Current Activities

     2005
December, 2005
On December 17th, Mark and Sherry traveled to Cherokee, North Carolina, to deliver boxes of food and personal care items to three widows.  Sadly, two of the four ladies who were formerly being ministered to passed away this year.  One lady has been added to the list and another will be before the next trip is made in the spring.

One of the families has a home in need of repair.  The ceiling has been blackened from a kitchen fire.  Tiles in the living room are breaking apart and coming up.  When pretty weather returns in the spring, some volunteers will be taken over to help get this lady's home back in a more livable condition.

November, 2005

The big event for November was the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Kansas City, MO, from Thursday to Sunday, Nov.  17 -20.  Mark flew out on Wednesday evening, arriving at the hotel after midnight.  On Thursday afternoon, the NCSS special interest group, "Teaching American Indian History, Culture, and Current Events," had its pre-conference clinic in the convention center.  About 30 teachers from across the country attended, hearing Fran Hageman, a teacher, researcher, and writer from Chicago, present on the topic of Ameican Indians in America's Heartland.

On Friday morning, the group held its business meeting to discuss a number of important topics such as:  topics and presentersfor future clinics and conference sessions, the development of an NCSS position paper on teaching American Indian topics, and how to increase the number of native members in NCSS and native attendees at the conferences.  On Friday afternoon, Mark also met as a member of an ad hoc committee to discuss ways of increasing NCSS participation by under-represented groups, such as elementary teachers, minority teachers, and those who work in urban areas.

On Sunday, Dr. Fred Isele from the University of Illinois at Chicago presented his session on using the Internet to do research on American Indian topics.


October, 2005

The Tennessee History Festival at the Bicentennial Mall in Nashville, Oct. 14-15, was an incredible event.  Mark and Sherry set up the lodge in a grassy area in front of the "1776" portion of the history wall.  About 900 school children came through on Friday.  They saw some awesome exhibits and met some of Tennessee history's most incredible personalities.  The crowd on Saturday included more adults.

The first set-up was one regarding Spanish explorer DeSoto who, in 1540, was the first European to enter Tennessee.  Visitors could see a man wearing the armor that a conquistadore would have worn, along with all of the armor for his horse.

Next was an encampment of British soldiers from Fort Loudoun, representing the French and Indian War period.  They showed the rifles and uniforms of the time, as well as offered medical assistance to anyone willing to be subjected to an 18th century surgeon's kit.  No one took them up on the offer.

Other sites included the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and current military equipment, such as a humvee, as well.  Famous personalities strolling the mall included Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, Davy Crockett, Alvin C. York, and Andrew Jackson.  As you might guess, Mark and Sherry had a few words to share with Old Hickory!  This was the second annual History Festival.  Next year's should be even better!


The "Wild Mountain Mania" event at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Oct. 7-9, was a fantastic weekend.  Mark and Sherry spent the night before in Middlesboro and arrived at the park early on Friday morning to set up the lodge and get ready for a flood of a thousand or more school children.  Sherry spent much of the day cooking over the fire, then sharing some of her berry bread with the students who came by.  For the most part, it just wasn't sweet enough to suit them, but the adults who tried it seemed more satisfied.  Mark, as usual, spent most of the day talking to the visitors about Cherokee life.

Scott Teodorski, the ranger in charge of the event's programming, was well-prepared in the event of rain.  He had purchased huge rolls of plastic for covering things up.  Mark and Sherry unrolled a big piece of the plastic and covered the lodge at the end of the day.  Although there were a few sprinkles, everything inside remained dry.

On Saturday, another cloudy and cool day, more and more visitors came through the site.  Exhibits covered topics such as black bears, insects, animal tracks, turkey calls, and much more.  A  Kentucky raptor organization brought in an eagle, hawk, owl, and buzzard to show.  They seemed to be a big hit.  There was also a living historian portraying John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club.  The stage area provided continuous musical entertainment and talks about wildlife.

On Sunday, as was to be expected, the attendance was low until lunch time, but picked up considerably then.  Over all, the event drew an estimated 10,000+ visitors! 


