This is Problematic!

Latest Episodes:

The Power of Black Birders May 30, 2024

Ornithology is defined as “a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds.” The study, at least in America, is often tied to the amateur “father” of the study, John James Audubon. However, Audubon and many like him appropriated the knowledge of black and indigenous contributions and took the credit for themselves. Ornithology is filled with racist ideologies, with many slave-owners and/or white supremacists being rewarded with birds bearing their namesakes. Black naturalists may have been labeled as “amateur”, but their voices cannot remain silenced. Black Birder’s week is a celebration of black nature-lovers and a commitment to the larger cause of breaking the colonial ties to greenspaces where everyone should feel welcome and safe. Ms. Nicole Jackson- founder of N Her Nature LLC, nature enthusiast, park advocate, Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Education & Interpretation, and birder-joins us to relight the fire for what we all know is true; the outdoors are for everyone!

Our Sources:

Audubon, John James. The Life of John James Audubon, the Naturalist. Edited by Lucy Green Bakewell Audubon. New York: G. P. Putman's sons, 1875. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Life_of_John_James_Audubon_the_Natur/TB2gs7v5se0C?hl=en&gbpv=0.

Ellison, Aaron M. et al. “Broadening the ecological mindset.” Ecological Applications, Vol. 31, no. 6, (September 2021): 1-3. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/27092162

Jacobs, Nancy J. “The Intimate Politics of Ornithology in Colonial Africa.” Cambridge University Press, Vol. 48, no. 3 (July 2006): 564-603. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3879437

Mirzoeff, Nicholas. “The Whiteness of Birds.” liquid blackness, Vol 6, no.1 (April 2022): 120–137. https://read.dukeupress.edu/liquid-blackness/article/6/1/120/299559/The-Whiteness-of-Birds

Mock, Jillian. “‘Black Birders Week’ Promotes Diversity and Takes on Racism in the Outdoors.” Audubon Magazine (June 1, 2020) https://www.audubon.org/news/black-birders-week-promotes-diversity-and-takes-racism-outdoors#:~:text=News-,'Black%20Birders%20Week'%20Promotes%20Diversity%20and%20Takes%20on%20Racism%20in,and%20studying%20the%20natural%20world.

Nobles, Gregory. “The Myth of John James Audubon.” Audubon Magazine (July 31, 2020) https://www.audubon.org/news/the-myth-john-james-audubon.

Rhodes, Richard. John James Audubon: The Making of an American. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2006. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4j2FDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=John+James+Audubon&ots=GTGU7cI5Pk&sig=I0nBHyu6npig6HN8B0skVIF6aBE#v=onepage&q=John%20James%20Audubon&f=false

Southern, Keiran. “80 bird species will be renamed ‘to break links with ‘slavery and racism’.” the website for the National African American Reparations Commission. The Times, published on November 02, 2023. accessed on April 11, 2024. https://reparationscomm.org/reparations-news/80-bird-species-will-be-renamed-to-break-links-with-slavery-and-racism/.

the National Audubon Society, “Audubon Statement on Incident in Central Park’s Ramble,” National Audubon Society, May 2020, https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-statement-incident-central-parks-ramble

the National Audubon Society, “National Audubon Society Announces Decision to Retain Current Name,” National Audubon Society, March 2023, https://www.audubon.org/news/national-audubon-society-announces-decision-retain-current-name

Additional Links:

https://people.com/the-true-story-behind-christian-cooper-and-amy-cooper-s-central-park-birdwatching-incident-7510993

https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/125/1/duac047/7026134

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349479882_Growing_a_Community_The_Inaugural_Blackbotanistsweek_Recap_and_Looking_Forward

Hate Can’t Teach: Why statue removal is NOT historical erasure May 05, 2024

Confederate monuments spawn controversy wherever they sit, and recently their removal has caused emotional uproar from all sides of the political spectrum. These ghostly shells of the past represent the myth of the Lost Cause, striking slavery from the list of reasons why the Civil War was fought and turning blame towards the North. Our special guests, Katie Bramell, a museum professional who tackled this subject at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and her former co-worker Jesse Kramer, the director of Exhibits and Collections at Conner Prairie join Zoë and Easton to unpack the issue; if our country almost split in half, what is there to celebrate? From the deep South to the heart of Indiana, these harmful celebrations still negatively impact people who simply want to live lives free of fear. How do we deal with issues beyond flags and statues? What role do museums have in all of this? Can a monument truly receive proper interpretation? We’ll try to answer these questions as best we can!

