Celebrate the Good News With Me

Those of you who have read my books know of my reverence for Native Americans, both of the past and of the present.  It is a society of human beings that calls to my soul, in large part, no doubt, due to the Cherokee blood that flows through my veins.  Consequently, nothing delights me more than to discover programs built around the veneration of America’s forgotten people of the type announced in this reprint of an article in the Ohio Archaeological Blog.  I hope you celebrate with me the following wonderful news:

Ohio Historical Society receives National Endowment for the Humanities grant to increase knowledge about Midwest Native American Tribes

Posted: 06 Mar 2013 05:43 AM PST

(Columbus, OH)—The Ohio Historical Society (OHS) received support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for a project to increase and share knowledge about Midwestern Native American tribes with community college educators. The grant to OHS is one of only three national awards the NEH made this year under the Bridging Cultures for Community Colleges program.

OHS and its grant partner, the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Community College (NEO A&M), designed Native Americans in the Midwest: Bridging Cultures at Community Colleges, a cooperative agreement with the NEH for a three-year faculty and curriculum development project for thirty-six community college faculty on the history of Midwestern Native American tribes.

OHS’s project works with faculty and academic administrators to increase their knowledge of existing research and scholarship on the history Ohio’s Ten Historic Tribes and their removal; introduce faculty to contemporary Native American cultural experiences; and facilitate a community of learning and research through course development and enhancement.

“This grant is an excellent opportunity for OHS to deepen our connections with regional educators interested in understanding Ohio’s historic Native American tribes,” said Sharon Dean, director of museum and library services for OHS.

The NEH grant will support the project from 2013-2015. During this time, OHS and NEO A&M will host three conferences for community college faculty and administrators and provide professional development by compiling historical resources for Midwestern Native American history, exposing community college faculty to scholars and Native American experts, and bringing them to locations that are critical to the Midwestern Removal story. For more information about the project, visit http://www.bccc-nam.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

Media contact, Paula Wasley (202) 606-8424 or pwasley@neh.gov.

ABOUT THE OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Founded in 1885, the non-profit Ohio Historical Society (OHS) provides a wide array of statewide services and programs related to collecting, preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archaeology and natural history. The society has over 1.5 million items in its collections throughout its 58 sites and within its 287,000-square-feet Ohio History Center at 800 E 17th Ave. (Exit 111 off I-71), Columbus, Ohio, 43211. The Society receives a portion of its funding from the state, but relies on admission fees, memberships, grants, donations and other forms of revenue to continue to serve Ohioans in the future. For information regarding the Society, contact Shannon Thomas, Communications Specialist, Ohio Historical Society: 614.297.2317, sthomas@ohiohistory.org. Visit the Ohio Historical Society at http://www.ohiohistory.org.