Jessica Robyn Diemer-Eaton/Piankeshaw Trails

[Needs More Caffeine]

Has anyone heard of these people?

http://woodlandindianedu.com/home.html

They are apparently getting lots of grants to play Indian for schools, essentially competing with Native people.  They don't mention on their website if either of them is Native, which suggests to me they probably aren't.  But I thought I'd ask around before I stirred any trouble up.  No local ndns I know know them personally, although others have expressed concerns about their "School of the Native" event.

Thanks for any info...

[Defend the Sacred]

I haven't turned up anything definite yet. I looked through their websites, and the sites of the handful of people they work with regularly. I also think it's notable not a single one says they're Indigenous. And while you really can't tell from physical appearance alone, especially with some of the Eastern tribes... I got to say most of those people seem white to me.

I think they're researchers and historical re-enactors who have found a niche for themselves. But I agree this may well be a problem. We've all seen that, due to racism, people looking to hire someone to teach in their program will often give the gig to a non-Native if they have that option. Even when the outsider knows less. So I agree these folks may well be a problem.

[educatedindian]

I received this message from EP Grondine, though I'm not sure why he didn't just post in here himself.

--------------

I have met Jessica and her husband at the Mohican Reservation (that is a Park) Powwow. She clearly and repeatedly told attendees that she had no Native heritage; the reason she had to answer this question so many times is that she is so good at what she does, portraying Native American women of the contact era.

Her history is such. As a student archaeologist she worked with Kraft's son on Lenape sites. The museum in New Jersey asked her to do historical re-enactments, and she did, and very successfully. She later went to study at Bloomington, Indiana and expanded her re-enactments from Lenape to other peoples. She met her husband, who was a colonial soldier re-enactor fed up with the behavior of many of those re-enactors.

They portray a mixed couple and are very good at doing this, making no mistakes to my knowledge. She can faithfully portray women of several nations. In as much as her husband is Christian, there is no spiritual teaching done, other than that she will correct gross mistakes in understanding.

There is no one else doing this type of work on this scale in that area who I am aware of. One Miami couple does limited work for schools and at Miami events, but they do not wish to do more.

Since no one else is doing the work, is Jessica exploiting Native Culture by trying to pass on knowledge of it?

About the only fault I can find is that Jessica does not make it clearer on her website that she is not of Native American descent....

---------------

EP asks that they be moved to Archives. Opinions?