Description of and link to Through2Eyes: https://www.through2eyes.com/

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Website: https://freedomcenter.org/

Link to Kehende Wiley New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/kehinde-wileys-anti-confederate-memorial

Description of and link to civic love questions: https://www.nphm.org/civiclove

Links to Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Confederate-States-of-America/The-Confederacy-at-war

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2020/06/08/garfield-park-confederate-monument-history/5319718002/

https://www.indianaconnection.org/the-battle-of-corydon-memorial-park/

https://www.indyartsguide.org/public-art/confederate-soldiers-sailors-monument/

https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/250?tour=30&index=0

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/27/the-statue-graveyard-where-torn-down-confederate-monuments-lie

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2018/stone-mountain-monumental-dilemma

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/kehinde-wileys-anti-confederate-memorial&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1714674240156546&usg=AOvVaw25CmBjt9EKu9__2yCBThb_

In the Shadow of the Prophet: Legacy of the 1806 Eclipse Mar 22, 2024

Today Zoe and Easton are unraveling a complex yet fascinating story connecting a solar eclipse in 1806 to a future president, Chief Anderson's ascension to Chiefdom, and a pan-indigenous movement led by a Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa- the man that many remember as 'The prophet.' They won't be alone however. Our curator of Native American history and life, Sara Schumacher, is back with us, setting the historical stage and teaching us who the fascinating figures that make up this story are and how they got here. Later on, the former Assistant Chief of the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and was a longtime cultural ambassador and Historical Interpreter here at Conner Prairie, Mike Pace, makes his podcast debut to recount his experiences as a member of the Lenape nation and explore the long-term impacts that the often overlooked indigenous population have on our state of Indiana as well as our nation.

Our sources:

Badger, Joseph and Day, Henry Noble. A Memoir of Rev. Joseph Badger. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan, September 2009.

Drake, Benjamin. 1841. Life of Tecumseh. Cincinnati: Anderson, Gates & Wright.

Eggleston, Edward, and Lillie Eggleston Seelye. 1878. Tecumseh and the Shawnee Prophet. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company.

Mason, Augustus L. 1904. True Stories of Our Pioneers. E.A. Merriam.

McDonnell, Micheal A., 2015, Masters of Empire: Great Lakes Indians and the Making of America, New York: Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Kinietz, W. Vernon, and Erminie Voegelin. Shawnese Traditions: C. C. Trowbridge's Account. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, 1939. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11395092. PDF. *

* This is a work created by an unreliable author with a singular source to represent a vast nation of people. Black Hoof himself has biases that may leak into the work as well. He would have no reason not to mention the 1806 eclipse and the Prophet but since we can’t read Trowbridge’s notes we don’t know if Black Hoof mentioned it and Trowbridge left it out or if it was never mentioned at all. Also sensationalizes ritual cannibalism which rarely occurred amongst the Shawnee and even rarer post-contact.

Which People's President? : Andrew Jackson's Populist Legacy Feb 13, 2024

Our yearly take on the controversy-filled legacies of former presidents brings us to the infamous ‘Old Hickory’, Andrew Jackson. Curatorial research associate Dylan Rawles visits Zoe and Easton to unravel an often overlooked aspect of Jackson's legacy; Populism, along with its rise in the United States. Jackson prided himself as the “People’s president”, which made him the “voice of the people” who stood against the “untrustworthy higher-ups.” This mentality would grow and expand far beyond his death, taking on many elaborate shapes and identities. Populism’s role in U.S. politics both past and present, factors that enable such movements to take shape, the voices left out of the conversation, and the nearly impossible task of nailing down just who “the people” are and what they want- we explore it all today. As always, thank you for stopping by!

36 Questions for Civic Love: https://www.nphm.org/civiclove

Our sources:

UC Santa Barbara. “Veto Message [of the Reauthorization of the Bank of the United States].” The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/veto-message-the-re-authorization-bank-the-united-states.

Remini, Robert V. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.

Watson, Harry L. “Andrew Jackson’s Populism.” Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 3 (FALL 2017).

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/2654029

Wilentz, Sean. The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005.

Further Reading:

https://tjrs.monticello.org/archive/search/quotes?keys=&sort_bef_combine=field_tjrs_date_value+ASC&field_tjrs_categorization_tid%5B%5D=2174&field_tjrs_date_value_1%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=&field_tjrs_date_value2_1%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=&_ga=2.75063957.660474691.1702336022-1751129134.1702336022

Owning the Past: Stewardship of modern museum collections Nov 01, 2023

Our Prairie’s Collections Manager, Rebekah Furey, Collections Assistant, Rina Sim, and Educational Curriculum Specialist, Zoe Morgan join Easton to talk about museums (which we love!). Museums are beautiful places where stories can be told from across the globe and inspire curiosity in guests of all ages. However, when we look back at the history of museums, we find that many began as wonder shows for the wealthy to share their plunder from their respective “Ages of Exploration.” Museums today have a choice to decolonize their halls. Increasing diversity at all levels of museum employment, repatriation of objects to the Native American Nations who rightfully own them, ensuring exhibitions that explore history’s silenced voices are integrated and not segregated- we talk about it all on this journey!

