Processing buffalo burgers may be a strange way to spend a summer afternoon, but for Tammy Hayes-Hill, a program assistant in Residence Life, it’s one of the best memories from a Project Pericles service sabbatical that provided time this summer to assist the Occaneechi tribe as it readied for an annual festival in Alamance County.
The Pow-Wow brings people together to celebrate their culture and heritage, Hayes-Hill said. Dancers arrive from around the region and members of the community come to see and buy tribal arts and crafts and hear tribal updates. The June event is the tribe’s main fundraiser and an opportunity for children to learn about their tribe’s traditions.
Hayes-Hill wrote speeches for the tribal chair and gathered updates on the tribal calendar to be announced at the Pow-Wow. She also set up displays and advertisements, and assisted volunteers.
Beyond the Pow-Wow, she had administrative duties ranging from taking inventory of cookbooks to working with the tribal roll. She coordinated with the Web manager to update the tribe’s Web site and answered phones, giving directions and offering information about the Pow-Wow.
“It’s amazing to see how busy we are in [the office],” Hayes-Hill said. “Some people came in just asking about the tribe and who [the Occaneechi] are and you want to take time with them and reach out to them.”
Hayes-Hill said she enjoyed talking with traditionalists who taught her about the tribe’s history and involvement with the larger Indian community. Writing for the tribal newsletter about those journeys and different projects was the most touching opportunity her sabbatical offered.
“I don’t dance, I don’t have my regalia, but once I got to talk to them, that inspired me to learn more,” Hill-Hayes said.
The Occaneechi is an urban tribe; its 800-plus registered members are not concentrated on a reservation. Tribal members can be found in Virginia, though their main concentration is in Orange and Alamance counties in North Carolina.
Elon has a good history with the Occaneechi tribe, Hayes-Hill said. Anthropology classes go out to plant trees and Ray Johnson, an assistant professor of communications, filmed a documentary about the tribe several years ago.
The sabbatical persuaded Hayes-Hill to take a larger role in her tribe. She said she would like to run for treasurer in the next tribal elections.
Hayes-Hill said she has always been impressed when faculty members take sabbaticals to conduct research, but to be offered the opportunity for her personal pursuits has been wonderful.
“Just to know that you’re in an environment that is so supportive of faculty and staff research and service opportunities is wonderful,” she said. “In the Native American community, a lot of people just don’t understand what goes into keeping things going and keeping heritage alive.”
– Ashley Barnas ’10