From press release:
(HENDERSONVILLE, NC, October 13, 2014) – TJ Holland, Cultural Resources Supervisor for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for its Kituwah Preservation and Education Program, will kick off the Center for Cultural Preservation’s program series KEEPING THE FIRES BURNING on Tuesday, October 21st at 7PM. The series highlights Western North Carolina’s heritage heroes who are keeping alive mountain culture and passing it on to future generations.
Holland, who also serves as director for the Junaluska Memorial Site and Museum (JMSM) in Robbinsville will discuss the untold story of how the Eastern Band was founded, its battle to hold onto its people, its land and its culture and its work today to teach the next generation Cherokee traditions. According to Holland, “Lots of folks know we’re here but how that happened has been a mystery to many. The original inhabitants of this land are still here and they are continuing to thrive.” Holland believes it’s important for everyone to understand the lessons that the Eastern Band has to teach and the challenges they have had to overcome over thousands of years.
This program will be held at Blue Ridge Community College’s Patton Building Room 150. There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door. In addition to the Cherokee program on October 21st, the following programs are upcoming:
* A Musical Conversation with David Holt, Four-Time Grammy Award winning musician and storyteller, Nov. 5- Bo Thomas Auditorium
* The Mountains Are Alive With Bluegrass featuring Grammy Award winner Marc Pruett and acclaimed mandolinist Darren Nicholson, both members of Balsam Range, December 4, Bo Thomas Auditorium
* Songcatcher: Mountain Ballad Music featuring Donna Ray Norton and Melanie Rice Penland, Patton Building
* Green River Valley Stories featuring bestselling author Robert Morgan, Mar. 3 Patton Building
The Center for Cultural Preservation is a cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to working for mountain heritage continuity through oral history, documentary film, education and public programs. For more information about the Center or the Keeping the Fires Burning Series, contact them at (828) 692-8062 or www.saveculture.org. The series is cosponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council and Henderson County History and Genealogical Society, Liquid Logic Kayaks and Holly Spring Farm.
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