More information about NAGPRA!

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/index.htm

Our sources:

Shoenberger, Elisa. “What does it mean to decolonize a museum?” MuseumNext (2023).

https://www.museumnext.com/article/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-a-museum/

Huff, Leah. “MUSEUM DECOLONIZATION: MOVING AWAY FROM NARRATIVES TOLD BY THE OPPRESSORS.” University of Washington (2022).

https://smea.uw.edu/currents/museum-decolonization-moving-away-from-narratives-told-by-the-oppressors/

Chief Straw, False Monuments, and Native Misremembrance with David Heighway and Sara Schumacher Sep 01, 2023

Guess Who’s back? David Heighway; joined alongside Curatorial’s very own Curator of Native American History and Life, Sara Schumacher. Chief Straw is an entity that has been on our minds for close to a year now- and we’re going to talk about him- beyond Strawtown’s namesake story. The Native American nations and their histories have long been misunderstood in the United States. It’s hard to piece the truth together, but “hard” doesn't mean “impossible.” If you’ve ever wanted to know what the info-gathering process is like for Historians in the museum field, you’ll love this in-depth look into the process. Join us as we break down the story, analyze the documents, and place the spotlight on the “actors” that make up the messy web surrounding Chief Straw.

Our sources:

David Heighway. “A Mysterious Murder along the Frontier.” The Indiana History Blog (2016).

https://blog.history.in.gov/a-pioneer-murder-mystery/

Eiler, Kayla J. The Lenape on the Wapahani River. Muncie, IN. Ball State University, 2014.

http://www.lenapeonthewapahani.org/

Erderame, Jyoti A. (2021) “Strawtown.” Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (2021).

https://indyencyclopedia.org/strawtown/

Ryan, Jordan. “White River History: Strawtown.” Discover White River (2021).

https://www.discoverwhiteriver.com/2021/11/03/white-river-history-strawtown/

“Strawtown Koteewi Park History.” Hamilton County, IN.

https://hamiltoncounty.in.gov/411/Strawtown-Koteewi-Park-History

The Hoosier History Live! team. “Lenape (Delaware) Indian heritage in Indiana.” Hoosier History Live! (2014)

https://www.hoosierhistorylive.org/mail/2014-08-16.html

Prairie Little Liars: The myths of the Frontier/Pioneer Aug 02, 2023

David Heighway is back once again to explore the intricacies of our country’s constructed memory! It finds its way into nearly every American home; lingering memories of a sparsely populated frontier and the rugged pioneer. Many family histories have followed this line of thinking for generations. It even shows up at our own “Pioneer museum” of Conner Prairie. And yet, while not necessarily fabricated, we can use new information to see what the world would have truly looked like. As historians ourselves-just like David, that’s the best we can hope to share!

Show Notes:

Guest: David Heighway- Hamilton County Historian at the Hamilton East Public Library.

Library Website website:

https://www.hepl.lib.in.us/

He has written a book regarding strange local lore/ historical topics much akin to what we talk about in this episode- Hidden History of Hamilton County, Indiana

Linked Here: https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-History-Hamilton-County-Indiana/dp/1467150177#:~:text=all%202%20images-,Hidden%20History%20of%20Hamilton%20County%2C%20Indiana,-Paperback%20%E2%80%93%20August%209

Also, Special thanks to Dylan Rawles- Our Conner Prairie Curatorial Assistant, for giving us the gift of reveling in the presence of his great historical skills.

Our sources:

A Pageant In/At Hamilton County: Stage setting for all episodes (Noblesville Southeastern Public Library 1923.

Hamilton County’s first Centennial Celebration held at Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana, on October 3 and 4, 1923 (Source Library (Noblesville Southeastern Public Library, 1923)

Rogers, Carol O. “Black and White in Indiana.” Indiana Business Review, Vol. 80, No. 2 (Summer 2005).

Season 1 Blooper Reel Jun 27, 2023

We are forever thankful for the power of editing and the privilege to remove our less-than-perfect moments. However, we have to laugh at ourselves every now and then. We invite you to laugh with us, as we've lined up some goofs, jokes, and random singing from the entirety of Season 1 as well as a few audio-related side-projects!

Thank you so much for sticking with us thusfar, here's to another season of generating food for thought surrounding our collective problematic history.

Trust us, there will be more of these to come. Enjoy!

