MONTY HAWK BRANHAM COLLECTION

Monty “Hawk” Branham is representative of the Catawba Cultural Renaissance that began in the 1990s. A potter of superlative skill, he is a visionary and has been prominent in the move to revive forgotten customs, lore, and the Catawba language.

Monty writes songs in Catawba and English and is a regular performer on the Indian circuit. In 1996 he traveled to Oklahoma, visiting the Creek Nation and studying their rites and rituals. Monty hopes to one day re-establish the Catawba Stomp Ground and return the Sacred Fire to the tribe. In 1997 along with Nola Campbell and former wife Anna, he traveled to the Smithsonian Folklife festival. Clad in tribal regalia, the trio demonstrated Catawba arts and crafts and were very successful. Nola demonstrated pottery, Anna did beadwork, and Monty sang, played the flute, recounted tribal stories, and learned to be a better potter with Nola’s assistance. The journals of these two trips chronicle Monty’s experiences and provide valuable insights into the life experiences of a modern day Native American.

Container List

Writings and Journals:

“The Future Ties to the Past: Catawba Research” Submitted to the Office of Fellowships and Grants, Native American Awards Program, Smithsonian Institution, June 4, 1997.

“Journals for the Oklahoma (Creek Nation) Trip of 1996 and the Smithsonian Fellowship of 1997.”

Pottery drawings and designs (Sep. 1995)

“Sacred Fire” (Lumbee/Cheraw sacred fire, n.d.)

Slides:

Catawba pipes, Smithsonian Institution (28 May – 6 Jun 1997) 26 color slides

Pottery and pipes (1997 and n.d., some with notes) 123 color slides