Biography
Born in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains near Buena Vista, I was raised with the oral traditions of the Monacan Indian community of that region. Educated at the University of Washington, B.A., University of Georgia, ABCE/D, University of Montana, M.A., M.I.S., Ph.D. my education was focused upon American Indian religious traditions and humanities, as well as, philosophy and religious studies including comparative world mythology and environmental ethics. With teaching experiences of fifteen years in Montana, Washington, Arizona, Alberta, Minnesota, New York prior to UNCP, I have also held a Fulbright fellowship in Germany. My publications include six monographs, thirty nine chapters in books or referred journal articles, as well as, nearly eighty presentations to scholarly conferences and given as invited lectures. The publication have focused primarily on Native American religious traditions and humanities, as well as, comparative world mythology and environmental ethics. In addition, I am currently preparing a book manuscript devoted to the oral traditions of both my Saponi-Monacan heritage and the Pikuni Blackfeet people in Montana and Alberta.
What have you learned while teaching at UNCP?
I have learned to appreciate the Lumbee population and their important and interesting history and culture.
What do students like best about your class?
They appreciate my rich traditional Native experiences derived from my own tribal heritage and my deep association with other Native tribes outside the area, particularly the Pikuni, that I share with them in my lectures and discussions.
