Cherokee Art Market - Native American Times

18 NATIVE OKLAHOMA • OCTOBER 2013NATIVE OKLAHOMA • OCTOBER 2013 19R RStory Conference Oct. 17-19MUSKOGEE, Okla. – The Fourth Annual Five TribesStory Conference brings together some of Indian Country’smost renowned authors, storytellers, and scholars. Eveningconcerts, free and open to the public, feature storytellersfrom the Five Tribes, the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee,Creek, and Seminole. Throughout the two days, tribalhistorians and native speakers will discuss a widerange of topics, from the Trail of Tears to the boardingschool experience, encouraging audience questions anddiscussion.Award-winning authors, playwrights, storytellers, poets,scholars, artists and filmmakers such as Joe Bruchac, ClaraSue Kidwell, RoyBoney Jr., Rilla Askew, Phillip CarrollMorgan, and Les Hannah gather on the beautiful campusof historic Bacone College to interact with conferenceparticipants in the hopes of fostering a deeper interest andencouraging network of champions for the evolution of theFive Tribes narrative.For tribal members, the event offers a chance to sharefamily experiences, while the non-Native can enjoy a rareclose-up look at history, literature, and artistic presentationthrough American Indian eyes.This exciting two-day gathering, hosted by the FiveCivilized Tribes Museum, will be on the grounds of theFive Civilized Tribes Museum and Bacone College.Co-founders Greg Rodgers and Tim Tingle had long envisioneda conference to bring together researchers, tribal language experts,poets, novelists, children’s writers, and storytellers, to celebrate thecommon narratives of the Five Tribes. Mary Robinson, museumeducational director, caught the vision and began the process ofsecuring grants and funding for this low-cost two-day celebrationof Oklahoma Indian stories possible every year.Salty Pie: A book by Tim Tingle, Choctaw author & conference founderBee stings on the backside! Andthat was just the beginning. Tim wasabout to enter a world of the past,with bullying boys and stones andIndian spirits of long ago. But theywere real spirits, real stones, andvery real memories…In this powerful family saga,Choctaw author Tim Tingle tellsthe story of his family’s movefrom Oklahoma Choctaw countryto Pasadena, Texas. Spanningfifty years, Saltypie describes theproblems encountered by hisChoctaw grandmother—from herorphan days at an Indian boardingschool to hardships encounteredin her new home on the Texas GulfCoast.Tingle says, “Stories of modernIndian families rarely grace theprinted page. Long before I beganwriting, I knew this story must betold.” Seen through the innocenteyes of a young boy, Saltypie is thestory of one family’s efforts to honorthe past while struggling to gain afoothold in modern America. Morethan an Indian story, Saltypie is anAmerican story, of hardships sharedand the joy of overcoming.Tim Tingle, a member of theChoctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is asought-after storyteller for folklorefestivals, library conferences, andschools across America. At therequest of Choctaw Chief Pyle, Timtells a story to the tribe every yearbefore Pyle’s State of the NationAddress at the Choctaw Labor DayGathering.Five Civilized Tribes Museum | 1101 Honor Heights Drive | Muskogee