Libraries to Host Ryan Mackey for Native American Speaker Series

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Cherokee language expert Ryan Mackey will speak at 3 p.m. March 2 in the Helen Robson Walton Reading Room of Mullins Library about the confluence of language, cultural identity and worldview in a presentation titled Cherokee Meaning.

“For Cherokee people from traditional communities, cultural identity is not just the concrete things that we create, use or do, but the abstract meaning behind them,” said Mackey, “even when we are unconscious of those meanings.”

The presentation will cover Cherokee language revitalization efforts and the impact of multilingualism in the face of monolingual movements.

Mackey is a Cherokee citizen and graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Native American Studies Program. He is a spiritual leader in his local community and is a participant in Cherokee traditional cultural practices. He has worked in various roles within the Cherokee Nation and is currently the language curriculum supervisor and facilitator for the Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program, which trains conversationally proficient Cherokee language teachers to be adept in using language immersion methods. He is also a member of the Cherokee Elder Plant Society (Medicine Keepers) for the Cherokee Nation’s secretary of natural resources.

Mackey’s appearance is part of the University Libraries’ "Explore Native American Storytelling through Arts, Literature, and Culture" program, which features guest speakers and rotating exhibits throughout the academic year. Upcoming events in the program include a presentation by Candessa Tehee at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6.

About University of Arkansas Libraries: Located at the heart of campus, David W. Mullins Library is the university’s main research library. Branch libraries include the Robert A. and Vivian Young Law Library, the Fine Arts Library, the Physics Library, and the Chemistry and Biochemistry Library. The Libraries provide access to more than 2 million volumes and 53,000 journals, and also offer individual and group research help, study spaces, computer labs with printing and scanning, interlibrary loan and RazorRush services, and cultural exhibits and events. The Libraries’ Special Collections unit acquires, preserves, and provides access to materials on Arkansas and the region, its customs and people, and its cultural, physical, and political climate. Visit the Libraries’ web page at libraries.uark.edu to learn more about services and collections.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.