Smashers vs. Saloonatics: The Women of Westfield, IN May 02, 2023

We're back for Season 2!!! Hannah and Easton take a trip back to 1882 when a group of women from the town of Westfield, IN took their frustration with the opening of a local saloon into their own hands. Our discussion explores what motivated their unusually forceful actions, the consequences of their decisions (and the decisions of women like them across the country) and how the actions during the Temperance Movement still impact us today. Buckle up, we’re going Saloon Smashing!

Our Sources:

Primary Sources-

“The Westfield Saloon,” Hamilton County Democrat, Indiana (18 August 1882), p. 4.

“Vigorous Temperance Measures,” The Republic, Columbus, Indiana (28 July 1882), p. 1.

“Westfield ladies destroy saloon,” Hamilton County Democrat, Indiana (28 July 1882), p. 5.

“Women of Westfield,” The Noblesville Ledger, Noblesville, Indiana (28 July 1882), p. 1.

“Westfield: Saloon ruined twice,” in The Noblesville Ledger, Noblesville, IN (17 July 1998), p. 3.

Secondary Sources-

Cannup, Charles C. “The Temperance Movement in Indiana,” from Indiana Magazine of History (1920), accessed on JSTOR.

Haines, John F. History of Hamilton County: Her People, Industries and Institutions. Indiana University-B.F. Bowen & Company: Bloomington, IN, 1915.

Hamm, Thomas D. The Transformation of American Quakerism: Orthodox Friends, 1800-1907. Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN, 1988.

Heighway, David. Hidden Histories of Hamilton County. The History Press, Arcadia Publishing: Cheltenam, UK, 2021.

Lantzer, Jason S. “African Americans and the dry crusade in Indiana” in Traces of Indiana & Midwestern History. Vol. 22, Issue 1. Accessed on American History & Life.

Sanders, Paul D. “Temperance Songs in American School Songbooks, 1840-1860” in Journal of Historical Research in Music Education (October 2015). Vol. 37, No. 1. Pp. 5-23.

Tannenbaum, Jed. “The Origins of Temperance Activism and Militancy among American Women” in the Journal of Social History (Winter 1981), accessed on JSTOR.

Zaeske, Susan. “Hearing the silences in Lincoln’s temperance address: Whig masculinity as an ethic of rhetorical civility” in Rhetoric & Public Affairs Journal (Fall 2010). Vol. 13, Issue 3. Pp. 389-419. Accessible on America History & Life.

A U-turn on Sesame Street with Dr Charlene Fletcher Jan 04, 2023

Dr Fletcher is back for our final episode of the season! The history of Sesame Street is the topic of today’s conversation. Back in 1969 when the show was launched it was focused on underserved children to supplement absent preschool services. However, today it’s been moved behind a paywall. So, let’s figure out how we got to Sesame Street and where it’s headed…

Show Notes:

Dr Charlene Fletcher:

Her website: https://www.charlenejfletcher.com

You can read a chapter of her work here: https://www.amazon.com/Slavery-Freedom-Bluegrass-State-Revisiting-ebook/

Keep an eye out for her upcoming book: Confined Femininity: Race, Gender, and Incarceration in Kentucky, 1865-1920 from University of North Carolina Press

Our Sources:

Greene, Bryan. “The Unmistakable Black Roots of Sesame Street”, Smithsonian Magazine (November 7th, 2019), accessed at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unmistakable-black-roots-sesame-street-180973490/.

History.com. ‘“Sesame Street” Debuts’, This Day in History, accessed at https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sesame-street-debuts#:~:text=The%20show%20was%20the%20brainchild,year%2Dolds%20prepare%20for%20kindergarten.

Lepore, Jill. “How we got to Sesame Street.” The New Yorker (May 11th, 2020), accessed at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/11/how-we-got-to-sesame-street.

Tierney, Joan D. “The Miracle on Sesame Street”, Phi Delta Kappan (January, 1971), Vol. 52, No. 5, accessed at JSTOR.com.

Museum Education with Brandy Whitaker Dec 12, 2022

Brandy Whitaker, Conner Prairie's Director of Education, shares her 10+ years in the Education field in this discussion about Museum Education. Together we contemplate how Museums and their Educational philsophies fit within the wider Education landscape.

