Listen to the Elders Speaker Series: Jamie Jacobs

Sponsored by the on-campus collective Not in the Books, the Listen to the Elders Speaker Series showcases Indigenous knowledge keepers presenting history that is not traditionally found in textbooks. This is the third year of programming and the first held on campus.

Jamie Jacobs (Seneca, Turtle Clan) will be speaking on the importance of oral tradition, his experience working with elders over the years and work as managing curator of the Rock Foundation collections at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.

As a ceremonial custodian in the longhouse of the Tonawanda Seneca, Jamie works to officiate traditional funerals, weddings and ceremonies.  He practices the traditional art of working with porcupine quills, including research of ancestral-made pieces to study construction techniques and design. He is one of the last Seneca language speakers in his community and helped to establish the Tonawanda Adult Cohort Language program to ensure preservation of the language.

Light refreshments will be served.