(RE)CONSTRUCTING and (RE)PRESENTING HERITAGE: EDUCATION and REPRESENTATION in an AMERICAN INDIAN HOMELAND PRESERVATION PROJECT B
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(RE)CONSTRUCTING AND (RE)PRESENTING HERITAGE: EDUCATION AND REPRESENTATION IN AN AMERICAN INDIAN HOMELAND PRESERVATION PROJECT by LESLEY MARIE GRAYBEAL (Under the Direction of Diane Brook Napier) ABSTRACT Experiences of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation (Occaneechi) in constructing a heritage revitalization initiative known as the Homeland Preservation Project and organizing related educational programming were analyzed through an ethnographic case study. The purpose of the study was to understand the importance of the heritage museum as a site for organizing educational initiatives. Scholarship in museum studies treats heritage museums as sites for the construction of identity through the portrayal of culture and history, but focuses largely on display rhetoric and visitor interpretations. I used ethnographic methods to develop a case as an example of a local tribal museum and its significance, as explained by those involved in organizing and executing related educational initiatives. Having achieved state recognition only in the past decade, the Occaneechi are in the midst of a concerted effort to educate tribal members and descendents, other area tribes, and non-Indigenous community members about their distinct heritage and present-day existence. The Homeland Preservation Project plays a significant role for tribal members in addressing issues of identity, creating a dynamic understanding of culture in transition, recovering Indigenous Knowledge, confronting stereotypes about American Indian people, organizing new types of participation in multiple levels of community, and navigating various stakeholder interests through dissemination of multiple types of knowledge and power. INDEX WORDS: Museum Education, Grassroots Education, Community Education, Indigenous Knowledge, Native American, Occaneechi, Heritage, Identity (RE)CONSTRUCTING AND (RE)PRESENTING HERITAGE: EDUCATION AND REPRESENTATION IN AN AMERICAN INDIAN HOMELAND PRESERVATION PROJECT by LESLEY MARIE GRAYBEAL B.A., The University of Georgia, 2007 M.A., The University of Georgia, 2007 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2011 © 2011 Lesley Marie Graybeal All Rights Reserved (RE)CONSTRUCTING AND (RE)PRESENTING HERITAGE: EDUCATION AND REPRESENTATION IN AN AMERICAN INDIAN HOMELAND PRESERVATION PROJECT by LESLEY MARIE GRAYBEAL Major Professor: Diane Brook Napier Committee: Jay W. Rojewski Takoi K. Hamrita Brian W. Dotts Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2011 iv DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this dissertation to the many Occaneechi people who give of themselves so openly and tirelessly to educate their own and other people’s children; and to my parents, who have always been so generous in their support of all things educational. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my many thanks to the Occaneechi tribal council for their approval of this research project, as well as to the office staff for their specific assistance with the logistical details, and to the Occaneechi people who shared their thoughts and experiences with me as participants in this study. Completing this research would not have been possible without the tribe’s openness and willingness to share their story with others. I am also deeply grateful to Dr. Diane Napier not only for her dedication and commitment to advising me on the completion of this dissertation, but also for her ongoing teaching and mentoring. My committee members, Drs. Takoi Hamrita, Jay Rojewski, and Brian Dotts, generously offered their hard work, kind interest, and invaluable insights. The UGA Graduate School and the Wake Technical Community College Division of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences provided me with welcome financial assistance designated for conference travel, which allowed me to present the findings of my dissertation. The Workforce Education, Leadership, and Social Foundations staff has been helpful and considerate in their work with graduate students like me. My graduate colleagues Deanna Cozart, Kelly McFaden, and Mary Michael Pontzer read and gave their critical feedback on my conference papers and early drafts related to this research. Finally, thank you so much to my family, who has been patient and understanding in cheering me on toward graduation, and to my husband, Zachary Smith, who read my drafts, provided his own questions and insights, and patiently listened to me talk about this research using a million more words than I have recorded here. I humbly acknowledge the priceless contributions of all of those whose paths crossed mine in this project, and I sincerely thank you for your help. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM......................................................................................1 Statement of Purpose ...............................................................................................3 Setting ......................................................................................................................3 Rationale ..................................................................................................................5 Background of the Research Problem......................................................................7 Goals and Objectives ...............................................................................................9 Research Questions................................................................................................12 Importance of Study...............................................................................................14 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................................16 Museum Studies.....................................................................................................16 Indigenous Knowledge and Methodology.............................................................35 Context...................................................................................................................38 "[Click here and type Subheading]" # Museum Case Studies............................................................................................54 3 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................65 Research Design.....................................................................................................65 Theoretical Perspectives ........................................................................................67 vii Setting for the Study ..............................................................................................70 Data Types .............................................................................................................71 Gaps in the Data.....................................................................................................77 Logistics.................................................................................................................80 Roles of Researcher ...............................................................................................82 Data Collection Procedures....................................................................................87 Reliability, Validity, and Verification ...................................................................89 Data Analysis Procedures ......................................................................................94 4 LEARNING OCCANEECHI STORIES: HISTORIC AND COMPARATIVE FINDINGS IN THE HOMELAND CASE................................................................108 Sources of Historical Information........................................................................109 Occaneechi Reorganization .................................................................................110 The Historic Occaneechi......................................................................................114 Overview of the Homeland Preservation Project Site .........................................122 Critical Incidents in the Case Study.....................................................................134 Imagining a Grassroots Museum by Comparison................................................174 5 OCCANEECHI MUSEUM-MAKING IN THE HOMELAND CASE: THEMATIC FINDINGS.................................................................................................................186 Making an Indigenous Community Visible.........................................................188 Motivations for Teaching and Learning ..............................................................200 Balancing Stakeholder Interests...........................................................................222 Knowledge and Power in the Homeland Preservation Project ............................233 Impacts of the Homeland Preservation Project....................................................243 viii Emergent Themes ................................................................................................244