Five Tribes Story Conference

Five Civilized Tribes Museum

1101 Honor Heights Drive

Muskogee, OK, 74401



The second annual Five Tribes Story Conference will be held in Muskogee Oklahoma on September 16 and 17, 2011.  Sponsored by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum the conference brings together some of Indian Country’s most renowned authors, artists, storytellers and professors. 



Throughout the two days, tribal historians and native speakers will discuss a wide range of topics, from the Trail of Tears to the boarding school experience, encouraging audience questions and discussion.  Evening concerts free and open to the public, feature storytellers from the Five Tribes – Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole.



Stories whether written, enacted or illustrated, instill deep cultural connections.  Intended to preserve, protect and perpetuate culture, stories build multi-cultural and multi-generational bridges that enhance involvement.



The Five Tribes Story Conference is a multi-disciplinary conference designed to merge practice and theory in interpretation of folklore, oral tradition, scholarship and literature of the Tribes.



The forthcoming 2011 conference holds true to much of the original intent- bringing together these champions of narrative to interact and carry on the proud traditions of story in all its manifestations.  In addition to explorations on the influences of the written and spoken word on our lives and communities that were the primary focus of last year’s incredible line-up, the 2011 conference will showcase segments discussing the cultural connection between visual arts, such as paintings, digital storytelling and film and the strong traditions of narrative inherent in Southeast Tribal life.



Crucial to the effective impacts of story are context, audience, performance and intent.  We will bring together tribal participants in the fields of history, ethnology, performance, literature and visual arts to discuss how each discipline informs the other.    The goal of the conference is to provide an enriching Southeastern Tribal environment, a joining of academic, interpretive, literary and performance disciplines.  Cultural performance and literary readings will be followed by academic panels, featuring scholars in the fields of literature, art, history and ethnology.

Each of the performing storytellers has deep cultural understanding of his/her own tribe(s) and the American Indian.  They have worked extensively with tribal elders to record and preserve their cultural stories.



Presenters for the conference are:  LeAnn Howe, Choctaw, Keynote speaker, Tim Tingle, Choctaw, co-host, Greg Rodgers, Choctaw, co-host, Joy Harjo, Muscogee (Creek), Robert Lewis, Cherokee, Stella Long, Choctaw, Lynn Moroney, Chickasaw, Diane Glancy, Cherokee, Dr. Les Hannah, Cherokee, Dr. Phillip Carroll Morgan, Chickasaw/Choctaw, Dr. Jerry Lincecum, Virginia Stroud, Cherokee/Muscogee (Creek), and Kim Roppolo. 



For more information on this other events at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, please contact 918-683-1701, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., website at fivetribes.org and fivetribestory.org or visit the museum at 1101 Honor Heights Drive, Muskogee, OK.