December 2017
There were no activities in December.
November 2017
The
National Council for the Social Studies held its annual conference in
San Francisco November 17th - 20th. The Indigenous
Education Community, which Mark chairs, organized a tour of Alcatraz
Island. For 19 months, stretching across 1969,70, and 71, a group
of American Indian activists took control of the former prison, saying
that anyone arriving in the United States from the west should rightly
see Indian land first. Eloy Martinez, one of those original
occupiers, joined our group and shared fascinating stories of that time.
Saturday, November 11, was Family Day at the Frank H. McClung
Museum on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville. Mark
and Sherry set up a display of material culture and shared information
on Cherokee culture with the public as they visited the "Archaeology
and the Native Peoples of Tennessee" exhibit. Cherokee elder,
storyteller, and artisan Freeman Owle demonstrated stone carving and
told stories. Museum staff and volunteers helped the younger ones
in attendance with a variety of craft activities.
On
Friday and Saturday, November 3rd and 4th, Mark and Sherry shared
Cherokee culture at the History Harvest Fall Festival at Wolf Gap
Education Outreach Center in Pulaski. Hundreds of school children
visited on Friday for scheduled presentations on the roles of men and
women in 18th century Cherokee culture. Saturday's event was open
to the public with presentations related to warfare and living in
harmony with nature.
October 2017
September 2017
On September 26th, Sherry explained the roles of men and women in 18th
century Cherokee society to the fourth grade students at New Market
Elementary School, and on September 29th she presented to the fourth
graders at Jefferson Elementary School.
August 2017
The
10th annual Spirit of Nations Powwow was held on Saturday, August 12,
at Patriot Academy, Jefferson City, TN, with over a 1,000 guests
and participants! For the second year in a row, the powwow
featured competition dancing with lots of excellent dancers coming in
from around the region. We were also happy to have some
outstanding children from the New Kituwah Academy come over from
Cherokee, NC, to present traditional Cherokee dances. Eddie
Swimmer, also from Cherokee, NC, wowed the audience with a great hoop
dance performance and Fred Keams, Navajo, from Kentucky did a wonderful
job as the flute player.
July 2017
The
Department of Energy in Oak Ridge invited Mark over to speak on
"Entering the Sacred Circle" for a Lunch 'n Learn session on Wednesday,
July 26, as an opportunity for staff members to learn about the Spirit
of Nations Powwow. The DOE has helped sponsor the powwow for the
past 10 years. About two dozen people took the opportunity to
learn a little about the different dance styles, as well as the other
parts of a powwow.
On
Monday, July 24th, Mark and Sherry presented two sessions at the
Tennessee History Tent Revival in Franklin, TN. The first session
was on Cherokee culture as covered in the fourth grade history
standards. The second session dealt with the Trail of Tears.
Both sessions were well attended and the teachers were excited to
receive a considerable amount of resources for classroom use.
Wednesday, July For the week of July 10 - 14, Mark was a participant in
the Trail of Tears teacher institute conducted by the Smithsonian's
National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. Museum
staff and special guest speakers provided insights on how to teach
about the Removal, shared a preview of upcoming museum exhibits, and
conducted a tour of the Cultural Resources Center where the museum
maintains its collection of a million objects. The institute
included 25 teachers from the eight states most directly impacted by
the Removal.
June 2017
On Tuesday, June 13, Indian Creek Productions partnered with Talbott
Elementary School's Read to Be Ready Summer Grant Program. The 22
children enjoyed playing the Cherokee basket game, listening to and
participating in some Cherokee stories, and joining hands for a
friendship dance. ICP also presented the camp with two books
telling the story of the animals and birds playing stickball against
each other.
For the weekend of June 3-4, Mark and Sherry participated in
the Native American Festival at Sycamore Shoals State Historic
Area in Elizabethton, TN. They decorated one of the cabins in the fort
to resemble a Cherokee home of the late 18th century. Also on
both days, the audience enjoyed the "Are You Smarter than a Park
Ranger" game with questions related to various cultural regions and
time periods. On Saturday evening, Mark and Sherry joined
storytellers Kay Littlejohn and Freeman Owle, and flutist Danny Bigay,
for a series of stories, music, and dance on the lawn of the visitor's
center.
March 2017
On
Saturday, March 25, along with many other living history exhibitors,
Mark and Sherry set up a display table at the Tanasi 1796 production at
the Clayton Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Maryville
College. Guests were able to learn about early Tennessee history
through the drama and by visiting the exhibitors.
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