“We the Native People” focus of upcoming Macoupin County Historical Society program

The Macoupin County Historical Society will host “We the Native People,” a special presentation in conjunction with the nation’s 250th anniversary, at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 16, in the Ruyle Genealogy Building on the Society’s grounds, 920 W. Breckenridge St., Carlinville.
MCHS members and members of the public are both encouraged to attend. The Ruyle Building handicapped accessible and handicapped parking is available.
Kim Sigafus, a member of the Ojibwa tribe and author of more than 20 books with Native American themes, will present the program, focusing on Native Americans at the time the Declaration of Independence was signed. The interactive program uses traditional story-telling and song to help audience members understand the groundswell changes in Native American culture and lifestyle resulting from American independence and the subsequent western expansion.
The program is part of the History Belongs to All of Us Community Conversations program sponsored by Carlinville Winning Communities and is subsidized with a grant from Illinois Humanities.
Members of the audience will have a chance to learn music, drumming and song, as well as learn how to play other Native American musical instruments. Traditional Native American foods also will be discussed.
Sigafus is part of the Illinois Humanities “Road Scholars” Speakers Bureau, which has sponsored programs by artists, folklorists, historians, musicians, storytellers, living history actors and others to illuminate Illinois history and culture. Illinois Humanities has offered the Road Scholars program since 1997.
Her presentation aligns with the Illinois America 250 Commission’s theme, “We the People,” a framework that encourages Illinoisans and others to explore how people of all backgrounds have shaped our nation, as well as who has been included and who has been left out of the nation’s promise. The Illinois America 250 Commission’s goals are to uplift local stories, places, and programs; build pride; and showcase how Illinois brings the ideals of the Declaration of Independence to life.
During her presentation, Sigafus will discuss how the Declaration affected the Native people, how the newly established government viewed Native Americans, and the consequences of those views. Sigafus emphasizes the impact the Declaration of Independence had on the lives of the Native people, and the conflicts that inevitably arose between Native Americans and European settlers after the original 13 colonies declared independence. She will discuss how indigenous people once lived, worked the land, and raised their children, as well as what was lost of their culture as western expansion moved forward.Sigafus’ family is from the Whole Earth Reservation in Minnesota. Now a resident of Freeport, Sigafus is the CEO of Quiet Souls Events and Education, a nonprofit organization that promotes native culture through educational programs and special events.