N EWS she continues, is a direct result of the school’s legacy. HUMOR, PAIN AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN As a history major with a minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Brown’s role as a researcher is a natural fit. But in addition to her academic credentials and interests, she is also from Snowbird. In fact, her father, uncle and grandparents all attended its former day school. For Brown, one of the main appeals of the project is its specificity. So often, she says, Native American history gets reduced to two acts: first contact and the subsequent removal out west. “People don’t usually talk about these little small community day schools and the experiences had,” she says. But it is in these types of stories, she adds, that a more nuanced history is revealed. Talk, however, can prove tricky. Brown recently interviewed her grandmother, Frieda Brown-Rattler, for the project. In 1954, Brown-Rattler was one of the first students from the Snowbird community to integrate into the nearby Robbinsville public school system. During their conversation, Brown notes, her grandmother was reticent to discuss the transition in great detail. “She didn’t want to say anything too negative,” Brown explains. “She said some students were very receptive and nice to her, and others were not.” In Brown’s view, this reticence is par for the course. “You have to listen and be receptive to what information they’re willing to give you and realize this isn’t your story,” she says. “This is their story, and you have to allow them to share what they’re willing to share and not push too much.” Along with reticent subjects, there is also the issue of memory itself. To combat its elusive nature, Jackson regularly brings old photographs to individual and group sessions. Since launching
UNCOVERING THE PAST: UNC Asheville assistant professor Trey Adcock is in the midst of establishing an online archive detailing the history of the Snowbird Day School. Photo by Thomas Calder the project, the UNCA research team has gathered over 300 images from the former day school. Most of these, notes Adcock, were taken by the Lees. Jackson says the stories run the gamut from humorous anecdotes to painful encounters. One participant recalled recesses spent playing in the nearby creek. Another remembered working in the lunchroom. A few have noted unpleasant run-ins with substitute teachers who objected when students spoke Cherokee.
For Adcock, it’s essential that the project capture the full range of experiences. “There is not one story that has come to the forefront,” he says. “I think it’s a collection that showcases a complicated history around assimilation and maintaining culture.” ‘THE STORY OF APPALACHIA’ Come August, former Snowbird Day School students will finally hold the offi-
cial reunion that inspired the project currently underway. The gathering will give the team of UNCA researchers a chance to present some of their findings to the group. This will be a significant moment for Adcock. “To me, the work doesn’t really have value unless it has value to the community,” he says. In the meantime, the crew continues its dive into state and regional archives, as well as its ongoing efforts to capture personal histories. But the project’s end result, says Adcock, is not set in stone. Nobody, including Adcock himself, knows where the information might lead them. Yet Adcock’s intention is clear. The project is meant to give voice to those previously silenced through assimilation and forgotten histories. In sharing the personal accounts of these alumni, Adcock hopes to break many of the stereotypes still held by non-natives. And by breaking the stereotypes, he aspires to forge a deeper connection between communities. “It’s not just a Cherokee story,” he explains. “It’s a story about segregation and desegregation. And that is part of the American story. And I think that’s an important story that needs to continue to be told.” After some additional thought, Adcock adds, “It’s also a Western North Carolina story. I mean Snowbird — you don’t get more remote than Snowbird. This is a rural population, a poor population. It’s the story of Appalachia.” X
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A GROWING COLLECTION: Researchers at UNC Asheville have collected over 300 images from the former days of the Snowbird Day School. Photo courtesy of Trey Adcock
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