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Along the Robeson Trail i By Dr. Stan Knick, Director-UNCP Native American Resource Center (Note: This segment was co-authored by Dr. LindaE.Oxendine. Along with the following few segments, it will soon be published as a chapter in Native American Studies in Higher Education: Models for Collaboration between Universities and Indigenous Nations, edited by Duane Champagne and Jay Stauss.) The American Indian Studies Department grew up among the ashes. When someone proposed in the early 1970s that historic Old Main Building be torn down to make way for a new building, many people in the local Native American community were outraged. Their beloved Old Main, the first brick structure of the old Indian Normal School, had been a central part of their lives since 1923. Even before the proposal to destroy Old Main, the seeds of an American Indian Studies Department had already been germinating. For as long as anyone here could remember, the Native Americans of Robeson County had been asserting their Indian identity. In virtually every decade since the 1860s they had expressed their Native heritage at local, state and/or national levels (Sider 1993; Evans 1971; McPherson 1915; McMillan 1888). In addition, the heightening cross-cultural consciousness which accompanied the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and the associated development of ethnic studies departments at colleges and universities across the country. augmented (he growing desire for an American Indian Studies Department here in the land of the Lumbee. Old Main Building was exacdy the right location for it. All kinds of activities had been held inside Old Main's walls ? the administration of the college, the teaching of classes, public gatherings and film presentations. Old Main had become a tangible symbol of opportunities in higher education for Luinbees. For much of Old Main's history, local Native Americans had not even been allowed to attend the state's other institutions of higher learning. Lumbee people weren't about to let Old Main go without a struggle. Marches were organized. Songs were sung. Poems were written. Politicians were called and visited. Support was enlisted. The voice of the Save Old Main Movement was heard all over North Carolina and throughout the United States. Leo Vocu of the National Congress of American Indians and Louis Bruce of the Bureau of Indian Affairs both visited the community and spoke in favor of the preservation of Old Main. In their book One Hundred Million Acres, Kirke Kickingbird and Karen Ducheneaux equated the Lumbee struggle to save Old Main with the national struggle by people of many tribes and nations to hold onto traditional lands. Kickingbird and Ducheneaux observed that the slate's attempt to close Old Main created "a direct confrontation with the Lumbee community, which regarded the building as the only visible evidence of their once extensive tribal lands.... Rallies were held to 'save Old Main' and the state surrendered (1973: 12)." Virtually in the middle of the debate about the best course of action to take, Old Main mysteriously burned in 1973. With only a shell of walls remaining, it would have been easy for the people to quit. But something else remainedySomething unseen ? the spirit of Old Main. Ruth Locklear Revels wrote in her poem, I Am Old Main: "...The walls that hold so many secrets, fears, memories, hopes, dreams and knowledge of those great men and women who were, are and will be the cornerstone of our community.... Destroy me, and I tell you, you destroy the very heart of the Lumbee people." That spirit was kept alive by the Save Old Main Committee and others, and among the ashes arose a remodeled Old Main. Eventually it would become home to an academic Department of American Indian Studies, and to the Native American Resource Center. Next week we will continue looking at the history of American Indian Studies at UNC Pembroke. For more information, visit the Native American Resource Center in historic Old Main Building, on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (our Internet address is www.uncp.edu/nativemuseum). * HELP IS HERE!^ Alcohol & Drug Services for Youth Palmer Prevention, Inc. 208 Main St. Pembroke, NIC 28372 522-0421 iMVTWNt - Medio* ud mc* pr,>?r?xwrMcts mrpird J I'U Iwliyi - tan*) u at ^|mLj|f l:nk or ao corfvdfp<Bdi?.|? >ogf CMVtalMMt- > *wpptw*conwn|hioy?? Hm Ax?>Khcu ?d? kc pajmen ini oo dw|a Avmllmklllty mi map# bnadt ?r i?nUbk. Fro# < ?? - Rrtmt a FREE Bijtt Glocooictcr* EJ?#e* XL ? GH*.-rwcitT* DEX* Mrtrr ?pon cweGmeni Stan Sating Toiav A> Calling 1-800-774-0788 S? trtli npaAni <& chut lakes ouscnc suprur _ I WHEELCHAIR PROGRAM FOR SENIORS Mobility Equipment Available for Seniors The "Seniors in Motion" program of North and South Carolina is making motorized and manual wheelchairs, three & four wheel scooters and other medical items avaliable to Senior Citizens (65+) and physically handicapped individuals. This equipment is available usually at no cost to those who qualify. The program features in-home assessments by trained local rehab specialists, and a hardship policy is in place to help those without a full funding source. This program allows you to remain in your home and out of a nursing facility. Today, physical impairments do not have to equal loss of independence. There is help. Call 800-594-1225 for more information or to see if you qualify. ? I 1 I SFI MARKETING GROUP Long Distance Service 5.9 cents per minute state-to-state 6-second billing 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week Save up to 50% or more on every long distance call! All day, Every Day! Residential or Commercial! Great in-state rates! Toll free numbers 5.9 cents! Special International Rates! No long term commitment! No enrollment fee! No Minimum usage! World Wide travel card! I . I www.ezinfocenter.com/449668/LD JoTtN BRAYBOY ? -ELECTTimothy Strickland LREMC Board of Directors October 9th, 2001 6:00pm Years of Experience "It's all fun and qamas until someone loses an eye..." That's what your parents told you when you were a kid. Shouldn't you tell your children? Each year thousands of children suffer unnecessary sports-related eye injuries ? bruised eyes, scraped or torn corneas, detached retinas and eye hemorrhaging. Vision Council of America, a nonprofit trade association representing the optical industry, wants parents to know that wearing protective eyewear can prevent or lessen the severity of most eye injuries. Talk to your eyecare professional (^ "a about protecting your child's eyes. I 1 yl A www.vljlonsltt.org FREE FUND RAISING GUIDE Groups: Raise money quickly and easily! Call 1-800-633-6750 Ext 31 for your free catalog. Dr. Jonathan Rich has joined the staff of SRMC. He is practicing internal medicine at both the ^ Robeson County Health yy Department and the \\ Dr. Arthur J..Robinson I jj Medical Clinic. ? a A native of Long Valley, NJ, Dr. Rich earned his medical degree from the JP Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, MO, in 1998. He completed both a one-year internship and a two-year residency in internal medicine at St. John/Detroit Riverview Hospital in Detroit in 2001. A recipient of a National Health Service Corps scholarship, Dr. Rich saw our area as offering the most interesting opportunity while fulfilling his service obligation. We can all feel good about each new addition to the medical staff at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. Each physician brings years of education, specialized training and personal expertise to our highly diversified health care team - and to our community. We'd like to extend a warm welcome to our newest doctor. With your arrival, there is a significant improvement in the general A health of this community. flm AflF SOUTHEASTERN iSlrj REGIONAL 30^ MEDICAL CENTER 300 West 27th Street, Lumberton, NC (910) 671-5000 A www.srmc.org
The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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Oct. 4, 2001, edition 1
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