USCL honors Native Americans

From release
Beginning March 23, the University of South Carolina Lancaster’s Native American Studies department will host its eighth annual Native American Studies Week.

Since 2005, USCL has hosted a week of events each spring focused on the rich history and cultural traditions of South Carolina’s indigenous peoples.

This year’s program focuses on issues surrounding Native Americans and law and justice, and includes lectures by regional and nationally-recognized scholars, screenings of films and exhibits highlighting the topic.

After a kickoff festival March 23, at the USCL Native American Studies Center on Main Street, organizers will begin a week of events focused on Native Americans, law and justice.

The slate of speakers will discuss legal, political and social justice issues, including the recent S.C. vs. Cherokee adoption case of “Baby Veronica,” set to go before Supreme Court this session; the saga of the Catawba’s fight for federal recognition and the subsequent land settlement; the Cherokee Removal under President Andrew Jackson; and the legal and social struggles of the Lumbee of North Carolina.

All events are at the USCL Native American Studies Center, 119 S. Main St., except for the keynote address on March 28, which is at Bundy Auditorium on the USCL campus.

All events are free and open to the public.

For information, call the Native American Studies Center at (803) 313-7172.
 

Schedule of events
March 23

• Opening festival featuring drumming, flute playing, pottery and children’s vendors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

March 24

• Screenings of films on Native Americans, law and justice from 1 to 5 p.m.

March 25

• Lecture from University of South Carolina Professor Jay Bender, “Catawba Indian Nation v. South Carolina, 1975-2006: An Insider’s Perspective,” at 1 p.m.

March 26

• Lecture from USC Professor Robert Gilmer, “Recognition and Rebuilding: Tribal Sovereignty and Environmental Justice in Coastal Louisiana,” at 5:30 p.m.

March 27

• Lecture from USC School of Law Professor Marcia Zug, “Baby Veronica and the Future of The Indian Child Welfare Act,” at 1 p.m.
• S.C. Commission for Minority Affairs: National American Advisory Committee meeting at 2:30 p.m.

March 28

• Lecture from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, “Andrew Jackson and Native American Removal,” at 7 p.m., in Bundy Auditorium

March 29

• Lecture from USC Professor Malinda Maynor Lowery, “Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crowe South,” at 10 a.m.
• “Native Americans, Law and Justice” exhibit opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m.