News Release

American Indian Heritage Month
at UNC to feature elder, films, more

CHAPEL HILL - A member of the Choctaw Nation, a tribe that has been part of North American history for more than four centuries, will be the first elder in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Elder LeAnne Howe, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, will work with the Carolina American Indian Center to give presentations and meet with students as part of American Indian Heritage Month. Celebration events began Nov. 6 and are scheduled through Dec. 1. In American Indian tradition, an elder is someone with wisdom and knowledge of tribal life.

Howe will give a free public lecture, "The Story of Corn Woman and Choctaw Literary Nationalism," at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in Toy Lounge in Dey Hall.

An author, playwright and scholar, Howe wrote for and narrated the PBS documentary "Indian Country Diaries: Spiral of Fire," which aired Nov. 8 and explored tribal and personal challenges faced by North Carolina's Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She will screen the film at 6 p.m. Nov. 29 at UNC's Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.

"We are so fortunate to have Professor Howe here to meet with our American Indian graduate and undergraduate students, and to provide classroom and public lectures," said Dr. Sandra Hoeflich, associate dean of the UNC Graduate School and chairwoman of the advisory committee for the American Indian Center being established at UNC.

Dates and times for upcoming American Indian Heritage Month events are listed below. All will be free to the public; all but one will be at UNC. For more information, visit http://www.unc.edu/student/orgs/cic/ or e-mail indiancircle@hotmail.com.

Friday (Nov. 17)
Film screening
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
209 Manning Hall
First Nations Graduate Circle will sponsor a screening of "Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy," which features commentary from UNC professors Brett Riggs and Theda Perdue. Contact Damon Jacobs, president of the First Nations Graduate Circle, at damon_jacobs@med.unc.edu for more information.

Saturday (Nov. 18)
American Indian Celebration
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh
Celebrate the state's heritage with a day of performances, demonstrations, crafts, games and food. Representatives from about a dozen tribes and American Indian organizations will be present for the "Call of Nations" ceremony at noon. For more information, visit http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/AIHC/index.html.

Monday (Nov. 20)
Screening and discussion
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Toy Lounge in Dey Hall
A screening of "Kinaalda," by Navajo filmmaker Lena Carr, describes this four-day ceremony performed to guide a young girl's ascent to womanhood. In this documentary, Carr journeys back to her childhood by chronicling her 13-year-old niece's experience. Refreshments will be provided. Contact Leslee Farish at lesleef@email.unc.edu for more information. This event is sponsored by the Carolina Women's Center.

Thanksgiving
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Multipurpose Room, Frank Porter Graham Student Union
The Carolina Indian Circle and the Residence Hall Association will sponsor the event. The association will provide a dinner catered by Boston Market. Those attending are asked to bring two canned food items for charity.

Nov. 27
"Health Issues Facing American Indians in North Carolina"
Noon to 1 p.m.
G030 Bondurant Hall
Dr. Ronny Bell, an epidemiologist at Wake Forest University, will speak about American Indian health issues in North Carolina. Traditional Navajo food will be provided for lunch. The talk is sponsored by Native Health Initiative (NHI), a UNC student group, and the American Medical Student Association.

Nov. 29
Public Film Presentation
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Hitchcock Multipurpose Room
Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History
LeAnne Howe, elder in residence at UNC, will present the PBS documentary "Indian Country Diaries: Spiral of Fire," which she narrated and helped write. The UNC American Indian Center is sponsoring this presentation.

Nov. 30
Public Film Presentation
11 a.m. to noon
Toy Lounge in Dey Hall
LeAnne Howe, elder in residence at UNC, will present "Playing Pastime: American Indian Fast-Pitch Softball and Survival."

Book Signing
3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Toy Lounge in Dey Hall
LeAnne Howe, elder in residence at UNC, will sign copies of her books, "Evidence of Red," "Miko Kings" and "Shell Shakers."

Public Lecture: "The Story of Corn Woman and Choctaw Literary Nationalism"
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Toy Lounge in Dey Hall
LeAnne Howe, elder in residence at UNC, will deliver this lecture.

Dec. 1
Native North American history lecture
Noon to 12:50 p.m.
100 Hamilton Hall
LeAnne Howe, elder in residence at UNC, will give this lecture.

Literary Seminar
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Donovan Lounge in Greenlaw Hall
Edler in residence LeAnne Howe will give selected readings from her books, "Evidence of Red," "Miko Kings" and "Shell Shakers." UNC's American Indian Center and creative writing program are co-sponsoring the event.

For more information, contact Hoeflich at (919) 962-6323 or sandra_hoeflich@unc.edu.

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For more information on the UNC American Indian Center, visit http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/aicenter090706.html

News Services contact: L.J. Toler at (919) 962-8589