An update to the annual Native American Heritage Program has been made. The program brings in diverse speakers for a day of discussion, activities and lecture on historical events and the Native American perspective on Monday, Nov. 13, from Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Woodward location with broadcasts on ITV to Alva and Enid locations. The Native American Heritage program and activities are free and open to the public to attend.
Park Ranger Kevin Mohr, Chief of Interpretation with the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in Cheyenne, will present a lecture at noon for the U.S. History to 1877 course, taught by Ken Kelsey, instructor of history and fine arts. The topic will be “Westward through Washita.” The Civil War ended and the West saw an influx of pioneers and veterans in search of gold and free land. The indigenous people, like the Cheyenne Indians who occupied this territory, were seen as an obstacle to remove. The Battle of the Washita began the end of an era of freedom for the Great Plains Indians. Mohr’s lecture will be broadcast from Woodward’s Room 116 on ITV to Industrial Education room 128 in Alva and Room 225 in Enid. Kelsey’s class also broadcasts to Mooreland High School and Sharon-Mutual High School.
Mohr has been in the field of Interpretation for eight years, starting his career at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeast New Mexico. After three years guiding cave tours, he transferred to Everglades National Park in south Florida. For four years he interpreted the complex ecosystem of the “river of grass.” In September 2014, Mohr transferred to Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. The year 2018 will commemorate 150 years after the Battle of the Washita, a significant turning point in Oklahoma and U.S. history.
The second lecture of the day will take place at 7 p.m. with Minoma Littlehawk-Sills (Cheyenne) for Northwestern’s General Humanities I course, taught by Carol Mote, adjunct instructor of English. Littlehawk-Sills’ topic will be the Sand Creek Massacre and Battle of the Washita from the Cheyenne perspective. This lecture will be broadcast from Woodward 114 on ITV to Carter Hall 107 in Alva and Room 202 in Enid.
Littlehawk-Sills was born in Perryton, Texas, and raised in Oklahoma. She is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. She was raised by her Cheyenne grandparents, the late Daniel Warren Big Foot Littlehawk and the late Leah Bear Head. She is a mother of two and a grandmother of two. She resides in Seiling with her husband, Irvin Sills.
Northwestern-Woodward will be serving an authentic Indian meal with Indian tacos, corn soup and a Native American dessert from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 5 to 7 p.m.
In addition, Northwestern-Woodward will play host to additional programs on its campus that day. Sydney Stover, Park Ranger at the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, will have activities and games for students in the Commons Area from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Items fashioned from the American Bison and army issued supplies will be available for tactile learning, as well as games and activities to help understand the clash of cultures that resulted in the Battle of the Washita.
Stover earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Master of Arts in Public History from Eastern Washington University. After attending a ranger program in Glacier National Park, she was determined to become a National Park Service Park Ranger (NPS). She began her NPS career at Capitol Reef National Park in her home state of Utah. Over the next few years, she worked at park sites in Alaska, North Carolina, Arizona, and Wyoming. Now, as an employee at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Stover’s goal is to inspire others to become Park Rangers and stewards of American stories.
Littlehawk-Sills will bring her family artifacts from the late 1800s to early 1900s for viewing from 2 to 5 p.m.
For more information contact Milissa Sturgill, campus coordinator of ITV/events coordinator, at (580) 254-2503 or mlsturgill@nwosu.edu.
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CONTACT FOR RELEASE
Ali Gavitt, University Relations Specialist
apgavitt@nwosu.edu, 580-327-8480