Beyond Jamestown:
Virginia Indians Yesterday & Today
Summer Teachers' Institute
July 19-23, 2010
Presented in partnership with the University of Richmond
"This was one of the best educational experiences I have ever participated in. I would love to see something like this available for educators in large numbers and for many years." - 2007 Participant
Photo: Powhatan Red Cloud 2007 Beyond Jamestown Faculty by U.Va. Public Affairs/Jane Haley.
Purpose
Americans learn about Indian people through textbooks, museums, popular culture images and media. They rarely if ever encounter Native people’s perspectives on that history.
By offering an expanded vision on the past through alternate perspective, participants gain a richer appreciation of our collective story.
Course Description
Through presentations, readings, discussions, and video and audio materials, students will consider widely accepted notions regarding Virginia Indian history and cultures. We will examine ways in which Western anthropological theories and language usage have marginalized indigenous peoples and disengaged them from their own past, a practice that began with Jamestown and spread westward. We will consider the formation of public opinion: how Americans have come to view American Indians as people of the past, and we will examine indigenous ideas about collective memory and the remarkable persistence of indigenous tribal communities who retain their cultural heritage while living in modern society. This course will address the revised social sciences Standards of Learning for grades K-12.
Highlights
- Covers early history of Native peoples in the region: Archaic and Woodland periods, the archaeological record and material culture
- Examines development of three distinct linguistic groups and corresponding cultural patterns, and dwells on each in detail
- Covers the development of the historical narrative and examines weaknesses and biases in writing about other cultures
- Examines the Pocahontas mythology
- Students hear from Virginia Indian representatives and study contemporary Virginia Indian issues as well as pervasive stereotypes
How To Register
To register visit the University of Richmond School of Continuing Studies.
