THE TWIG
Newspaper of the Students of Meredith College
VOL. LI NO. 7
MEREDITH COLLEGE, RALEIGH, N.C.
OCTOBER 27, 1976
Chickasaw pnncess presents Indian culture
by Miriam Victorian
and Nancy Newton
Te Ata, member of the
Chickasaw tribe, was a guest
of the Meredith campus this
past week under the spon
sorship of the Program for
Raising the Sights of Women
(RSW). Originally from
Oklahoma, she has for many
years travelled throughout the
United States and Europe
interpreting Indian folklore.
While at Meredith, Te Ata
spoke on the Indian today and
his religion as a member of a
panel discussion during
worship service. The panel
included Dr. Sarah
Lemmon and Alisa Rhodes.
Te Ata also performed her
interpretation of Indian
cultural and religious lore.
Before leaving campus, she
spoke to Dr. Leslie
Syron’s cultural anthropology
class.
In her talks, she
repeatedly expressed concern
for the younger generation
Indian’s place in a
predominantly white society.
Te Ata explained that while
whites are becoming more
receptive towards the Indian
nations, the younger Indians
are resentful of past ex
periences. In the past, when
the Indian could not fit in the
white society as a minority
people, he therefore at
tempted to become outwardly
white.
Now, just the reverse has
occurred as a part of cultural
awareness that has touched
all minorities and
nationalities in America.
Te Ata, whose name
means “Buryer of the
Woman” in her people’s
tongue, expressed her feelings
on the issue by saying, “We
are all togeUier as one,”
therefore the Indian may by
necessity live in two worlds.
“I see no reason why we can’t
hold on to our traditions and
be good Americans.”
She also explained her
feeling concerning the
popularity of Indian customs
Dance guild performs
The Easy Moving Dance
Company, a resident Raleigh
dance troupe, will perform at
Meredith in a lecture
demonstration Tuesday,
November 2, at 8 p.m., and in
a major performance Wed
nesday, November 3, at 8 p.m.
Both the lecture demon
stration and dance concert are
in Jones Auditorium.
The Easy Moving Com
pany was formed in February
1975 as a resident Raleigh
dance troup hoping to in
troduce the Raleigh com
munity to the creative aspects
of movement.
The company is composed
of dancers who draw on their
individual talents and
resources to choreograph,
create costumes and props,
and write accompanying
narratives to their programs.
I*crf4»rman«*4‘
In a special benefit per
formance of the broadway
musical “Cabaret” held
Sunday, October 17 by the
Meredith drama department,
about $500 was made for
scholarships for the Ex
periment in International
Living.
The admission charge
was five dollars and all
proceeds were contributed to
a scholarship fund to send one
Meredith student to the School
for International Training in
Vermont. About 300 people
attended the performance.
The school is a part of the
Experiment in International
Living, “a private, nonprofit,
educational institution” also
based in Vermont. Through an
“innovative,” “unorthodox”
teaching program and a
“multi-national student
body,” their school “prepares
young men and women to
function in cultures other than
their own,” as described in a
pamphlet about the program.
Two of the dancers have
Meredith College connections.
Mrs. Barbara Chrest, wife of
George Chrest, and Mrs.
Mary Cochran, wife of Ber
nard Cochran, will perform
with the group.
Mrs. Cochran teaches
modern dance at Peace
College and in the continuing
education program at
Meredith.
Mrs. Chrest, who
developed an interest in dance
as she worked as a psychiatric
nurse with children, has
performed with the N.C.
Contemporary Dance Theater
and the Duke Dance Group.
Other members of the
company are Denise
Gillespie, Betsy Rowland, and
Pom Skinner. All have varied
backgrounds in acting and
modern dance.
Sponsored by the Concerts
and Lectures Committee, the
lecture demonstration and
concert are both open to the
public free of charge.
to people outside the race as
“O.K., they cramp my style;
but, if they receive inspiration
and don’t just copy, it’s
all right.”
After attending Oklahoma
College for Women in
Chikasha, Oklahoma, and the
Theater School at Carnegie
Institute of Technology, Te
Ata went to New York where
she appeared in such
Broadway productions as
“Mon Homme,” “Mima,” and
“Trojan Woman” in which she
play^ Andromache.
Since she began per
forming her interpretations of
Indian customs, she has ap
peared in every state in the
U.S. plus the European
countries of Denmark,
Sweden, Scotland, and
England.
