Appalachian Forest Discovery Center prepares to open for the season with new exhibit

ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — Seneca artisans will have the opportunity to display their work later this month for the opening of a brand-new exhibit at the Appalachian Forest Discovery Center.

On May 18 the Discovery Center will open its newest exhibit “Creating Home: Indigenous Roots and Connections in the Appalachian Forest” which aims to educate visitors on Native American culture and its influence on Appalachian culture.

AmeriCorps member with the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area (AFNHA) Eleanor Renshaw, who led the exhibit’s development, expressed her excitement for the new exhibit and discussed its importance.

“Many people have been told that there were no permanent Native American settlements in West Virginia or that they just used this area for hunting. Yet the names and languages of Indigenous people remain on our landscape in place names like Seneca Rocks, Mingo, and Monongahela,” Renshaw said.

“Our exhibit brings together Native stories and arts past and present, along with archaeological research, to show some of the many ways that Indigenous people have lived, loved, and created home in the Appalachian Forest since time immemorial.”

The artisan showcase is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will feature presentations and demonstrations on Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) art and culture by traditional artists from the Seneca Nation, along with foods with indigenous roots.

More information about the Appalachian Forest Discovery Center and the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area can be found on its website .

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