Submitted by Honors Northeast
Except for citizens of Cherokee County, a few counties south, and observant residents of Nacogdoches who are aware of Chief Bowles? statue, many today do not know that Northeast Texas once housed a substantial Cherokee community.† The young Republic of Texas insured that the roots of this colony, established around 1820, did not become too deep.† One of the first acts of Texas President Mirabeau Lamar in 1839 was to force the Cherokee off the state map.
The scholars of Honors Northeast, have adopted the story of the Texas Cherokee, and its impact on the adopted Cherokee, Sam Houston, for their upcoming film.† On†October 21 at the state meeting of the Walter Webb Society in Fredericksburg, Texas, five honors students presented their first report about the coming 2017 film, and premiered the film?s trailer, produced by Cassidy Watkins, the 2016 Daingerfield Salutatorian.
The Walter Webb Society, the collegiate auxiliary of the Texas State Historical Association, maintains fall and spring meetings at various locales in Texas. This is the fifth year in a row that Honors Northeast students have reported on their upcoming film at the fall meeting.
NTCC Scholars, Ryan-Rose Mendoza, Rachel Jordan, William Fox, Cassidy Watkins, and Adriana Rodriguez (shown left to right above) each played important roles in insuring the film?s progress.† Each reported on a phase of the project at the Webb meeting.† William Fox, who performed research at the Dolph Briscoe Center in Austin, showed how the film dovetails with the historical record.† Fox continues to shape an essay on the xenophobia that precipitated the Texan attack on the Cherokee.† Cinematographer, Rachel Jordan, who attended a seminar on cinema last summer given by Brad Maule in Mount Vernon, reported on new insights employed by the NTCC effort this year.† Adriana Rodriguez, who played the central role of Houston?s Cherokee wife, Diana Rogers, reported on the challenge of acting for non-theatre majors.† Ryan-Rose Mendoza, the Unit Production Director, explained the challenge of sequencing the film.†† Backdrops, scenes, actors, and props all had to be coordinated into a steadfast plan in order for the film effort to succeed.† Finally, Cassidy Watkins, the producer, explained her role in editing the film?s many takes in time for the proposed film?s public premiere in February.
Professor Gene Preuss of the University of Houston, present at the Webb meeting, appreciated the blend of ?action with history? in the film?s trailer.† NTCC Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox noted that the close-ups of youthful expressivity in the film, better technology, and the drama of the story might make this year?s effort, the best feature-film yet at NTCC.
One can now view the trailer of ?Morning Mist:† The End of the Texas Cherokee, and the Transformation of† Sam Houston?† at ntcc.edu/honors (click the film page to the left of the honors landing page).
