“Lumbee youth learn skills, history” (from The Fayetteville Observer)
Red Springs, North Carolina
August 2009
The Hawkeye Boys & Girls Club / Community Center in Hoke County (from www.lumbeetribe.com)
(by Venita Jenkins)
RED SPRINGS - Lucille Bullard's nimble fingers sewed tiny stitches into a piece of fabric as she talked to a group of Lumbee teenagers about quilt making. Before she started, Bullard showed the girls how to thread a needle, something some of them had never done before.
Each Thursday, Bullard and several other Lumbee elders meet at the Hoke County Boys & Girls Club and Community Center on Blue Springs Road to make crafts and teach youngsters about how things were done in the days before Wal-Mart, microwaves and electricity.
On a recent Thursday, Bullard and three other women were busy making a quilt. Nearby, a group of Lumbee teenagers made jewelry using beads and wire.
The Lumbee tribe established several Boy & Girls Clubs and community centers in the tribal territory - which incudes Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties - to allow young people to interact with older members. Many of the elders share stories about growing up in southeastern North Carolina. An average of 400 youth are involved in various programs at the three Boys & Girls clubs daily.
"What we are trying to do is get our children to spend time with the elders so that they can learn from the elders," said Wanda Locklear, director of Youth Services for the Lumbee tribe. "The elders are the ones who carry on the traditions of the tribe."
Locklear said young people not only hear oral histories about the tribe, they also learn life skills...
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Gifts Included
Talent
Lumbee elders spend time at the local Boys & Girls club teaching the younger generations craft-making skills and sharing stories from Lumbee history and traditions.
Treasure
All the crafts made at the community center are sold, and the money is then used to help elders in need and to buy gifts for those in nursing homes.
Learn how you can help strengthen your community's giving story.
My class will be learning about the Lumbee this month and I would like to contact Ms.Bullard about the arts and crafts.