The purpose of the stops on the road trip were to provide some orientation to the pre-history of Native American nations, and exposure to current experiences and issues. As we now encounter the Navajo, Zuni, and other Native American cultures here in New Mexico, we can begin to develop an richer understanding of the tapestry of cultures that make up the 500 sovereign nations within the borders of the United States.
First stop, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Powwow in Dowagiac, MI.
Second stop: St. Louis Arch & Museum of Westward Expansion. The word of the day was "perspective." How is history viewed from the different perspectives -- the European explorers, the peoples who were already living here, and now -- us. How was the history of westward expansion taught to you?
"Night at the City Museum" -- you'll have to ask them about this! The City Museum in St. Louis was closed, but they let us in anyway....totally cool.
Next stop: Cherokee Heritage Center & Trail of Tears Museum. The pictures below are from the tour of the ancient village. Our tour guide, Danny, was a fantastic ambassador for the Cherokee culture. We came away with a rich introduction to the historical ways of life.
The final stop on the orientation trip was a tour of the Bedre chocolate factory. This factory is owned by the Chickasaw nation (a tribe in Oklahoma) and sells its gourmet chocolate to stores such as Neiman-Marcus.
And -- Now the adventure begins. Here the group is around a pinon fire at the home of Mike and Gail De Young in Rehoboth. They provided a rich, warm welcome to us and got the semester started off in a good way. An added bonus was to have dinner next to the majestic wolves that belong to their next door neighbors. How interesting!
It looks you girls are having the time of your life! :D So cool!
ReplyDeleteThe places you visited looks amazing!