William Green in conv with Alan Kelley – This Is the Route of My Forefathers: The 1837 Ioway Map

William Green, former state archeologist of the University of Iowa, will read from his new book published by the University of Iowa Press, This Is the Route of My Forefathers: The 1837 Ioway Map, and will be joined in conversation by citizen of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Alan Kelley. The University of Iowa Press offers this introduction to This Is the Route of My Forefathers: “The state of Iowa is named for the Ioways, but most Iowans—and most Americans—know little about them. In This Is the Route of My Forefathers, William Green elevates an understudied history by synthesizing oral traditions, written records, and archaeological data to decode the 1837 map drafted by Ioway leaders. Spanning Indigenous settlements from Missouri to Wisconsin, this map was created to depict tribal history and defend tribal land claims at the height of the Indian removal era. Illustrating nearly 200 years of Ioway history, the 1837 Ioway map provides insights into the tribe’s political and diplomatic strategies, their relationships with neighboring nations, and how they resisted and negotiated in the face of dispossession. This Is the Route of My Forefathers uses an interdisciplinary approach to reveal how group accounts may fade over time, while accounts of origin—legendary histories—remain rich and vibrant.” William Green served as archaeologist at the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, state archaeologist at the University of Iowa, and director of the Logan Museum of Anthropology and chair of the museum studies program at Beloit College. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Alan Kelley, a citizen of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, recently retired as his nation’s Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. Previously, he held other positions with the Iowa Tribe, including executive vice chairman, IT director, and gaming commissioner. He has been a member of several regional environmental and cultural advisory committees and is a Loess Hills master naturalist. Alan is a descendant of No Heart, presenter of the 1837 Ioway Map.