How to NOT Offend the Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma

Chief Glenna Wallace
(Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma)

Chief Glenna Wallace is, by all means of evaluation, an incredible individual. She is the Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the first woman ever elected to that office. For nearly forty years, Wallace worked in various collegiate positions, herself holding multiple graduate degrees. She has been a positive force in education, Native rights, and her community.

And I may have inadvertently offended her.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chief Wallace during an NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop, Following in Ancient Footsteps: The Hopewell in Ohio. Before attending the workshop, the chair of my department gave me the green light to purchase any books or souvenirs that might assist in the planning of a new Native American Studies course that I was developing.

Consequently, I scoured the gift shops looking for resources. As it turned out, I already owned most of the books in the gift shop, but what I really wanted were replica artifacts. I wanted the students to be able to share the experience of seeing the artifacts without driving to Southern Ohio to do so. In each visitor center I looked for replica artifacts and was disappointed to find there were none.

Shaman of Newark
(Ohio History Connection)

On the last day of the workshop, at the massively impressive Newark Earthworks in Newark, Ohio, I finally saw what I had been looking for. There were replica effigy pipes, and the Hopewell Shaman, and a few other artifacts. It became clear that I wasn't the only teacher looking for artifacts and there was a growing crowd surrounding the shelf that contained the replica artifacts. I grabbed as many as I could and hustled to the register.

The park representative who rang me up was nice enough to wrap the replicas in bubble wrap, as I was concerned about the fragile souvenirs breaking throughout the day's hike through the earthworks. When we returned to the convention center for our evening programming, including a presentation from Chief Wallace, I took out each replica, carefully unwrapped it, and inspected it for damage. Luckily, each of them were in tact, and I began the process of re-wrapping them and putting them back into my backpack.

Adena human effigy pipe
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Chief Wallace began to speak as I was trying to tightly wind bubble wrap around the replicas, which is a very loud process. Out of respect for her and the rest of the participants, I decided to leave the last replica, an Adena human effigy pipe. As part of her presentation, Chief Wallace educated us on the largest challenges that Native nations face in present culture, including land rights, poverty, and cultural misconceptions. She also talked about NAGPRA and how it does not cover replica artifacts.

And then the bombshell. Wallace explained that the artifacts in these mounds were buried purposefully, as part of a celebration or with human remains, and the creation and disbursement of replica artifacts as souvenirs were almost as offensive as the possession of authentic burial artifacts without the consent of the appropriate descendants.

I felt the eyes in the room shift toward me and my Adena human effigy pipe. It felt like someone had instantly cranked the thermostat up at least fifteen degrees. Also, I could have sworn there was a good 30 seconds of silence as each participant judged me for my offensive behavior.

I looked down at the replica and then back up at the room. Nobody was looking at me.

Regardless of how much of the judgement and drama was contrived in my head, I felt awful. I had a backpack full of replica artifacts that I had spent a considerable amount of money on that I just learned I should not use, as they are exploitative and disrespectful to the descendants of the Hopewell and Adena. After Chief Wallace's presentation, I quickly stashed the replicas in my hotel room like contraband.

As I reflected upon this interaction on my drive home from Ohio, I remembered something that Chief Wallace said. She was talking about how the most important tool in changing public opinion on Native Americans lies in teachers like those at the workshop. Educators who are willing to foster the tough conversations and represent perspectives of Native nations and their ancestors are the key to making incremental changes in American culture.

John Branch, "You don't look like an Indian," 1995
(Indians of the Midwest)

I decided to use the replicas—just not in the way that I intended. I now open up our second week of the course with a presentation to share this story with my students. We then have a discussion about intent vs. impact and how being empathetic can help us become more aware of how our actions, purposefully or unintentionally, can truly influence the lives of others, both positively and negatively. Feedback from students has been incredibly positive.

Student-made Hopewell artifacts from our first unit project.

Chief Wallace unknowingly helped me turn a moment of personal embarrassment into one of the most meaningful lessons of the year for students in my Native American Studies course. We can now add that to an already impressive list of her accomplishments.

Bibliography:

"Chief Glenna Wallace," Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, https://www.estoo-nsn.gov/government/chief/.

"Following in Ancient Footsteps: The Hopewell in Ohio," Creative Learning Factory, http://hopewell.creativelearningfactory.org/.

"Hopewell Culture," Ohio History Central, http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Hopewell_Culture.

"Human Effigy Pipe," Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/641150

John Branch, "You don't look like an Indian (1995)," Indians of the Midwest, http://publications.newberry.org/indiansofthemidwest/indian-imagery/stereotypes/

"The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)," National Parks Service Archaeology Program, https://www.nps.gov/archeology/tools/laws/nagpra.htm.