Kansas Humanities Council
The Speakers Bureau offers programs for adults. For more information, contact the Kansas Humanities Council, 112 West Sixth Street, Suite 509, Topeka, KS 66603, 913-357-0359, or www.kansashumanities.org. New topics include:
-
1. Whose Discovery
Was It? by Joyce Thierer. To Americans, almost all of whom lived east
of the Alleghenies, Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase opened up dreams of
a Northwest Passage. In contrast, there were already people living in
this region for centuries. How have these two perspectives been represented
over time?
2. Celebrating Lewis and Clark at the 1904 World's Fair by Tom Prasch. St. Louis marked the centennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition by hosting a world's fair. The "streets of Cairo," ragtime piano tunes, and ethnographic exhibitions were quite popular as visitors flocked to the fair. But what about the centennial celebration? Find out how and why Lewis and Clark's journey got lost in the shuffle.
3. Into a World Unknown: Lewis and Clark & the Corps of Discovery by Phillip Thomas. The exploration of lands west of the Missouri River and the search for a water route to the Pacific Ocean had been a dream of Thomas Jefferson. This illustrated presentation will chronicle the principal events of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the character and nature of the participants, and the peoples and lands that they encountered.
This mini series of programs was held at ten sites throughout Kansas in 2004 with ten additional locations in 2005. Locations for the programs in 2005 have not been selected.
Primarily intended for rural communities within a day-trip's distance of the Missouri River, the programs provide a means of learning about Native American communities along the route of exploration, about the many cultural influences within the Corps of Discovery, and about the ways these varied peoples tried to understand and communicate with one another.
The project is made possible by a grant from the Division of Public Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities to the Missouri Humanities Council, and has been designated by the NEH as a "We The People" project because of its emphasis on understanding the variety and richness of the traditions that make up our nation today.
It was designed with many tribal advisors who have been included in each of the mini-series. Kansas was fortunate to partner with Missouri, along with Iowa and Nebraska, to offer these unique programs. The speakers are from the national level and include historians, folklorists, Native American representatives, and others. More detailed information on each of the programs is coming.
ALL ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Tribal Nations | Education | About Us | Related Links