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Native American Author to Discuss Challenges of Being a Traditional Woman
10/29/2009
AURORA, Ill. — Marjorie June Williams-Waheneka, a Native American educator, author and historian, will discuss "A Traditional Woman in a Contemporary World" at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Aurora University.
Waheneka will speak in the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures in Dunham Hall at 1400 Marseillaise Place in Aurora.
The public is invited. Admission is free. The presentation is in conjunction with "Peoples of the Plateau," a current exhibit of 51 photos of Native Americans taken by photographer Lee Moorhouse from 1898-1915.
On display until Jan. 3, the exhibit is part of a 30-month national tour containing photographs reproduced from the original glass plates. The tour was developed and is managed by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services, Kansas City, Mo.
Waheneka is a member of the Confederated Umatilla Tribes of Eastern Oregon and living history coordinator at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute near Pendleton, Ore.
She will share some of the challenges of adhering to a traditional beliefs in a contemporary world from a woman's perspective.
Tamastslikt means "interpreter" in the language of the Cayuse, Palouse and Warm Springs tribes, which are closely related. The Tamástslikt Institute is a museum and research institute located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton. The only Native American museum along the Oregon Trail, Tamastslikt is dedicated to the culture of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes of Native Americans.
Waheneka served on the institute's research and resource committee during its formation, and since Tamastslikt has opened its doors in 1998 she has worked in visitor services, collections and temporary exhibits manager.
Prior to her employment at Tamastslikt, she was an interpretive ranger at Whitman Mission National Historic Site in Walla Walla, Wash., for 18 years.
Born on the Umatilla reservation, she was raised by her maternal grandparents. She spent 10 years in the Seattle area after high school graduation and attended Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash. She returned to the reservation in 1974 and never left again.
Wahaneka has served on local and national committees as a tribal consultant for permanent museum exhibits, traveling exhibits and books relating to the care of Indian artifacts. Additionally, she has authored articles for special edition releases and magazines.
A woman of the Long House, Waheneka practices the Natitayt (Indian) way. She is a food gatherer and preserves all the roots, berries, fish and meat brought into the home for use at the Long House during funerals and special ceremonies. She teaches anyone who wants to learn about the Indian way.
She continues to learn the Indian language and is proud that her grandchildren are her teachers too, some as early as preschool. Her family and especially her mother in law Lonnie Alexander are her support system and the foundation of her life after the Creator.
