Myfawny Sierra Ruiz (Appalachian State University)
This presentation provides a glimpse of York's multiple forms of intelligence. The spiritual beliefs of the Sioux tribe act as the transcendental signifier through York's journey of self-acceptance, proving a more valuable expedition than Lewis and Clark's ambition for manifest destiny. In the imagery of the Sioux “Spirit Mound,” York says “'This piece a land so full a spirits/I felt little hairs praising on the back a my neck…but Capt. Clark don't seem to understand what be sacred to others any more than he see the difference tween me ana pack mule." This devastation of colonial thinking is dehumanizing.
Part of 06-13 Re-Centering the Periphery in the South: A Japanese Violinist, Black Fiddlers, and Frontier Poets Enlivening an International Festival, Friday, October 14, 2:30 pm–4:30 pm