Elder-in-Residence Program
An important part of WVU’s Native American Studies Program is the tradition of bringing distinguished Native American leaders to campus to lecture and interact with our students and fellow community members (see “Legacy of Distinction”). Many of these honorable guests have been involved in our Peace Tree ceremonies. However, in the past several years, with generous support from the Carolyn Reyer Endowment for Native American Studies, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and others, a formalized Elder-in-Residence program has flourished through the participation of these outstanding individuals:
2006 Dr. Henrietta Mann, Ph.D. ( Cheyenne), public lecture, “Is Nothing Sacred? Native American Views on Reverence and Connection”
2005 Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan, Onondaga Nation, Haudenosaunee, Six Nations – Iroquois Confederacy, public lecture, “Cowboys and Indians: Will it Ever End? Ask Mother Earth”
2004 LaDonna Harris, (Comanche), public lecture, “Indigeneity: Indigenous Leadership in the Face of Global Change”
2003 Peterson Zah, former Chairman and Tribal President of the Navajo Nation, public lecture, “ Winds of Change in Indian Country”
2002 Angaangaq Lyberth, (Inuk), public lecture, “Melting the Ice in the Heart of Man”