Te Ata has also been
honored by having a lake in
upstate New York christened
in her name by Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt, being inducted
into the Hall of Fame on
Oklahoma Statehood Day in
1958, and representing
America Indians for the first
formal state dinner given by
FDR. In addition, she has
performed in Hyde Park for
the King and Queen of
England.
Te Ata, Chickasaw Indian princess, performed interpretations of
Indian foikiore in her recent visit to the Meredith campus.
Phis and Astros reorganize
by Carolyn Morton
Hoping to rekindle the
spirit of the Meredith women,
the Astrotekton and
Philaretian service club
presidents have directed
rewriting of club constitutions
and changed enrollment
procedures.
Some traditions will
remain. Rush Week will take
place in January when Astro,
Phi, and Co-operation Days
will be held.
The difference in Rush
Day is that each freshman will
fill out an application
designating the club she
wishes to join.
Upon receiving the ap
plications for the Astro Ser
vice Club an Astro committee
will choose 20 of th freshmen
members. Cheryl Koob,
president of Astros, explained
that the limitation was due to
the desire to have a small,
enthusiastic club.
“Acceptance into most
clubs on campus is based on a
girl’s academic life. We want
to accept girls on the basis of
their desire to serve,” she
noted.
At the end of the spring
semester, the Astro com
mittee will review each
member’s participation in the
club. This participation is
necessary to remain a
member. Miss Koob em
phasized the importance of
upperclassman involvement
in the Astros.
All freshmen who apply to
the Phis are accepted, said
Martha Claybrodt, president
of the Phis. Each girl’s in
volvement is judged by a point
system which should reflect
her participation in over half
of the eight Phi activities.
A few of the Phi activities
are: club meetings,
workshops, and the traditional
Phi auction. The auction will
take place November 11 at
6:30 in the cafeteria and will
help the club in its support of
the Cerebral Palsy Center.
Astro members have always
supported the Shelley Child
Development Center for
handicapped children.
Miss Claybrook feels
that the Phi point system will
encourage member en
thusiasm while allowing all
interested Meredith women to
join the club. “We did not
want to limit membership to
just a few. We wanted it to be
open to all those willing to
work,” she said.
Speaker explores self-worth
by Kristy Beattie
Dr. Richard L. Hester,
currently a professor of the
Southeastern Baptist
Seminary, led the lecture
session entitled “Developing a
Sense of Self-Worth ” recently
conducted at Meredith.
All of us need to feel
valued and appreciated. Dr.
Hester began. Just as im
portant, we need to like and
value ourselves.
These two factors make
up our idea of our self-worth.
This feeling of self-worth is
like a thermometer; it goes up
and down with varying
situations.
Beginning school brings a
drop in self-worth because we
are thrust into a totally new
environment, he said. We are
unsure of oursleves and our
surroundings. Yet after that
first English test when we
make an A, he continued, our
self-worth may soar to the
limits.
Dr. Hester pointed out
that it is worthwhile to
develop one’s sense of self-
worth because it affects so
many aspects of life. Varying
degrees of self-esteem have
been found to be at the root of
many problems that develop
in relationships with others.
He posed as an example a
club, or an organization. The
member with a good level of
self-worth will be concerned
with how the group works.
The member with a low
level of self-worth, however,
will be interested in himself-
his role in the activities and
how the leader of that group
can make him feel important.
Dr. Hester said that
another example of the
problems caused by a lack of
self-esteem is marriage.
Frequently difficulties arise,
he said, because one or the
other of the couple is
struggling with a self-worth
problem.
Dr. Hester continued with
more illustrations of the
important part self-worth
plays in our lives, pointing out
that it affects the way a
person works, and com
municates.
Many people can see
themselves in some of those
characteristics. Dr. Hester
said, and perhaps feel that
things can never change for
them.
He insisted that people
can change. He cited the four
areas of behavior that reflect
our own idea of self-esteem
where we can make the
necessary changes.
First is the area of self
disclosure, the need to let
others know one’s ideas,
feelings, and opinions. Do not
be afraid to take a risk,
stressed Dr. Hester.
Second is the feeling of
belonging, having relation
ships with other people.
Third, one must
strengthen his self-assertion.
“Express yourself!” Dr.
Hester emphasized.
The fourth area of
behavior involved in self-
worth is competency.
Everyone needs to recognize
the areas in which they do
well. Dr. Hester said.