GREENEVILLE – A park ranger from Andrew Johnson National Historic Site will provide an informal look at the nearly 300-year history of the Navajo Diné – meaning the people – during an upcoming presentation at the Thomas J. Garland Library at Tusculum University.
Kathy Hipps, director of the Thomas J. Garland Library, left, and Dr. Aja Matthews, assistant professor of sociology, look at the book “Diné: A History of the Navajos” by Peter Iverson.
Held Monday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m., this one-hour program by Park Ranger Shawn Gillette will briefly discuss the interaction of the Diné with Spanish, Mexican, and American people. This connection eventually led to the Long Walk of the Navajo Diné into captivity at Bosque Redondo and culminated in the 1868 Navajo Peace Treaty, which saw the Navajos returned to their ancestral homelands.
The library event will also include a brief discussion of the 155th Navajo celebration at Andrew Johnson National Historic Site of the peace treaty.
The library and Tusculum’s sociology program are partnering to hold this event. It is in commemoration of Native American Heritage Month. The event is free and open to the public.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Shawn and our sociology program and celebrate Native American Heritage Month with this excellent presentation,” said Kathy Hipps, the library’s director. “This will be a highly informative program that will enable our guests to learn more about the Navajo Diné and the challenges they experienced. We encourage everyone to join us.”
Anyone with questions can contact Hipps at khipps@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7320. More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.