History on Tap presents Fern Renville with “American Democracy’s Indigenous Roots and Future”

The Clark County Historical Museum welcomes Humanities Washington speaker Fern Renville to the History on Tap stage with “American Democracy’s Indigenous Roots and Future” at the Kiggins Theatre on Sept. 29. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s Great Law of Peace—uniting six Indigenous nations in an alliance that predates the American Constitution by centuries—served as a powerful example to men such as Benjamin Franklin, who benefited from the political guidance of Haudenosaunee leaders. Franklin directly cited the law’s influence on the Constitution. But even Franklin did not comprehend the political and spiritual power held by the clan mothers of these matriarchal societies. Join Renville as she shares stories both mythic and personal that highlight Indigenous female power and leadership in America. Renville is a Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota, Omaha, and Seneca-Cayuga storyteller, theater director and playwright. She is the great-granddaughter of Seneca matriarch Melinda Cayuga.

The evening will include History and a Lie, where audience members try to figure out which tidbits of history are true and which ones are fake. The evening will also feature a segment of Clark County trivia. Admission to History on Tap is $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Kiggins Theatre Box Office or online at www.kigginstheatre.com. For more information, contact the museum at 360-993-5679 or outreach@cchmuseum.org.