Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 11:30am
at the WVU Peace Tree in the Gluck Theater
With guest of honor Kody Grant (Pueblo of Isleta/Eastern Band of Cherokee) — public lecture to follow at 5pm in the Gluck Theater, WVU Mountainlair Student Union
WVU Peace Tree, in the Gluck Theater, downtown WVU Campus*
Guest of Honor: Kody Grant (Isleta Pueblo/Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
Grant is a seasoned American Indian cultural and historical interpreter whose work
focuses on building bridges of understanding. He indicates that he is “passionate
about fostering confidence within museums, organizations, and institutions to engage
with contemporary American Indian professionals and experts, while advocating for
best practices in the care and interpretation of Indigenous knowledge.” Grant
now serves as the inaugural Tribal Liaison for the University of Virginia.
The annual Peace Tree Ceremony is a highlight of the academic year. The university community welcomes Morgantown-area residents and members of the local Native American communities to campus to join in this important tradition.
*Note: The event has been moved from outside of Martin Hall to the the Gluck Theater, due to rain
The Peace Tree Ceremony & Lecture are provided with support from the WVU Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Gluck Theater, WVU Mountainlair Student Union
In his talk, “Trading Jackets: Historical Perspectives to Modern Connections,”
Grant will reflect on his work in cultural and museum education and
how this work has influenced his approach to understanding. This conversation
relates to the ways that American Indian societies have evolved under changing
circumstances and how individuals have come to both understand themselves
and view their modern communities, which are continuously being reinvigorated.
WVU Public History and NAS alum Travis Henline, Curator of Indigenous History & Culture for the Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, will participate in the Peace Tree Ceremony and provide the formal introduction to our speaker.
By Anna M. Schein, WVU Librarian, author and Native American Studies Committee Member
The WVU Peace Tree was planted on September 12, 1992 to commemorate the University's commitment to the rediscovery of America's Indian heritage. Chief Leon Shenandoah, Tadodaho (Presiding Moderator) of the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, and Chippewa Chief Robert TallTree, also a musician, artisan and storyteller, were invited to plant and bless the tree. On August 8, 1996, vandals cut down the Peace Tree. A second Peace Tree, which still stands today, was planted by Mohawk Chief Jake Swamp on October 19, 1996.
According to Haudenosaunee oral tradition, the Creator sent a Peacemaker to unite the warring Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Mohawk and Onondaga Nations by planting the original Tree of Peace at Onondaga ca. 1000 A.D. The Tree marked the formation of the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy.
As told by Chief Jake Swamp, when the Tree was planted, the Peacemaker told the first leaders:
This will be the symbol that we will use.
The white pine
will be the symbol of peace.
Now the greenery of this tree
will represent the peace you have agreed to.
Every time you look at this tree
and its greenery,
you will be reminded of this peace you agreed to
because this tree
never changes color the year round,
it’s always green,
so shall be your peace.
To learn more about the meaning and history of the Peace Tree, read Paul Wallace’s White Roots of Peace (Clear Light Publishing, April 1994).
Explore this archive of past peace tree ceremonies:
The 2023 ceremony was presided over by Tadodaho Sidney Hill, Onondaga Nation, Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The 2023 ceremony was held before the Fall Forum "THIS LAND WAS ALREADY LOVED: Native Leaders discuss their Nations’ Connection to Place".
View 2023 CeremonyCelebrating the 30th Anniversary Peace Tree Ceremony with Guest of Honor artist Marie Watt
Learn more: 2022 Peace Tree CeremonyThe 2021 Peace Tree Ceremony returned with a hybrid celebration with guest of honor Mervyn L. Tano, an attorney who for the past 25 years has served as president of the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management.
Learn more: 2021 Peace Tree CeremonyDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Native American Studies peace tree ceremony was a small, private event involving just six people.
Learn more: 2020 Peace Tree CeremonyPresided over by Jamie Jacobs, Turtle Clan, Tonawanda Seneca, a descendant of historic Seneca leaders. Mr. Jacobs’s public lecture, ”The Seneca and the Great Law of Peace" followed the ceremony.
Learn more: 2019 Peace Tree CeremonyThe 26th ceremony welcomed guest of honor Sarah Kastelic, executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, an organization that seeks to protect Native American children and preserve families.
Learn more: 2018 Peace Tree CeremonyWith guest of honor Chief Oren R. Lyons (Onondaga Nation), Faithkeeper, Turtle Clan, Haudenosaunee Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy & Chairman Emeritus of the Honoring Nations Board of Governors, Harvard University Project on American Indian.
Learn more: 2017 Peace Tree Ceremony