Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation Museum, administered by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is the lone educational resource in the state of Oklahoma concentrating exclusively on the history of the Choctaw people. The museum is located in a geographically isolated community near Tushkahoma, OK, which is bounded by other economically challenged small rural communities. This grant will help the museum hire a consultant to oversee the development of a new exhibition about Choctaw animal stories and the importance of storytelling within Choctaw culture. The consultant will also create various components of a docent program, including a recruitment plan, docent manual, job descriptions, applications, training programs, and guidelines, which, combined with a small travel stipend, will attract more volunteers to this remote location. The final goal of this grant is to attract more school groups from economically challenged communities by offering a small travel stipend to help defray transportation costs.