Show Notes:

Brandy Whitaker:

The preschool that Brandy & team created here at Conner Prairie: https://www.connerprairie.org/educate/preschool-on-the-prairie/

Link to Teacher Retreats at Conner Prairie: https://www.connerprairie.org/exploring-indiana-history-stem/

A beautiful blog post by Brandy on “Unlearning” & “Belonging”: https://www.connerprairie.org/blog-the-journey-of-belonging/

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

The work of Wes Bruce: http://www.livethecuriouslife.com

Peace out Big Boy!: His Accidency John Tyler Nov 23, 2022

Our first Presidential episode of This is Problematic featuring the (not so) well known US President John Tyler (AKA "His Accidency")! Today's trip through the problematic life of President Tyler is guided by your favorite hosts Hannah & Easton, as well as special guests Dylan Rawles (Curatorial Assistant at Conner Prairie) and Ryan Shank (Director of Digital Experiences).

Sources:

Edward P. Crapol. John Tyler: The Accidental President. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006).

Halloween: Leave the dead alone! Nov 14, 2022

Join Hannah and Easton as they travel across the globe exploring why Halloween becomes an opportunity to fetishize the dead, and the very scary roads this leads down.

Sources:

Buffenstein, Alyssa. “Spend a Truly Bizarre Halloween Night in the Catacombs of Paris,” Artnet News. Accessed at https://news.artnet.com/art-world/halloween-catacombs-paris-341393.

Harrap, Caroline. “Happy Kataloween: the spooky celebration in the Paris catacombs,” The

Guardian. Accessed at https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/oct/29/kataloween-halloween-paris-catacombs-parties-spooky-celebration-subculture.

Les Catacombes De Paris. Site History. Accessed at https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/history/site-history.

Stone, Phillip R. “A dark tourism spectrum: Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourism sites, attractions and exhibitions,” Tourism Journal (June 1st 2006).

UNESCO. “Genocide memorial sites: Nyamata, Murambi, Bisesero and Gisozi”. Accessed at https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5753/.

Usborne, Simon. “Dark tourism: when tragedy meets tourism,” National Geographic, July 15, 2021. Accessed at https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2018/02/dark-tourism-when-tragedy-meets-tourism.

Dale Wrong Burgess: Indiana's most problematic journalist? Nov 14, 2022

In 1966 "Just us Hoosiers: And how we got that way" was released. Dale Wright Burgess had worked for Indiana's Associated Press since 1939. During that time he slowly compiled 'historical' articles. These articles together became "Just us Hoosiers". For his work across his career, including this book, he was highly awarded including being admitted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. Today's podcast explores the problems with his writing and questions the praise he has recieved.

Sources:

Dale Wright Burgess. Just us Hoosiers: And how we got that way. Indiana: Unified College Press, 1966.

Gary C. Olson. “Dale Wright Burgess”. Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. Accessed at https://ijhf.org/members/1972/dale-wright-burgess.

Gentrification in Indianapolis with Kisha Tandy and Paula Brooks Oct 13, 2022

We are grateful to be joined by the incredible Kisha Tandy MLIS, who is an Assistant Curator at the Indiana State Museum, and Paula Brooks, an activist here in the city of Indianapolis, a Program Manager at the Hoosier Environmental Council and a lifelong member of the community of Indianapolis. Today they are talking with us about their experiences of how Indianapolis has changed over recent years due to Gentrification, and how measures can be taken to resist and reclaim spaces.

Kisha Tandy:

Kisha Tandy’s Bio at IUPUI: https://soic.iupui.edu/people/kisha-tandy/

The Canal Area Research Class Project she helped bring to life that we discussed on the podcast: https://exhibits.ulib.iupui.edu/CanalCollection/neatline/show/baist-1908

A driving tour of African American History in Indianapolis with Kisha from CSPAN in 2019: https://www.c-span.org/video/?467001-1/african-american-history-indianapolis#

Paula Brooks:

Paula Brooks’s Bio at Hoosier Environmental Council: https://www.hecweb.org/about/staff/

The Hoosier Environmental Council: https://www.hecweb.org

The Environmental Leadership Program: https://elpnet.org/what-we-do

Tours for you to take:

Through2Eyes (led by Sampson Levingston) has regular tours of Black History in Indianapolis including neighborhood tours of Martindale, Irvington, Butler-Tarkington, Fountain Square and Indiana Avenue. A link to his website where you can see availability and buy tickets is here: https://www.through2eyes.com/walk-talk.

In February 2021 and 2022 Kisha led a Black History Gallery Tour at the Indiana State Museum-keep an eye out for the 2023 version.

Sources:

“A Conversation with Wildstyle,” Central Indiana Community Foundation. (April 22, 2021)

https://www.cicf.org/2021/04/22/gentrification-and-fair-housing/

“Gentrify: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, KHEPRW.org

https://kheprw.org/gentrify-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/

Historic Ransom Place: Tour, Dedication Ceremonies, and Dessert Fete. Freetown Village: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, 1992.

