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Date
Time
Age: All ages
Discipline: Geography, Civics, History, Social Studies
Title: Legends and Language of Cherokee around the Great Smoky Mountains
Description: Join Gil Jackson and Natrieifia Miller on a journey into the legends of place names, origins of disease, plants, and animals from the Eastern Band of Cherokee lands. Gil provides pronunciations and instruction of the Cherokee language, and stories of animals and bugs in and around what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Presenters/Bios:
Natrieifia worked with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) the summer of 2016 until fall 2017 and continues her involvement with ATC by serving on the Next Generation Advisory Council. She has been a main contributor to ATC Register Blog, built and maintained sections of Trail with many volunteers, and engaged with the public, educating about Leave No Trace and best stewardship practices of our natural spaces. Currently she works as an Education Technician in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, educating students and visitors as well as engaging with the communities and many partner organizations throughout Western North Carolina. Filtering her work through the lenses of equity and justice, Natrieifia does her best to incorporate, highlight and uplift the knowledge and stories of historically marginalized communities to allow everyone the opportunity for appreciation and connection to the environment.
Gil Jackson is a North Carolina native and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee with 57 years of teaching experience. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty and lecturer at the University of North Carolina – Asheville and Stanford University teaching the Cherokee Language with a goal of helping students develop strategies for maximizing learning of his native language. Gil has also served as the Executive Director of Snowbird Cherokees Traditions since 2014, where he plans after-school and summer language programs for Cherokee youth. Prior to that he served as the Kituwah Immersion School Administrator for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians for nine years managing and meeting all Tribal, State and Federal licensing requirements, while supervising and planning staff development and staff evaluations.