Press Release

November 16, 2009
Contact: Sheryl Hayes
Phone: 434-924-3296
sheryl@virginia.edu
www.virginiafoundation.org

For Immediate Release:  Press Release and Side Bar, Photos Available

Award-Winning Virginia Indian Heritage Program
Makes a Difference for Educators

Charlottesville, VA:  As the teachers filed from the room, Karenne Wood leafed through their evaluations of the Teachers’ Institute they had just completed.  Along with many good evaluations was one which stood out for Wood:  "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." 

Why was this particular institute so important to this teacher, both for herself and her colleagues? It was because, as a seasoned teacher, she knew that Virginia history textbooks were woefully devoid of authentic content about Virginia Indians, and that nothing in her educational experience had prepared her to address the issue of the Commonwealth’s first people with her students.  For many Virginians it seemed that Virginia Indians vanished sometime after the arrival of Europeans, due in part to Virginia’s Racial Integrity Laws which basically wrote Virginia Indians out of existence in 1924.

"Beyond Jamestown," the Institute on Virginia Indian history and contemporary cultures, taught by Karenne Wood, allowed teachers  to engage in  a thought-provoking exchange about  traditionally held views on American history, often expressed through the accounts of colonial writers who were unfamiliar with Native beliefs and customs, and the perceptions of Virginia Indians, whose story has rarely been heard.  The class heard from academic experts on Virginia history, ecology, and archaeology, and from Virginia Indian leaders and historians as well.  The institute brought Virginia Indians to life for these teachers and transformed the way they taught and thought about Virginia history.

“What we are trying to do is help redress centuries of historical omission, exclusion, and misrepresentation by working at every level of the education system,” says Wood, a Monacan Indian, Director of the Virginia Indian Heritage Program (VIHP) at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and a Ph.D candidate in Anthropology at UVA.

The program has been so effective in its public outreach that it recently won the 2009 Schwartz Prize, given annually by the Federation of State Humanities Councils for outstanding work in public humanities. The national award acknowledges "exemplary programming that exerted a significant impact on citizens, institutions, organizations, or communities in their states" and showcases "the best, most imaginative, and most significant work" in the public humanities.

In addition to teachers’ institutes, Wood worked on Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) revisions in Social Studies, which will be implemented statewide next year. The Program has developed teacher resources that are correlated to Standards across all grade levels, and offer culturally appropriate, entertaining activities as well as information on tribal history and Indian ways of life, past and present.

The Program also works with statewide university partners, including Virginia Tech, College of William and Mary, and the University of Virginia, to increase American Indian student enrollment and diversify course content to include American Indian subjects and perspectives.

Since the program was established in 2007 with initial funding from the Virginia General Assembly, Wood has been busy dispelling the myths surrounding Virginia’s Native peoples through educational public programs.  “We want to create opportunities for Virginians of all ages, as well as visitors to the state, to learn about the history and cultures of Virginian Indian people and communities, past and present,” she explains. “This mission is important, not just for Virginia Indians, but for all Virginians who want a more accurate telling of the Commonwealth Story.”

A major step in that direction has been taken with the VFH publication and award-winning Virginia Indian Heritage Trail book, which was created by members of the Virginia tribes to reflect Virginia Indian perspectives on their own history and how that history is interpreted. Over 100,000 copies of this landmark publication have been distributed; the book is available free of charge on the VFH website (www.virginiafoundation.org). Wood has also produced two traveling exhibits, one of which is on display in the State Capitol in Richmond until November 30, 2009.

When asked to name some of the challenges facing the program, Wood indicated that sustaining the program economically is the biggest challenge right now.  The Program relies on private contributions and grants.  “There is so much work that needs to be done to let Virginians know that we are still here and have a great story to share, and there is a great hunger from students, teachers, and the general public to hear this story,” Wood says. “The program is transforming what people know about Virginia Indians, a history that spans 18,000 years and that continues among tribal communities in the Commonwealth today.” 

The Virginia Indian Heritage Program is an unparalleled partnership between the 8 state-recognized tribes and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. A nonprofit educational organization created in 1974, VFH is a catalyst for the cultural, civic, artistic, and educational vitality of the Commonwealth. Its purpose is to understand the past and confront issues in the present, to help shape a more promising future.  VFH seeks to discover and share untold stories, encourage lifelong learning, and promote civil discourse.

For more information on the Virginia Indian Heritage Foundation or the VFH, visit
www.virginiaindianprogram.org.

-End of Press Release—see next page for Side Bar-

“Virginia Foundation for the Humanities -- Shaping our Common Story”