October 8 Program in Tiskilwa: “The Power of Indigenous People of Illinois”

Throughout the years, Tiskilwa’s one-of-a-kind name has engendered special interest and admiration for the Potawatomi people who first settled their “Gem of the Valley” in 1759. On Monday evening, October 8, Robert Morrissey will present a program that he has titled “At the Center of Everything: The Power of Indigenous People of Illinois.” This one-hour event will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Tiskilwa’s Museum on Main.

A programming grant from the Illinois Humanities Council has assisted the Tiskilwa Historical Society in hosting University of Illinois Associate Professor Bob Morrissey, whose special interest is the accomplishments of indigenous people who were the first to call this area their home.

Using narratives and images, Bob tells a new story that challenges the old stereotypes of the native peoples as beleaguered and defeated. To prove his thesis, he’ll demonstrate how their innovation and pragmatism had major influence throughout the Great Lakes and Plains regions, as well as in distant Quebec and Louisiana. His audience will come away with a better understanding of early Illinois country and its residents. Bob states that Native Americans “belong at the center of key themes in American history.”

Following the program, the society will provide refreshments and host a social time in the galleries.

Bob Morrissey, associate professor at the University of Illinois, will continue Tiskilwa Historical Society’s year-end salute to the Illinois Bicentennial on Monday, October 8, beginning at 7:00 p.m. His presentation at Tiskilwa’s Museum on Main, “The Power of Indigenous Illinois in Early America,” will show the significance and influence of native peoples in our state.