ages would be interested in learning.

For the historical events, I tried to include things often left out of children’s books. There are hundreds of books about the Trail of Tears, but very few for children that include the Cherokee in the War of 1812, the endangered Cherokee language, or the Dawes Roll.

What was your research process like, and did you work with Cherokee elders or community members?

I worked with community members from all three Cherokee tribes while writing the book as well as several Cherokee scholars and historians to ensure everything was accurate. I’m deeply grateful for the help and advice I received from Trent Hickman, Bryan Shade, Anita Finger-Smith, and many others.

How do you balance presenting difficult historical truths with creating age-appropriate content?

I believe it is important to present factual information while measuring what is necessary to know versus what might be better saved for a later time. For example, to teach grade 3 to grade 5 about the camps Cherokees were held in after the round up in 1838, I might write: Cherokees were hungry and sick and some died, but I wouldn’t elaborate further.

It is unnecessary for children at that age to learn about the crimes some soldiers committed against the Cherokees in those camps. While I think it is important to share a high-level narrative of what happened, I don’t think children need all the details.

How important is language preservation to maintaining Cherokee identity, and what efforts are being made?

The Cherokee language is an important part of Cherokee identity. When he was young, if my grandpa, the late Aaron Carey, a first-language Cherokee speaker, wanted to know if another person was Cherokee, he walked up to them and spoke Cherokee. If they answered back in Cherokee, then he assumed they were Cherokee.

Unfortunately, his own children, my mom and her sisters, were sent away to Indian school and lost their language. Therefore, I’m the first generation in my Cherokee family born into a non-Cherokee speaking household. We still mourn the loss of our language. We hope one day we will again have Cherokee speakers in our family.

The Cherokee Nation has several initiatives for language preservation. We have the Cherokee Immersion schools, the Durbin Feeling Act which ensures funding for language preservation, a Cherokee Master-Apprentice program, community-based classes, online language classes, and several other efforts to teach the language to our people.

Can you tell us about the Cherokee National Holiday and why celebrating heritage matters?

Celebrating our heritage matters because it connects us to our past and to our ancestors. It offers us a sense of belonging and a chance to interact with other Cherokees who come from all over the world to celebrate. It also allows us to commemorate the 1839 union of the Old Settlers and the Emigrant Cherokees into one nation which is an important part of our history.

Why did you choose which interactive elements like recipes and crafts to include?

I tried to select a craft and a recipe that required only a few parts or ingredients so that they would be accessible to as many children as possible whether they were doing the activities at school or at home.

How do you make historical and cultural content engaging for modern young readers?

I strongly believe in taking a hands-on approach to all learning if possible. I used peg dolls, wooden toy wagons and cabins, a roll of paper, paints, and a variety of other wooden blocks and toys to teach my grandchildren about the Trail of Tears. I’ve used similar items to teach a variety of lessons in history or genealogy. The children become invested in the lessons, and they remember what they were taught.

What role do you think books like this play in education about Indigenous peoples?

I think these types of books present facts through the lens of Indigenous people and that gives children today insight not previously available to past generations. It’s of the utmost importance that books about Indigenous people be written by Indigenous people, in my opinion.

What would you like to see more of in children’s literature about Indigenous communities?

I would love to see more nonfiction children’s books about Indigenous people. During my twenty-plus years of Cherokee genealogy and research, I’ve learned about many Cherokees, and often, their stories need to be told.

We’ve heard about lots of “famous” Cherokee men, i.e. Chief John Ross, Sequoyah, and the Treaty (traitorous) Party, but what about some Cherokee women like Nakie Brown, Elizabeth Pack, Sallie Hughes, or Nancy/Nannie Still?  Or what about non-famous Cherokee men who lived interesting lives within Cherokee history like The Mouse, Wagon Bowles, or Thomas Woodward?

I’d love to see children’s books about average Cherokee citizens and other Indigenous people.

What’s next for you as an author and Cherokee storyteller?

I hope to tell the stories of some of the amazing Cherokees I’ve encountered in my research over the years.

I personally believe the best way to honor our ancestors is by telling their stories accurately. I believe that is how we change the narrative, and the stereotyping of our ancestors will fall away. I also believe Cherokee children need to read books about real Cherokees.

Cynsational Notes:

Twila Barnes is a respected researcher, writer, and consultant with over twenty years of experience in Cherokee history and genealogy. Although best known for her genealogy blog, Thoughts from Polly’s Granddaughter, and her widely-covered research on the false Cherokee heritage claims of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and others, her work has been featured in the Cherokee Phoenix, Indian Country Today, Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, High Country News, and multiple television and radio shows, and her consultancy work has ranged from television programming (Finding Your Roots on PBS) to children’s literature (Mary and the Trail of Tears by Andrea L. Rogers) to academic works (Lynn Riggs: The Indigenous Plays, edited by James H. Cox and Alexander Pettit, and the second edition of Our Fire Survives the Storm: A Cherokee Literary History, by Daniel Heath Justice).

She has also been a court-certified expert witness on Cherokee genealogy, a research consultant for the Cherokee Nation History and Preservation Office and for many scholars and researchers in the U.S. and Canada. She is also the author of the forthcoming Capstone book, The Cherokee: People, Culture, and History, the first book for young readers to feature all three Cherokee tribes. A Cherokee Nation citizen with deep and extensive roots in Cherokee community, Twila is passionate about Cherokee culture, history, and education, and is an experienced curriculum consultant and developer working to ensure accurate and age-appropriate understanding about Cherokee people.

AJ Eversole, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, grew up in rural Oklahoma where her imagination flourished through endless games of make believe. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, she is a contributor to the forthcoming anthology Legendary Frybread Drive-In (Heartdrum, 2025) and Beyond The Glittering World (Torrey House Press, 2025) and aspires to traditional publication. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband and son. Visit her on Threads & Instagram: @ajeversole