September, 2005
The Native American Festival at Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, Virginia, was not well-attended but certainly enjoyable for those who participated and hopefully beneficial for those who attended.  The day began with Sherry doing a PowerPoint presentation about how to trace Cherokee ancestors.  Second on the agenda was Shirley Oswalt teaching the Cherokee languages.  Mark and Sherry came on next with storytelling. 

A demonstration of how to use an atlatl was presented by some local individuals.  Then Mark and Sherry did a presentation about the roles of Cherokee men and women in the colonial period.  David Arch from Kingsport involved the audience in some dancing as a part of his presentation.  Afterwards, Shirley did another language lesson, followed by Mark and Sherry with more storytelling.


August, 2005
Cherokee Heritage Days at James White's Fort in Knoxville turned out to be a really good success.  The programming for this year was outstanding and the attendance was good too.  Shirley Oswalt came over from Robbinsville, NC, and demonstrated the ancient art of making Cherokee pottery.  She also did some Cherokee language classes under the big tent.  Danny Bigay from Greeneville, TN, came down and played some outstanding flute music.  Arvel Bird, as always, excited the crowd with his tremendous talent as a fiddle player.  Freeman Owle, Cherokee, NC, came over to tell stories and demonstrate stone carving.  Mark and Sherry and Shea handled the talks on the roles of men and women in Cherokee society.  The kitchen was open with fireplace cooking demonstrations.  The blacksmith shop was also up and running.  The powwow dance performances were outstanding too.  Ben Sanchez performed the Grass dance; Emerson Begay did the Men's Traditional; Jonathan Crisp did the Men's Fancy; Shea Keck performed the Women's Traditional; Nikki Crisp did the Jingle dance and Keely did the Fancy Shawl.


July, 2005

Once again, Mark and Sherry were invited to present to the students at Fort Craig Elementary School in Maryville (July 29).  The start of the program was delayed while a local serviceman, home on leave from Iraq, spoke to the students.  Although some of the staff apologized for the late start, Mark and Sherry made it clear that it was not a problem.  Having the speaker was good for the children.

Mark and Sherry did two presentations in the gym about the roles of Cherokee men and women in the 18th century.  Afterwards, the two groups were brought together for a dance presentation.  The staff had a hard time finding enough men to participate in the two-step.  Apparently they all had something else to do at that particular point in time.  Makes you wonder...

The annual Raid on the Watauga at Rocky Mount Historic Site, Piney Flats, TN, was held on July 16th and 17th, in spite of off-and-on rain showers.  Sherry and Shea got the lean-to set up before the rain started.  Mark was on his way at that time from Cherokee, NC.  Chuck Hudson, an excellent re-enactor from Virginia joined the three of them for dinner that evening.

As usual, Sherry's cooking was a big hit with the re-enactors.  The venison, Three Sisters, cornbread, and peach cobbler was delicious!  That made it really odd on Sunday to see her get shot during the battle scene!  One of Sherry's nephews got to see the action and thought it was cool, while a niece refused to watch! 

Mark spent the week of July 11-15 in Cherokee, NC, for the Cherokee Nation/EBCI History Class taught by Dr. Julia Coates.  The intensive 40-hour class covered origin stories, clan law, relations with England and France, the many treaties that have been signed, current status of the people, and issues of sovereignty.  On the last day of the class, Chief Michell Hicks was the guest speaker.  He emphasized how important the study of history is to the survival of the Cherokee people and how vital it is to maintaining sovereignty.
June, 2005
On June 29th, Mark and Sherry visited the Rockwood Library, Rockwood, TN, as guests for the summer reading program.  There were lots of children and adults who came to the program that day.  The theme of the summer was sports, so Mark told the Cherokee story about the animals playing against the birds in a stickball game.  The children joined in doing sound effects.  Great fun!  Then it was time for games.  The children learned about and practiced the basket game, the tipi race relay and several others.  It was a workout for all inolved!  The program ended with a friendship dance, which Sherry led out of the meeting room and through the rest of the library.  Not a quiet day among the books!

