There are many ways Americans are recognizing the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
SunWatch Indian Village in Dayton wants to give visitors a different way to think about the nation’s history through a new lecture series.
Managed by the Dayton Society of Natural History and a sister site of the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, SunWatch is a reconstructed village from the Fort Ancient era. Today it is used as an open-air museum. The site’s history goes back 800 years, when it was inhabited by people from the Fort Ancient culture.
The four-part lecture series will feature speakers who are citizens from tribes with ties to Ohio — some of whom are from descendent communities of the original site inhabitants.
Jill Krieg Stover, head curator for the Dayton Society of Natural History, said staff have been planning its America/Ohio 250 programming for more than a year.
She said their goal is to share parts of the vibrant, thriving cultures of descendant tribal communities today.
“I think having speakers here so people can meet them is just so meaningful. And realizing that Native people are everywhere around us in Ohio, even though there aren't tribal lands here, they're still here,” Krieg Stover explained.
Many of the speakers, too, work with SunWatch and Boonshoft as cultural monitors, Krieg Stover said, with whom they discuss site presentation, best practices around cultural interpretation, and the repatriation of historic artifacts and remains belonging to their ancestral communities.
A tribal take on America 250
The first lecture was given by Logan York, who works as the historic preservation director for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The goal of this lecture, according to York and his tribe, is to “examine how major events in American history have shaped Indigenous communities while highlighting resilience, continuity and sovereignty.”
He spoke about Myaamia history in the region, which creates a complicated relationship with America 250.
“With over 7,000 citizens of the Miami Tribe, if you ask them now what they thought of the U.S. and the America 250, you will get about 10,000 replies,” York said.
Ohio wasn’t a part of the United States 250 years ago; it was still home to several American Indian tribes like the Miami.
From Myaamionki (translates to “place of the Miami”) to the Northwest Indian War to the tribe’s removal history, all the way to the present language and cultural revitalization today, Myaamia people continue to adapt with an eye toward the future.
“We're not trying to be like the past. We're trying to use this past as a scaffolding for our future,” York said.
SunWatch wants to help tell “different story”
Other programs from the series will discuss Dayton Society of Natural History’s collaboration with tribes, Native perspectives on Thanksgiving, and ways the Wyandotte Nation is connecting with Ohio communities. They will last through December.
SunWatch endured multiple excavations that removed artifacts from the site in the '70s when the site was at risk of development, and it’s a history they have to deal with, Krieg Stover said. But this history is part of the driving force behind their intent with this programming today.
They want to be allies and platform tribal voices, she said.
“Because I myself am not an Indigenous person, but creating a space where Indigenous people can tell their perspectives on the Ohio 250 in a safe and a welcoming environment, with people that want to learn maybe a different kind of story than they're traditionally told,” Krieg Stover said.
The next event will be held on Oct. 8, which will be a lecture given by Krieg Stover. It will go over SunWatch’s evolution from archaeological excavations to its growing relationships with tribal nations.
More information on the events can be found on the Boonshoft Museum website.
