Tricksters and Heroes: The Avengers Are Nothing New Lakota Stories of Mischief and Power with Dovie Thomason

• Event Date: Saturday, October 19, 2013
• Time: 2:00 pm–3:30 pm (CDT)
• Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Cost: $5

• Performance
• Family-Friendly tag

Long before Loki and Anansi arrived on these shores, the indigenous peoples of "Native America" told stories of Tricksters and Heroes---and they were often the same character! This is a concert of Lakota stories about Iktomi, the Spider (long before Spiderman). He is known among the wakan/sacred beings, the son of a creator (not Odin....), who, at one and the same time, can be wise and foolish. He is said to be the inventor of language and the namer of animals; he can shift his shape as it suits his schemes---He can move mountains or trap himself in his own tricks....Serious messages are often carried by this comical culture hero.

This concert will be performed by Dovie Thomason of the Lakota and Kiowa Apache Nations. Dovie has traveled throughout North America and abroad for more than twenty years, sharing the wisdom, humor and history of her heritage through stories. She has captivated audiences at the Grand Opening of the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater, Wolf Trap, The Kennedy Center and The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Poetry Festival as well as at universities, conferences, and libraries in the U.S. and abroad. She holds her listeners spellbound with her gift of “astonishing vocal transformation.”

A former teacher and university professor, Dovie writes regularly for educators and is featured in anthologies from Oyate Press. Her recordings and writings have been lauded by the American Library Association. She was honored as the 2002 Traditional Storyteller of the Year by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers.

Dovie’s workshops and keynote addresses on cultural diversity, untold histories, ethics, cultural integrity, and the role of stories in reconciliation have been featured at many events, including the 2005 National Storytelling Conference.