Savannah Grandey, Director of Interpretation, Historic Westville

Proposal Type

Pecha Kucha

Seeking
  • Seeking Additional Presenters
  • Seeking Specific Expertise
  • General Feedback and Interest
Related Topics
  • Museums/Exhibits
  • Oral History
  • Place
  • Memory
Abstract

“Indian Removal” as articulated by Andrew Jackson and comrades was a monumental idea and federal policy that irrevocably shaped the southeastern United States. Today, we look back on the event(s) as one relatively short-lived, and basically understood by the American public. I argue that our mainstream, contemporary focus on the physical removal during the 1830s (i.e., Trail of Tears) and the modern nations of today (mostly in the West) obscures a deeper understanding of “Indian Removal.” I argue that we redefine “removal” to include more than physical relocation to the West, but also the removal/suppression of culture of those who stayed in the southeast by hiding (both hiding their culture/heritage and physically hiding in nether areas).

Seeking

My objective is to point out our limited view and thus public interpretation of Indian Removal and point to ways we can begin interpreting the “long Indian Removal” by tapping into the lives and experiences of those families who managed to stay in the southeast by hiding away or by not openly displaying their culture and heritage. And, of course, all the implications.

I am mainly coming at this concept with regards to Creek Indian history. I would love to collaborate with someone simply interested in the concept of redefining Indian Removal, preferably someone who could add variety to the content (knowledge other than Creek history). I would also be willing to collaborate with someone who is interested in redefining or expanding public understanding of a popular historical event or topic, in which case the program could be about the importance and implications of re-examining our practices.

If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to share contact information for other people the proposer should reach out to, please get in contact directly: Savannah Grandey

If you have general ideas or feedback to share please feel free to use the comments feature below.

All feedback, and offers of assistance, should be submitted by July 3, 2016.

COMMENTS HAVE CLOSED. PLEASE EMAIL THE PROPOSER DIRECTLY WITH ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR OFFERS TO COLLABORATE.

Discussion

2 comments
  1. Laurie Arnold says:
    June 27, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    Savannah, this is such an important discussion, because it will debunk the idea that Native Americans/Indians no longer reside in the southeast. The Seminole Tribe offers an important counter-point to that narrative, because of their persistence and their success. Jessica Cattelino’s book High Stakes: Florida Seminole Gaming and Sovereignty is about more than gaming–it explores how gaming has created a path for Seminole cultural preservation. Hers is not a public history project, but you might locate scholarship which builds upon these ideas.

    Good luck!
    Laurie

  2. Modupe Labode says:
    July 1, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    Savannah, This is a very important topic given the location of the conference city. To get perspectives from historians who have interpreted this issue, you might think of getting in contact with the team that worked on the NMAI exhibition “Nation to Nation,” which has a valuable section on removal (“Bad Acts, Bad Paper”). This section features Potawatomi experiences of negotiating treaties and removal from Indiana. Also, curators and community members at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis have interpreted removal and suppression of culture in their exhibition ” Mihtohseenionki: The People’s Place.”

    Good luck!

Comments are closed.