The Salem Museum will host Central Appalachian Cherokee Tribe CEO and Principal Chief Ren Herdman for a special lecture on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m.
Herdman’s presentation, “Salem, Virginia’s Cherokee Defense,” will explore a little-known episode in the Colonial history of the Roanoke Valley involving then-Major Andrew Lewis, a local pioneer and militia leader, and Cherokee Chief Ostenaco, a warrior, orator and diplomat.
In 1756, as the French and Indian War continued, Ostenaco and Lewis worked together to prepare for battle against the Shawnee. Herdman will discuss Lewis and Ostenaco’s collaboration and the 130 Cherokee who camped along the Roanoke River. The encampment also drew the attention of George Washington.
The event is free and open to the public.
Herdman is the CEO and principal chief of the Central Appalachian Cherokee Tribe and the first woman to hold the position. A Southwest Virginia native, she has spent years researching and documenting Native American sites in Central Appalachia and across the country.
Herdman is an educator and speaker on Native American issues, with programs that explore tribes of the Central Appalachian region and throughout the United States. She is of documented Native American descent through DNA and family history.
The Salem Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located in the historic 1845 Williams-Brown House at 801 E. Main St. in Salem. Admission and parking are free, and donations are accepted.
The entrance is located at the Oakey Field Complex sign across Main Street from the Berglund Ford service entrance.
For more information, call 540-389-6760 or visit SalemMuseum.org.
-The Salem Times-Register