It was Friday, June 17th, when Mark and Sherry headed out to Natural Tunnel State Park near Duffield, Virginia.  Upon arriving at the park, they found a trail that had been mowed to the top of a hill overlooking the blockhouse.  A small side area had also been mowed part-way up the hill.    Chuck Hudson, another native reenactor, was already there and had set up his camp in that area.  Mark and Sherry put up the lodge and dug a fire pit, then went to dinner in nearby Norton and spent the night in Duffield.

On Saturday morning, Mark and Sherry returned to the park and completed setting up camp and getting dressed for the day's activities.  Also on hand in the Indian camp was Blaine Turner and Mark Ledford, two regular participants in the Raid on the Watauga at Rocky Mount.  Sherry got busy with the cooking job for the day.  The menu included sassafrass tea, venison cooked over the fire, three sisters, and peach cobbler.  Her reputation for good cooking has spread even farther now.

Several people came by the camp to talk and learn about Cherokee life in the 18th century.  Some even tasted the cooking. 

In the afternoon, the scenario began.  A trade scene between the Indians and the settlers soured when one warrior complained that the gun he had gotten in trade was not usable.  At that point, the Indians left.  Later, kidnappings, parleys, and gunfire hopefully helped the audience learn a little about the relations between the Indians and the settlers of the time period. 

That evening, Grant Hardin, who was playing the role of Daniel Boone, shared some stories around the campfire.  Mark and Sherry also told some Cherokee stories, ending with Sherry singing "Amazing Grace" in Cherokee.

The most humorous part of the trip occured on the way home.  It was about 9:30 pm when Mark and Sherry pulled up to the drive-thru window at Long John Silver's in Gate City.  Mark, still wearing the war paint and all his jewelry, drew lots of attention from the restaurant's employees!

On June 4th, Mark and Sherry spent the afternoon at the Native American Festival hosted by Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site in Elizabethton.  Fred Bradley was there to tell stories and Dr. Michael Abram, co-curator of the Cherokee Heritage Museum and Gallery lectured.  Danny Bigay was great playing the flute.  Scott Crisp and Vickie Standingdeer led the dances.  Beaver Grant got great applause for his hoop dance demonstration.

May, 2005
The Fading Voices Festival was held on Saturday, May 28th, in Robbinsville, North Carolina.  Mark and Sherry drove over and spent the night on Friday, then braved the rain to head out to the festival site Saturday morning.  By the 11:00 am start, the skies had cleared and the entire day was beautiful.  Activities included gospel singing, storytelling, the fish game, stickball, and a blowgun demonstration.  Lots of people from the community showed their skills in pottery, baskets, and other crafts.  The menu included sochan, bean bread, hominy, greens, and fried chicken, and of course Indian tacos.

After the festival ended, Mark and Sherry drove into Cherokee to visit the Arts Festival being held at the Ceremonial Grounds.  Turn out for the event was very disappointing.  Hardly more than 40 people were in attendance late that afternoon.  Only about a dozen vendors were there.  Entertainment included Tommy Wildcat playing the flute, alligator wrestling, and dance performances by a Navaho group and by an Iroquois group.

On Saturday, May 21st, Mark went to the muster at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site in Elizabethton, TN.  He was the only native interpreter there, but had a good time anyway.  Sherry stayed behind for some much needed, and well deserved, rest.

April, 2005

Once again, the Encampment at the Monacan Indian Village at Natural Bridge, VA, was a blast.  Chuck Hudson and Dean Ferguson make excellent hosts.  Mark, Sherry, and Shea went up on Friday, April 28, and spent the night at the Natural Bridge Hotel.  The first exciting thing was seeing the "Special Events, Festivals, and More..." brochure the Natural Bridge folks had put together.  Why was that exciting?  Because Mark's photo was on the cover!

On Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of people came to visit.  Sherry and Shea "sat up shop" under a brush arbor.  Sherry finished a fingerwoven belt, while Shea worked on a pair of moccasins.  Mark spent time shooting the blowgun and talking (of course) to the people coming through.

The food, as always, was excellent.  The Monacan ladies cooked over the fire both days and provided the participants with ham, turkey, pork, chili, cheese, and various types of bread.