Mekinges with Sara Schumacher Oct 04, 2022

Conner Prairie's Curator of Native American History & Life is joining us to talk about the story of Mekinges. Mekinges was a Lenape woman who lived on the land that is now Conner Prairie at the turn of the 19th century. She was William Conner's first wife and had six children with him before experiencing removal with her community. We explore how her story has been told in the past and the changes being made to better share her experience with the world.

Sara Schumacher:

Who is Sara?

Sara is a recent graduate of the MA Curatorship program at Indiana University Bloomington.

During her time at Bloomington she worked at IUMAA in the Archeology lab with Dr Melody Pope. Their work included rehousing artifacts from the Angel Mounds Collection under the Saving America’s Treasures Grant.

Sara also volunteered at the Wiley House Museum, whilst there she worked to maintain the historic heirloom seed saving project and documented artifacts found in the garden.

Prior to this she undertook an Undergraduate degree also at IU Bloomington in Anthropology with a focus in Archeology and a minor Native American & Indigenous Studies. Her time there was funded by the Indiana University Provost Scholarship. Some of her activities whilst there included President of the Lambda Alpha, Kappa Chapter, Anthropological Honors Society and recipient of Mary Ann Savage Archeological Fieldwork Grant in 2019.

She is Conner Prairie’s new Curator of Native American Life and History and you can see her official institutional introduction below.

Link to Sara’s introduction at Conner Prairie: https://www.connerprairie.org/new-curatorial-team-addition-at-conner-prairie-continues-advancing-diversity-in-museums-staff-exhibits-and-experiences/

Sources:

Charles N. Thompson. Sons of the Wilderness (Indiana Historical Society, 1937). **NOT a recommended historically objective or accurate source. Few sources exist so occasionally this is consulted to guide to primary sources. The author was a friend of the family and the narrative is deeply problematic (a topic for another podcast!!)**

John Lauritz Larson & David G. Vanderstel. “Agent of Empire: William Conner on the Indiana Frontier, 1800-1855,” Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 80, No. 4 (December 1984). Pp. 301-328.

James Brown & Rita Kohn. Long Journey Home: Oral Histories of Contemporary Delaware Indians (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2008).

Ma chun chis. Census of the Delaware Tribe of Indians Within the Delaware Agency Taken February 15th 1862. From “Delaware Trails: Some Tribal Records, 1842-1907”. From Ancestry.com.

Multiple articles at Official Site of Delaware Tribe of Indians accessed at https://delawaretribe.org. **This represents one group of the Lenape people, there are many groups and their stories intersect with the stories told here but are not representative of all experiences**

Pete Smith with David Heighway Sep 28, 2022

David Heighway is back to talk to us about the untold story of Pete Smith. Pete was a free Black man living in Hamilton County, IN in 1820. He found himself being captured and taken into enslavement in Kentucky. We explore how his life interesected with Conner Prairie and William Conner, as well as how his story has not been told and what the next steps are for sharing it.

David Heighway:

You can find more about Hamilton East Public Library’s work in history (County Historian David Heighway’s organization) here: https://www.hepl.lib.in.us/indiana-room/

Order your copy of David’s book “Hidden History of Hamilton County, Indiana” here: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467150170

Sources:

David Heighway. “The Mystery of Noblesville’s First Settler: Pete Smith,” Hamilton East Public Library. Accessed at: https://www.hepl.lib.in.us/the-mystery-of-noblesvilles-first-settler-pete-smith/.

Jeannie Regan-Dinius, “With Bodily Force and Violence: The Escape of Peter,” Indiana Historical Bureau, 2005 (State of Indiana, 2022).

https://www.in.gov/history/for-educators/all-resources-for-educators/resources/underground-railroad/with-bodily-force-and-violence-the-escape-of-peter-by-jeannie-regan-dinius/

William Conner with David Heighway Sep 20, 2022

Dive with us into the first of our three part series about the history of the land that Conner Prairie sits on today. Our first episode is about William Conner, the namesake of the William Conner House here at the Prairie. We are joined by Hamilton County Historian to dive into all areas of his life-the good, the bad and the ugly!

David Heighway:

You can find more about Hamilton East Public Library’s work in history (County Historian David Heighway’s organization) here: https://www.hepl.lib.in.us/indiana-room/

Order your copy of David’s book “Hidden History of Hamilton County, Indiana” here: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467150170

The Conner House (come see where some of it went down!): https://www.connerprairie.org/explore/experiences/william-conner-house/

Sources:

F. Shirts. A Primitive History of Indiana. P. 228.

Charles B Lasselle, “Old Indian Traders of Indiana” in Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 2, No. 1 (March 1906), pp. 1-13. Accessible at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27785428.

