From ancient Navajo sand art to the present-day state of the countrys American Indian lands and reservations.

Thats the scope of the research presented Wednesday (Oct. 18) by five West Virginia University undergraduate students in the Native American Studies Program.

The colloquium will be from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Rhododendron Room of the Mountainlair student union, and is part of WVU s 2006 Diversity Week observances. The event is free and open to the public.

The presenters and their topics:

  • Sailah Creelfox , a psychology major from Calhoun County,Wampum Belt of the Shackamaxon Treaty;
  • Amy DeHaven , an agribusiness management and rural development major from Bunker Hill,Art that Heals: a Navajo Sand-painting;
  • Laura Manuel , a psychology major from Harpers Ferry,They All Blend Together;
  • Mollie McCartney , a double biology and history major from Walkersville,These Are the Stories We Tell About the River: Fort Berthold and Pick-Sloan; and
  • Patrick Rudell , a sociology major from Great Falls, Va.,The Fifth World and the Modern World: The State of Lands Held Sacred by the Navajo.

All five completed their research while enrolled in Native American Studies or Native American Literature courses during the Spring 2006 semester.

Its a pleasure to spotlight these outstanding students and give the University community a chance to learn more about the research taking place in our Native American Studies Program,program coordinator Bonnie Brown said.

WVU students may minor in Native American Studies or select Native American Studies as one of three fields to complete the bachelors degree in multidisciplinary studies. The Native American Studies Program is housed in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU .

For more information, please contact Bonnie Brown at 304-293-4626 or visit the Web site athttp://www.wvu.edu/~nas.