Educator To Discuss Tracing Native American Roots At Furman Lecture
GREENVILLE, S.C.—Will Goins, chief of the Cherokee Indian Tribe of South Carolina, will be at Furman University Tuesday, April 6 to open a window into the world of Native American art, spirituality and attitudes toward the land from ancient times to the present.
His lecture, “Mother Earth, Father Sky: The Reality of Native America,” will begin tonight at 7 p.m. in McEachern Lecture Hall (second floor, Furman Hall). The event is free and open to the public.
Goins will trace the connection between original Native Americans’ respect for the land and modern-day interest in sustainability, which is meant to ensure that the resources and opportunities of this generation are available in the future through conservation and environmental stewardship.
A descendant of the Eastern Band of the Cherokees, Goins is a folklorist, storyteller, musician, educator, author and activist. A popular speaker at public schools and other venues, he often incorporates chanting, dance and music into his presentations.
Goins will provide insight into how the perspectives, lifestyles and values of the original Americans were distinct from those of the European settlers of the New World.
Goins, who holds a doctorate in anthropology from Pennsylvania State University, contributed to and edited The People Speak: A Collection of Writings by South Carolina Native Americans in Poetry, Prose, Essays and Interviews (2002).
Recipient of the 2008 S.C. Folk Heritage Award, Goins has written and edited books on topics ranging from Native American cooking to historic sites in South Carolina.
His lecture is sponsored by Furman’s Shi Center for Sustainability, the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Furman, the Humanities Development Fund and the English Department.
For more information, contact the Furman News and Media Relations Office at (864) 294-3107.