Earlier this month, the Aurora Theatre launched an effort to acknowledge and honor the Native and Indigenous communities that were the first storytellers in Lawrenceville.
The “Trail of Resilience: The Beginning of Understanding” event brought together community members to the Lawrenceville Art Center to listen and learn from Joey Jordan, a member of the Snipe clan and Meherrin Nation, and honor Andromeda Grimm’s art piece, “Rocky Boy.”
Andromeda, of the Miwok and Chippewa-Cree tribe, shared how their Nookum (grandmother) made sure they learned about their culture and inner strength. Andromeda’s grandmother was taken from her home in the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation at a young age, placed in boarding school and made to conform to the behaviors and customs of her non-Indigenous classmates.
The art piece tells her story and displays her resilience in continuing to pass her traditions down to her children and grandchildren despite the circumstances of her childhood.
“With Trail of Resilience: The Beginning of Understanding, Aurora Theatre pledges to make our space one of healing and belonging in the sincerest effort to understand the history that brought us to reside on this land,” said Aurora Theatre Co-Founder/President and CEO, Anthony Rodriguez.
“We desire our Land Acknowledgement to be the beginning of our return to unity, not just for each other but the awareness that we are truly a part of the earth.”
The Aurora Theatre acknowledged that no Indigenous people’s artifacts were unearthed during construction of the Lawrenceville Arts Center, but the Muskogee and Creek are the indigenous people attributed as being the original inhabitants of the North Georgia region. The Kialegee are the actual original inhabitants of Lawrenceville and Watkinsville, but they are a landless nation.
Gwinnett remains a gathering place for the Native American Community, which still numbers more than 34,000+ statewide.
“Since the Lawrenceville Arts Center opened in October of 2021, Aurora Theatre has made a commitment to be a place of healing,” noted Ann-Carol Pence, Aurora Theatre Co-Founder/Producing Artistic Director. “One way we do that is to acknowledge the original inhabitants prior to every event. It is important to recognize our original storytellers and theatre makers of this land.”
Moving forward, the Aurora Theatre is planning a celebration in November for Indigenous History Month, with details to come: www.auroratheatre.com.
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