Chief of Cherokee Nation visits UNA for mural unveiling

FLORENCE — The University of North Alabama welcomed Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Chuck Hoskin Jr. to campus Thursday for the unveiling of a mural recognizing the rich and diverse history of indigenous people who first called the Shoals area home. 

Hoskin was the special guest at the unveiling of “Tears and Triumphs: Honoring North Alabama’s First Peoples” in the university’s Collier Library.

“The southeast was the original homeland of the Cherokee people, along with many other tribal nations,” said Hoskin. “We appreciate UNA welcoming us to their campus and
recognizing Indigenous Peoples and our contributions then and today.”

The Cherokee Nation is the largest tribe in the United States with more than 450,000 citizens. Hoskin was elected principal chief in 2019, and re-elected in 2023. He appointed the tribe’s first delegate to the U.S. Congress, and has prioritized health and wellness initiatives, including record investments in behavioral health and addiction treatment.

Hoskin has also expanded tribal workforce training programs, sustainable housing, protections for natural resources, and educational opportunities for Cherokees of all ages. He and First Lady January Hoskin elevated the voices of women and children, and their safety, within the Cherokee Nation Reservation.

Dr. Sean Jacobson, assistant professor of History at UNA, said, “As we approach UNA’s bicentennial in 2030, it is appropriate that we also consider the people and cultures who were already here when LaGrange College was founded in 1830.”

Fourth-graders from Kilby Laboratory School, which is on UNA’s campus, spent time studying the Indigenous communities and wrote a land acknowledgment and will read it before the mural unveiling. 

The mural shows that two of LaGrange College’s first trustees were Native American men: Chief John Ross of the Cherokee Nation, and district chief Greenwood LeFlore of the Choctaw Nation.

The same year UNA was founded, 1830, also marked Congress’ passage of the Indian Removal Act, resulting in the forceful eviction of tens of thousands of Native American people from their Southeastern homelands. Thousands of those removed came directly through the Shoals, on foot, by wagon, steamboat, or even railroad, in what is now known as the Trail of Tears.

“We offer this mural as a token of friendship and goodwill to our stakeholders, and we also hope that this mural may serve as a space for reflection and inspiration in cultivating these friendships,” Jacobson said.

He said the project was created as a collaboration between the History and Visual Arts and Design departments for the third interpretive mural in Collier Library. In 2023, a mural commemorated Dr. Wendell Gunn, who integrated UNA in 1963 and is now a member of its board of trustees. In 2022, the Year of the UNA Woman mural highlighted the 150th anniversary of women’s admittance to the university.

“These mural subjects are important for fostering experiential learning opportunities for students and collaboration across departments and the wider community,” Jacobson said. “Not only that – these projects build a more inclusive and complete narrative of our university’s rich heritage and give honor to the diverse people who have shaped UNA and the Shoals region.”