Caddo Heritage Museum
Point of Contact: Kim Penrod
Telephone: (405) 656.2344, Extension 209
Email: kpenrod@caddonation.org
kimpenrod@yahoo.com
Hours of Operation: 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday or by appointment
Staff: Kim Penrod, Director
To link to the Caddo Nation Heritage Museum facebook click here
The Caddo Heritage Museum is committed to preserving the cultural traditions of the Caddo people. The museum specializes in the material culture of both pre-Contact and present-day Caddo people. Our collection of Caddo pottery is one of the best in the country. We also maintain an archive of important documents, research materials, photographs, and sound and video recordings. The gallery and archives are open to the public.
The Caddo Heritage Museum is funded through the tribal government and by contributions to our non-profit organization, the Taysha Fund. Any donations to the Taysha Fund are tax deductible under Section 7871 of the IRS Code and support the museums programs and exhibits. For more information, please contact the Museum.
The Caddo Heritage Museum is advised by a Board of Trustees. Currently, the Board includes:
| Chairman, Crystal Anderson-Antoniades | Secretary Rebecca Halfmoon Briggs |
| Vice Chairman, Stacey Halfmoon | Member, Dr. George Sabo, III |
| Tribal Council Liaison, Mary Lou Davis | Ex-Officio Member, Timothy K. Perttula |
| Charter Member, Mary Cecile Carter | Charter Member, Donna Spaulding | Member 2008, Gayle Satepauhoodle | Member 2006-Present, Michael Sheyahshe | Member 2008, Yonavea Hawkins |
The Board of Trustees currently meets the first Saturday of each month at 10 AM, with meetings open to the public.
Present museum holdings include over 5000 prehistoric items, 500 historic and/or archival items and at least twenty contemporary artworks by Caddo painters, sculptors, ceramicists and silversmiths, and various traditional garments. We also maintain a photographic database of over 4000 images. The Caddo reference library/resource center holds approximately 400 Caddo/Southeast region/culture reference books. This collection includes maps, manuscripts, photographs, and audio/video recordings of songs, dances, stories, and Caddo language.
The Caddo Heritage Museum was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) in April of this year. OHRAB is the central advisory board in Oklahoma for historical records planning and for those projects in the state funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). It is one of 56 similar boards active in all states, territories, and the District of Columbia. OHRAB promotes accwss to historical documents in Oklahoma's repositories by providing grants, conducting research, sponsoring workshops, and producing publications. Board members, appointed by the Governor to three-year terms, are carefully selected for their professional qualifications and experience in the administration, collection, preservation, and use of historical records. The sponsoring agency of OHRAB is the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, the official repository for permanent state government records.
Ta'sha kee oh no wah: Friends with the Old Ones, it the title of our project The project dates are from April 2008 through December 2008. The Caddo Nation of Oklahoma has a small resource library and archive as part of the Caddo Heritage Caddo People, surrounding tribes, and other topics of interest to native peoples. Tirst, the Caddo Heritage Museum staff and the Caddo tribe want to establish a centralized location for all documents of historical importance to the Caddo nation. Secondly, this project will aid the staff in continuing in the process of maintaining a quality Archives and Library/Resource Center as part of the Caddo Heritage Museum. Sharing the culture of the Caddo with the public/visitor is part of responsible archival and library management. Making available the current inventory will allow access for tribal and council members wanting to pursue personal research, and insure the availability for scholarly research now and in the future. We hope that the community and staff members, with this new knowledge, will seek to learn more and share in the larger vision of perpetuating Caddo culture through our archival and resosurce collections.
“Honoring Our Own”
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| The current Veteran's exhibit currently on display is a scaled down version of the original and will remain as part of our permanent collections. We have memorabilia, photographs and uniforms from the families of men and women of the Caddo Nation who have and continue to serve in all branches of the military. The museum maintains a notebook in the exhibit area where visitors can add names of family members so that we can keep our files up to date. |
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To compliment this exhibit a Memorial sits on a small rise at the south side of the Tribal complex. The names of our Veteran Caddo men and women are engraved on two large marble monuments. We encourage you to visit the memorial and “Honor Our Own.”
The Caddo Heritage Museum maintains permanent exhibits of traditional silverwork, pottery, artwork and archival photographs. The work of Caddo silversmiths Merle Keyes and Son Supernaw is currently displayed. The women’s hair combs, worn as part of their dance regalia, incorporate the intricate and delicate traditional Caddo designs.
The engraved bottles, bowls and jars currently on display represent the Caddoan traditions from ca. 1000 AD to the late 1600's contact period. Many of these pieces are from the Southwest Arkansas sites. The curvilinear lines, distinctive shapes, and deep colors all aid the archeologists in recognizing these Caddo vessels.
The work of Jeri Redcorn, our present-day Caddo potter, represents the continuation of the distinctive pottery created in the past.
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Also part of the permanent collection are large duplications of archival photographs. These images continue to present the visitor with a visual glimpse of the previous generations of Caddo people.
The Caddo Heritage Museum is a proud member of the Oklahoma Museums Association.
We also support ourselves through income received from our gift shop. The gift shop includes a selection of books about the Caddo people and recordings of Caddo music, as well as souvenirs such as t-shirts and tote bags. Any profit made on sales from the gift shop directly benefits the Museum's Taysha Fund. We have recently set up a mail order service for the items we sell and a ready-to-print order form can be found here.
