Understanding Native American culture, from the past to the present, will be featured in the “Ways of Knowing” Indigenous Appalachia symposium. Everyone interested in Native connections to the area is invited to attend the event, hosted by the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area on Saturday, November 9, at Davis and Elkins College. This day-long event will feature talks, performances and conversations showcasing Indigenous history, culture and philosophy in Appalachia with a variety of presenters from several Indigenous Nations, government agencies and universities.
The symposium, titled “Ways of Knowing: Indigenous Connections to Landscape and Place in Central Appalachia,” will explore the many ways the presence of Indigenous people in the region has been understood over time. Five speakers, cultural presentations and a panel discussion will share experiences and thoughts on sources and varieties of knowledge. Keynote speaker Dr. Joe Stahlman, Tuscarora, who helped organize the event, said, “In this talk I will discuss my journey in how I employ different forms of knowledge in my understanding of the past, present and future of Indigenous Peoples.”
Presenters will draw from Native culture and stories, living traditions, archaeology, history, western sciences and more, discussing how these types of knowledge interact and help illuminate the Indigenous experience in central Appalachia, sense of place in the landscape and impact on Appalachian culture. After the presentations, a reception will follow at the Appalachian Forest Discovery Center in the Darden Mill in Elkins as closing for the 2024 Indigenous exhibit “Creating Home.”
The symposium will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Senate Commons in the Myles Center for the Arts on the campus of Davis & Elkins College (535 Campus Dr. Elkins, WV 26241). Admission is $30, covering the cost of lunch and refreshments. Scholarships for free attendance are available for students, AmeriCorps members, Indigenous people, or needs-based applicants. Registration and scholarship applications are available at afnha.org/news-archives/indigenous-symposium. A livestream of the symposium presentations may be viewed for free, but registration is required. This program is supported with funding from the National Park Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Schedule of events:
- 9:30 a.m. Larry Jent – Welcome and Introductions
- 9:45 a.m. Joe Stahlman – Keynote Address: Ways of Knowing
- 10:30 a.m. Leon Briggs – Cultural Presentation of the Haudenosaunee
- 10:45 a.m. Gavin Hale, Monongahela National Forest Tribal Liaison – Nation to Nation Communications
- 11:45 a.m. Joshua Garcia, Wyandotte Nation Communications Associate – Preserving the Future of Our Past
- 12:30 p.m. Lunch
- 1:30 p.m. Kenneth Branham, Chief Emeritus Monacan Nation – My Lifelong Learning Journey: Resurrecting Our Culture
- 2:15 p.m. Joe Stahlman & Larry Jent – Cultural Presentation
- 2:30 p.m. Francis Day, President Future Generations University, Eastern Band of Cherokee – Wisdom of Local Communities
- 3:30 p.m. Panel Discussion Facilitated by Bonnie Brown
- 4:30 p.m. Leon Briggs – Event Close
- 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. Reception and Final Showing of Coming Home Exhibit at Appalachian Forest Discovery Center, with additional cultural presentation by Leon Briggs about 5:30
The Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area conserves, interprets and promotes forest heritage to enhance landscapes and communities in the highlands of West Virginia and Maryland. AFNHA works with partners to accomplish this through community development, conservation, celebrating cultural heritage and creating opportunities for transformational experiences. To learn more, see www.afnha.org.