David Zeisberger, Diary of the Moravian mission at Lichtenau, Ohio. 1777-1778.

Box 37, Reel 9. Moravian Church Archives, Bethlehem, PA. (Copy of notes accessed at Conner Prairie Archive)

Denissen Volumes. Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, Detroit, Michigan. (Copy accessed at Conner Prairie Archive)

Dylan Rawles. “William Conner and the War of 1812”. Accessed at https://www.connerprairie.org/william-conner-and-the-war-of-1812/.

“Early Days” by Rev. J. C. Fletcher in “The Indianapolis Daily News”, May 11th 1881, p. 2. Accessed at Newspapers.com.

Eli Lilly Map tracing and Letter October 2, 1934. Accessible on the F Drive:

Indianapolis Gazette December 30th 1823

Indiana DNR, “Indigenous Peoples in Indiana”, accessed at https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/cultural-resources-and-history/native-americans/#:~:text=William%20Henry%20Harrison%2C%20governor%20of,Fox%2C%20Sauk%2C%20and%20Creek.

Indiana State Library, “Treaty of St Mary’s”, accessed at https://blog.library.in.gov/treaty-of-st-marys/.

John F. Haines, History of Hamilton County, IN, p. 161.

Larson and Vanderstal, “Agent of Empire: William Conner on the Indiana Frontier, 1800-1855”, in Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 80, Issue 4, December 1984, p. 327-328.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54507152/william-h.-conner

LEIGH DARBEE, “Fall Creek Massacre,” Encyclopedia of Indianapolis 1994,

(Revised March 2021)

https://indyencyclopedia.org/fall-creek-massacre-1824/

Robert F. Eldredge, Past and Present of Macomb County, Michigan. P.567-568.

Official website of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, “Removal History of the Delaware Tribe”, accessed at https://delawaretribe.org/services-and-programs/historic-preservation/removal-history-of-the-delaware-tribe/.

Western Censor, June 18th 1823, page 58. Accessible online at https://www.digitalindy.org/digital/collection/IH/

https://indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/Hoosiers-and-the-American-Story-ch-02.pdf

William Conner, Indiana, U.S., Compiled Marriages 1802-1892, 30 Nov. 1820, Fayette, Indiana, accessed at Ancestry.com.

William Conner, 1840 Census, Accessed on Ancestry.com.

Native American Representations and Misrepresentations in American Media and Culture with Dr. Liza Black Sep 16, 2022

Join Hannah and Easton for a discussion with Dr Liza Black about Native American Representation and Misrepresentations throughout American Culture and Media. This discussion spans the range of sports to film and includes recommendations for how to diversify your media consumption.

Dr. Liza Black:

Her IU bio: https://history.indiana.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/black_liza.html

Liza’s website: https://www.lizablack.com

Follow @_Liza_Black on Twitter

Order a copy of Liza’s first book “Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960” here: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803296800/

Liza’s chapter about Savanna Greywind and the Abduction of Haisley Jo Greywind can be found in “The Routledge Companion to Gender and the American West” Edited by Susan Bernardin here: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Gender-and-the-American-West/Bernardin/p/book/9780815387015

Recommended social media follows (remember to follow your own interests!) but here are a few called out in the pod:

@connie_walker on Twitter

Her podcast-Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s

https://open.spotify.com/show/7D4inq4DY144KIZN99Od6t?si=e6345b3fde8c44e4

Up and Vanished podcast-Season 3 Episode 5 “Blackfeet Nation”

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2mfxST0pLsyhkNPo7U8twb?si=Zc8bhB7ZTWKj7eKb2m3A7w

Sources:

“Ending the Era of Harmful “Indian” Mascots.” The National Congress of American Indians, (2022)

Accessed 5/17/2022. https://www.ncai.org/proudtobe

“History of Progress.” ChangeTheMascot.org. (2020),

Accessed 5/17/2022. https://www.changethemascot.org/history-of-progress/

S. E., Wilmer. Native American Performance and Representation. Tucson, Az: The University of Arizona Press, 2009.

The Story of Kent Brown and the Criminal Justice System with Dr. Charlene Fletcher Sep 01, 2022

Historian Dr Charlene Fletcher comes to the podcast, with expertise in US History and a decade of experience working in the Criminal Justice system, to explore a case from Indiana's history with Hannah and Easton. The murder of Kent Brown in 1893 rocked the small town of Winchester, Indiana. His story since then has gone largely untold, join us as we finally tell it and explore what it says about the American Criminal Justice system past and present.

Content warning: Themes of sex and violence may be disturbing and unsuitable for young audiences. Listener discretion advised.

