Peace Tree Ceremony 2008

The following is excerpted from the press release about the upcoming Peace Tree Ceremony...


Expert, archivist to preside at WVU's Peace Tree ceremony

Jamie Jacobs, an authority and archivist of Iroquois Indian history who has worked to reclaim burial grounds through the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, will preside over West Virginia University’s Peace Tree rededication ceremony Tuesday (Oct. 14).

The event will be from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the site of the tree between Elizabeth Moore and Martin halls on the Downtown Campus. It will feature native drumming, talks and other testimonials to the culture.

WVU’s Native American Studies Program is hosting the ceremony, which is part of the University’s annual Diversity Week observances.

Jacobs is a collections assistant with New York’s Rochester Museum and Science Center. He’s an expert in Iroquois history, culture and ceremony. He speaks Seneca and other Iroquoian languages and is a member of the Tonawanda Seneca, Turtle Clan.

Part of his work at burial sites is to identity and rescue artifacts and relics contaminated by pesticides and other compounds.

He’ll discuss other ways to acknowledge the culture in his talk, “Honoring the Sacred Past, Planning for Seven Generations,” which will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday in G-21 Ming Hsieh Hall on the Downtown Campus.

WVU’s Peace Tree was planted Sept. 12, 1992, to commemorate the University’s commitment to the rediscovery of America’s Indian heritage. In 1996, vandals cut down the tree, but a second tree – planted Oct. 19, 1996 – stands today on campus as a visible symbol to the power of peace.

Visit http://www.wvu.edu/~nas/peacetree/about for more on the history and symbolism of the tree.

For more on Native American Studies at WVU, contact program coordinator Bonnie M. Brown at bonniem.brown@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-4626, or go to http://www.wvu.edu/~nas/.