North Carolina Indians: “Keeping the Circle”

March 7–8, 2008, Greensboro

Lead Scholars: Dr. Christopher Arris Oakley, East Carolina University; Mr. Gregory Richardson
(Haliwa-Saponi), NC Commission of Indian Affairs; Dr. Anton Treuer (Ojibwe), Bemidji State University.

Dr. Treuer will guide participants in rereading the past and rethinking the traditional portrayal
of American Indians. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to interact with a panel
of representatives from all of NC’s state-recognized tribes. This seminar is the culmination of a series of seminars on NC Indians designed to provide educators with accurate information about NC’s two largest tribes — the Lumbee and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. Participants in these prior seminars as well as new participants may apply to attend this seminar. A special feature of the 2008 seminar will be the distribu­tion of a packet of teacher-designed curriculum enrichment materials applicable to K–12 instruction.

A Merry Life and a Short one:
Myth, History, and the Golden Age of Pirates

June 27–28, 2008, Greensboro

Lead Scholar: Dr. William McCarthy, UNC Wilmington

Bloody Blackbeard is the stuff of legend and scary stories. The lure of pirates and their exploits cap­tures the imagination of children of all ages; but just where is the line between myth and reality? Participants will meet Friday for an early dinner then enjoy the play Bloody Blackbeard produced by Triad Stage. On Saturday, they will participate in a discussion of the play against
a backdrop of historical information provided by Dr. McCarthy. In addition, participants will enjoy
a panel presentation by the play’s director and members of the Bloody Blackbeard crew.

Somerset Place: Slavery and Its Legacy

July 13–19, 2008 - SUMMER SEMINAR
Creswell, Albemarle Sound Area

Lead Scholars: Ms. Dorothy Spruill Redford, Executive Director of Somerset Place Historical Site; Dr. Heather Williams, UNCChapel Hill

Visiting Scholars: Dr. David Cecelski, Duke; Dr. Todd Savitt, ECU; Dr. Tim Tyson, Duke

Plantation life in North Carolina, and especially at Somerset Place, was unique in the antebellum south. During this week-long seminar, par­ticipants will explore the experience of Somerset’s enslaved Africans and white slave-owners. They will gain an understanding of the challenges
and brutality of plantation culture and the extraordinary resilience of people who lived
in circumstances almost impos­sible to comprehend. Participants will examine what gave enslaved people the strength — material, intellectual, spiritual — that is evident in how the slaves made, quite literally, Somerset. In addition to studying the place of this active plantation (1785–1865)
in NC history and the history of the south, participants will also discuss the legacy of slavery
in the state.

Lodging will be at the Eastern 4H Environmental Education Conference and Training Facility located on the beautiful Albemarle Sound, a short distance from Somerset Place. The Somerset Place seminar will begin on Sunday afternoon, July 13, and conclude on Friday night, July 18.
An optional half-day grant writing workshop will be offered to those participants wishing to stay through lunch on Saturday, July 19. In addition, optional graduate credit will be available.
Note: Space is limited.

Contemporary Tar Heel Writers

September 26–27, 2008, Greensboro

Featured Writers:  Randall Kenan, Lynn Yorke, and Jennifer Grotz

Lead Scholar: Dr. Mary Ellis Gibson, UNCGreensboro

Celebrating the rich literary culture of North Carolina, this seminar fea­tures contemporary NC writers. On Friday, participants will engage in a discussion of exciting new works by NC writers including stories, poems, interviews, and a recent novel. They will discuss how NC fosters good writing and how contemporary writers in the state are responding to the rapid social, environmental, and economic changes that mark the begin­ning of this century. Participants will also enjoy a special Touring Theatre of North Carolina presenta­tion, Family Business, a play based on short stories by two NC writers, Randall Kenan and Jill McCorkle. On Saturday, a panel of selected writ­ers, including Randall Kenan, Lynn Yorke, and Jennifer Grotz, will share readings with and entertain questions from seminar participants.

Reading Textiles: Narrative and Art

October 24–25, 2008, Charlotte

Lead Scholars: Dr. Magdalena Maiz-Peña, Davidson College; Dr. Sally Peterson, NCFolklife Specialist at the North Carolina Arts Council; Ms. Anne Fitzgerald Sutton, Classroom Teacher,
Union County Schools and a TI alumna.

Reading is, of course, not limited to words. For example, one can also “read” culture through
the textiles people create. Created for shelter, for warmth, for many functional reasons, these creations are portals into the cultures from which they originate. Inscribed in the textures and colors are the profound stories of the human experience. When do these cre­ated items become art, and do the creators of what we now preserve and present as art think of them as art in their very creation? This seminar will focus on the impact of translating experience through textile art – including Hmong story cloths, Chiléan arpilleras, and Afghan war rugs. Participants will examine how these textiles and others can be used to teach the history of South America, Southeast Asia, and the US, keeping these profound stories as a center­piece of historical study.