MVSKOKE RESERVATION – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Ministry of Culture and Humanities hosted an oral history workshop at Muscogee Nation University on Saturday, May 11. The free event was the first-ever workshop on oral history held by the tribe.
The workshop is part of an ongoing oral history project aimed at increasing the visibility of women’s voices in interpretive centers in national parks. The project is funded through the National Park Service and the National Park Service Foundation’s “Empowering Native Women to Share Their Stories, Their Ways” grant.
The workshop was led by MCN oral historian Midge Dellinger in collaboration with Oklahoma Oral History Research Program (OOHRP) director and Oklahoma State University professor Sarah Milligan, OSU Associate Director of Special Collections and Professor Mary Larson, and OSU history doctoral student Teagan Dryer.
Saturday’s event provided participants with training on the oral history process and a walk-through of methodology and best practices, including question formulation, consent form training, and deep listening techniques.
“Our memories, our words, our knowledge, our teachings, our stories. They are all valuable. Our oral traditions have sustained us throughout our history, our existence.” – Midge Dellinger, Muscogee (Creek) oral historian
One of the central goals of this project is to train Indigenous women in oral history techniques, develop skilled interviewers, and preserve oral histories in the NPS and MCN archives. Although funding is provided in partnership with her NPS, the resulting interviews become the property of the tribal nations involved. These nations control how and in what manner interviews are shared and displayed on NPS sites and interpretive centers.
Although conducting oral history interviews was not a requirement for participating in the workshop, one of the goals of the project was to give the women an opportunity to share their stories. Prior to this process, the workshop began with a history of oral history and its importance in American Indian communities. Participants were also given the opportunity to share ideas for their project and receive feedback from the facilitator.
At this time, there are no other MCN workshops scheduled for this particular project, but Dellinger is looking forward to future workshops. She said: “My primary goal was for participants to leave the workshop with a general and basic understanding of oral history and oral history methodologies. We wanted them to leave the workshop feeling excited and confident. We wanted them to be confident enough to go out and do oral history.”
The team is also facilitating other workshops for grant projects and plans to hold one for the Chickasaw Nation in June.
For MCN citizens interested in oral histories or original interviews, Dellinger recommends contacting the MCN National Library and Archives or visiting the online searchable archive at https://mvskokenationallibraryarchive.org. Masu. Mr. Dellinger can be reached by email at ddellinger@muscogeenation.com or by phone at 918-732-7618.
