Kirk Savage and Elizabeth Thomas will present "William Holland Thomas: A New Perspective and a History Retold" at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee, NC on January 9. The talk distills years of research -- done in consultation and collaboration with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians -- on Elizabeth's ancestor Will Thomas, a white man adopted by the Cherokees in the early 19th century, and his adoptive father Yonaguska (Drowning Bear), headman of the only Cherokee tribal group to elude removal and remain on their ancestral homeland. Debunking white savior myths which have erased the real histories of both men, the talk recenters this story on the Cherokees and their resolve to retain the land that made them who they were.
