Rhodes College Digital Archives - DLynx
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Item "Reshaping the Landscape: Environmental Repercussions of Native American Removal" exhibition poster(Memphis, Tenn. : Rhodes College, 2025)Poster an exhibition called "Reshaping the Landscape: Environmental Repercussions of Native American Removal." The exhibition opened on April 22, 2025 on the ground floor of Barret Library.Item Removal and Replacement: Exploring Environmental Impacts Resulting from Indigenous Peoples Removal and Rise of the Southern Plantation Economy(Memphis, Tenn. : Rhodes College, 2025)Indigenous tribes like the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, and Seminoles existed in the American South long before European colonizers made contact, but the Indian Removal Act (1830) forcibly removed each tribe throughout the 19th century. Succeeding removal came the westward expansion of American agriculture, forestry, land speculation, etc; far from the system of responsibilities of caring for the land held by Native tribes. This StoryMap explores the South's environment before removal, the land management practices used by Indigenous tribes and Colonizing forces, colonial justifications for removal, and the detrimental effects plantations and their owners had on the South. The arcgis storymap that goes with this project is available here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b6e1888203a74dcfb5ef918355c3307eItem Cahokia: The Urban Center of Native Americans(Memphis, Tenn. : Rhodes College, 2025)The ancient city of Cahokia is one of the greatest examples of urbanization in North America, housing over 15,000 Native Americans. Cahokia maintained its population by employing advanced planning strategies, environmental stewardship, and sustainable agricultural practices. Because early European settlers unfairly viewed Native Americans as primitive, they created an inaccurate narrative of Indigenous societies. This paper aims to help Americans reexamine Indigenous history and challenge racial stereotypes by exploring Cahokia's role as a thriving city, analyzing the ongoing erasure of Indigenous cultures in educational systems, and advocating for more inclusive narratives about pre-Columbian Native American civilizations. The arcgis storymap that is a product of this assignment is available here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dbae6b76531c4489a5037ce439792822Item Sassafras: Weaving Together Indigenous Kinship and Western Commodification(Memphis, Tenn. : Rhodes College, 2025)Sassafras is a truly iconic plant. Many of us may recognize the distinct aroma of root beer or a candy shop, but we might not so easily name that scent as belonging to sassafras. This iconic plant has been used for centuries by Native Americans for a variety of purposes, including as medicine. European colonizers touted the plant as a miraculous cure-all, and later Americans used it to flavor root beer. The difference in how Indigenous Peoples and settlers use Sassafras reflects their ideological differences. We can reflect on the story of sassafras as a way to reflect on our own values and where they come from.Item Integrating Seed and Crop diversity within the United States Agriculture Management System(Memphis, Tenn. : Rhodes College, 2025)This project advocates for the reintroduction of traditional Indigenous seeds into U.S. agriculture through USDA-backed policies, emphasizing subsidies for Indigenous community participation. Focusing on the Mid-South region, historically home to the Chickasaw Nation, the policy promotes crop diversification using Traditional Ecological Knowledge to address environmental challenges including drought and soil degradation caused by monoculture and industrial farming. By incorporating heirloom seeds like Hopi blue corn and fostering relationships between farmers, Indigenous leaders, and schools, the initiative supports ecological sustainability, food security, and cultural preservation. This systematic approach integrates education, sovereignty, and environmental stewardship to build a resilient, equitable food system.
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