Dr Charlene Fletcher:

Her website: https://www.charlenejfletcher.com

You can read a chapter of her work here: https://www.amazon.com/Slavery-Freedom-Bluegrass-State-Revisiting-ebook/

Keep an eye out for her upcoming book: Confined Femininity: Race, Gender, and Incarceration in Kentucky, 1865-1920 from University of North Carolina Press

Our Sources:

Brown, Kent, 1870 United States Census, Ancestry.com.

Brown, Kent, Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001, 5 September 1867.

Hiatt, Eleanora, 1900 United States Census, Ancestry.com.

“Indiana Parole Board,” Indiana Department of Corrections, (2022) https://www.in.gov/idoc/parole-services/parole-board/

Margaret Colgate Love, “Indiana Restoration of Rights & Record Relief,” COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES RESOURCE CENTER, (2020).

https://ccresourcecenter.org/state-restoration-profiles/indiana-restoration-of-rights-pardon-expungement-sealing/

“Mollie Brown,” Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, IN), 7th December 1886.

“Murder at Winchester,” Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, IN), 1st August, 1893, p. 2. http://genealogytrails.com/ind/randolph/stories_stormes_price_murdercase.html

“New Barber,” Randolph Journal (Winchester, IN), Vol. 5, No. 17, 25 October 1866, p. 3.

Segraves, Malissa, Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001, Ancestry.com.

Storms, Malissa, Indiana, U.S.,Death Certificates, 1899-2011, Ancestry.com.

Price, Samuel, 1900 United States Census, Ancestry.com.

Price, Samuel H., Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001, Ancestry.com.

Price, Elnora, Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates 1899-2011, Ancestry.com.

“What is a “pardon” and does it get rid of my criminal record?”, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, (2022).

https://lasclev.org/pardon/

Introduction to This is Problematic Sep 01, 2022

Join Hannah and Easton as they introduce you to This is Problematic, a Conner Prairie podcast! Discussion of the upcoming first season of the podcast and what you have to look forward to.

First Person Interpretation with Norman Burns (Conner Prairie President & CEO) Sep 01, 2022

Today Hannah and Easton are sitting down on This is Problematic, a Conner Prairie podcast, with the institution's President and CEO, Norman Burns, to discuss the topic of First Person Interpretation. As a museum that has employed this strategy for telling history this is an opportunity to get a glimpse into the past, present and future of this type of storytelling.

Show Notes:

Norman Burns:

@NormanOBurns on Twitter

His Bio on Conner Prairie’s website-https://www.connerprairie.org/about/board-of-directors/

Conner Prairie-https://www.connerprairie.org

Our sources:

Broomall, James J. “The Interpretation is a-changin’: Memory, Museums and Public History in Central Virginia,” in Journal of the Civil War Era. Vol. 3, No. 1 (March 2013), pp. 114-124.

Coslett, Daniel E. and Manish Chalana. “National Parks for New Audiences: Diversifying Interpretation for Enhanced Contemporary Relevance,” in The Public Historian, Vol. 38, No. 4 (November 2016), pp. 101-128.

Gallas, Kristin L. and James DeWolf Perry. “Developing Comprehensive and Conscientious Interpretation of Slavery at Historic Sites and Museums” in History News. Vol. 69, No. 2 (Spring 2014) pp. 1-8.

Halifax, Shawn. “McLeod Plantation Historic Site: Sowing Truth and Change” in The Public Historian. Vol. 40, No. 3 (August 2018), pp. 252-277.

Jones, Dale. “Theater 101 for Historical Interpretation,” in History News. Vol. 59. No. 3 (Summer 2004), pp. 1-8.

Moore, Nicole A. “Recollections on Interpreting Slave Life and Falling into Your Purpose,” in Radical Roots: Public History and a Tradition of Social Justice Activism. 2021, pp. 483-500.

Peers, Laura. ‘“Playing Ourselves”: First Nations and Native American Interpreters at Living History Sites,” in The Public Historian, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Autumn 1999), pp. 39-59.

Sheppard, Beverly. “Interpretation in the Outdoor Living History Museum,” in History News. Vol. 64, No. 1 (Winter 2009), pp. 15-18.

Rao, Seema. “Inclusive Interpretation Tips,” in History News, Vol. 73, No. 2 (Spring 2018), pp. 1-8.

Reid, Debra. “A Story to Pass On: Interpreting Women in Historic Sites and Open-Air Museums,” in History News. Vol. 50, No. 2 (March/ April 1995), pp. 12-15.

Whittlesey, Lee H. “The First National Park Interpreter: G.L. Henderson in Yellowstone, 1882-1902,” in Montana: The Magazine of Western History. Vol. 46, No. 1 (Spring, 1996), pp. 26-41.

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