Grant Hardin, along with Tom and Jan Turner, all from Rocky Mount Museum, set up a trading camp.  On Sunday afternoon, we had a good trade scenario that the public seemed to enjoy.  Everyone is looking forward to going again next year.

The Northeast Tennessee School Age Childcare conference was held on Saturday, April 9, 2005 at Milligan College in Johnson City.  Mark and Sherry presented three sessions on how to incorporate American Indian activities into after-school care programs.  Those attending the sessions learned about creative writing activities as well as games that they could play with the children.  The teachers also had the chance to participate in a friendship dance.  Mark pointed out that he had done a similar program several years earlier.  At that session, a very pretty teacher caught his attention.  When the time came for the friendship dance, he made sure he was holding her hand.  He told the teachers to notice who they were holding hands with, because that pretty teacher years ago was Sherry!  You just never know what is going to happen with a friendship dance.

March, 2005

On March 4th, Mark and Sherry presented a session for the Tennessee Council for the Social Studies spring conference in Nashville.  They used a powerpoint show to illustrate how to examine trade books for stereotypes.  Jesus Garcia, president of the National Council for the Social Studies, attended the session.

  February, 2005

The International Fest at the Children's Museum in Oak Ridge on Saturday, February 5th, was a lot of fun.  Robin Wilhoit, anchorwoman for WBIR-TV, Channel 10 in Knoxville, was the emcee.  She introduced Mark and Sherry who then told some Cherokee stories.  Sherry then sang "Amazing Grace" in Cherokee and Mark led a group of children in a friendship dance.  Later in the morning, Sherry spoke to a large group of Girl Scouts and their leaders about the role of women in Cherokee society.  Sherry's daughter Katie got in on the presentation and explained how hides are tanned to make clothes.  She also talked about the preparation of food.

January, 2005

The Native American Weekend at Lake Cumberland State Park, Jamestown, KY, was the best ever.  Friday night Howard Lyons, Six Nations Mohawk, Wolf Clan, performed both traditional and contemporary Mohawk music.  He did a great job and was well received by the audience.  Howard and his wife Nancy had left behind -12 degrees weather in Connecticut and were happy to be in the warm (30-plus) weather of Kentucky.

On Saturday morning, Dr. Jeffrey Davis from the College of Education at UT Knoxville, gave a presentation on the history of American Indian sign language.  The audience especially liked learning a few signs themselves.

The second presentation of the morning was on stereotypes and was presented by Pam Lobb, Mattaponi from Virginia.  Pam did an outstanding job, as usual.  She is a member of the National Council for the Social Studies and a part of the "Teaching American Indian History, Culture, and Current Events" special interest group inside NCSS.

After lunch, Shirley Oswalt presented a lesson on the Cherokee language, helping the visitors learn their colors.  Shirley and her husband Mack, who live in the Robbinsville, NC area, also set up a table to sell pottery, baskets, books, and tapes of her lessons.

Mark presented a session on hunting tools and weapons of the southeast to round out the afternoon.  He talked about how culture played a role in the use of blowguns, rifles, war clubs, etc.

Of course one of the highlights of the weekend was the tremendous buffalo dinner buffet on Saturday night.  The menu included buffalo roast, buffalo ribs, and buffalo chili.  They also had chicken and fish, lots of vegetables, salad, and tons of desert.

Leading up to the dance program Saturday night, Pam told some stories from her tribe.  Once again the folks thought she was great.  Then came the grand entry, dancers parading in from the foyer to the auditorium to the beat of the drum.  Shea Keck then sang the national anthem.  Boy, can that girl belt one out!  The drum then honored the veterans in attendance.  Larry Grigsby, who was there as a vendor, gave each veteran a cap. 

Scott Crisp, Cherokee from Etowah, TN, was the emcee.  He has more energy and humor than just about anyone else.  Put him behind a microphone and he is right at home.  Among the highlights of the dancing was Travis Lovett's fancy dance.  He was awesome.  The crowd loved his performance.  Another highlight was the potato dance.  For those who are not familiar with this dance, couples place a potato between their foreheads and dance.  The last couple standing with potato in place wins.  This year's potato champions are MARK AND SHERRY!!!!!

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