I have not updated this in a few years. Having a child, grad school, work, life in general, and introspection have gotten in the way and pulled my attention elsewhere. With the current pandemic providing time, and a renewed interest in actively studying 18th century Native "stuff", I thought I would give it a shot again.
Last August, I began working at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville, NC. We have an incredible reconstruction of the fort, which was built in 1756 to protect the western settlements of North Carolina. It is a monstrous building painstakingly dressed so that visitors can feel like they are stepping into 1756. While the fort and facilities are closed due to the pandemic, the grounds are open. We have uploaded a number of videos on YouTube so you can take a virtual tour of the fort and grounds!
Last August, I began working at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville, NC. We have an incredible reconstruction of the fort, which was built in 1756 to protect the western settlements of North Carolina. It is a monstrous building painstakingly dressed so that visitors can feel like they are stepping into 1756. While the fort and facilities are closed due to the pandemic, the grounds are open. We have uploaded a number of videos on YouTube so you can take a virtual tour of the fort and grounds!
What does any of this have to do with Native Americans in the southeast? It was around 2015 that I came to the realization that, as a white person, it really was not my place to interpret Native American history and culture, no matter how respectfully I approached it. This is part of the reason I stopped updating this blog.
Fast forward to 2020. One of my responsibilities of my new job is to help build a Native American interpretive program which involves enrolled tribal members so they can tell their stories. Our first event with this new program, The Defense of Fort Dobbs, was a resounding success. We were able to host four tribally enrolled people from the Cherokee and Shawnee Nations. These men provided incredible historical interpretation for fort visitors.
It is so incredibly important to involve tribally enrolled people in the telling of our colonial history. This fills a massive gap, but more importantly lets them control how their story is told.
Fast forward to 2020. One of my responsibilities of my new job is to help build a Native American interpretive program which involves enrolled tribal members so they can tell their stories. Our first event with this new program, The Defense of Fort Dobbs, was a resounding success. We were able to host four tribally enrolled people from the Cherokee and Shawnee Nations. These men provided incredible historical interpretation for fort visitors.
It is so incredibly important to involve tribally enrolled people in the telling of our colonial history. This fills a massive gap, but more importantly lets them control how their story is told.
With the ability to actively engage with Native American communities and help provide a venue for the real people to tell their stories, I feel its time to get back to my blog. I can not promise I'll post as frequently as I once did, but I have some ideas for future blog posts.
I hope you all stay safe and healthy.
I hope you all stay safe and healthy.