EDWARDSVILLE - SIUE will welcome Maria Beaver Hussman, an Ojibwe educator, seamstress and crafter.
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From 12–2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, Hussman will share stories and crafts in the Lovejoy Library at SIUE. Attendees can make dreamcatchers and listen to Hussman’s stories about Ojibwe culture.
“She’s just interested in sharing her culture and Native American culture in general with people,” said Simone Williams. “It’s a way to relate the work that we do on campus with the outside community, and also just ways of expressing different ways of learning. I don’t believe that there’s one way to learn, even though we’re in an academic setting. You can take bits and pieces from these different storytellers and apply it to your life.”
Williams, Diversity and Engagement Librarian and an assistant professor at SIUE, organized Hussman’s visit to Lovejoy Library. She explained that Hussman sells traditional and contemporary clothing, regalia, jewelry, beadwork and home decor.
Hussman regularly travels to organizations around the Greater St. Louis region to educate people about Indigenous culture. In the Riverbend region, Hussman is well-known for her work at Washington University and Cahokia Mounds.
In the 1990s, she was crowned SIUE’s Powwow Princess. Many faculty members are looking forward to her return to campus.
“[Faculty members are] telling their students to come over, and a lot of people in the community are also excited,” Williams said. “A lot of people were excited to see Maria on campus, so I hope that translates into turnout.”
Williams explained that she attended a talk by Hussman at the St. Louis Art Museum and was impressed by her storytelling. She decided to invite Hussman to SIUE to share this experience with students and community members. Anyone is welcome to attend the event, and it is completely free.
Williams hopes to see many people at Hussman’s talk on Nov. 19. She noted that Hussman is eager to return to SIUE, and Williams can’t wait to expand the conversations about culture and storytelling both on and off campus.
“She’s extremely excited,” Williams added. “We get to start having cross-cultural exchanges on both sides of the river."
For more information about upcoming events at SIUE’s Lovejoy Library, visit their official Facebook page.
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