Full Description
This work highlights local narratives that sustain traditions amidst historical silences, connecting cultural values to heritage tourism and Indigenous stewardship.
The Cultural Heritage Resilience of the Great Dismal Swamp explores the cultural resilience of the Great Dismal Swamp, emphasizing narratives of local residents that sustain traditions amid historical silences. It connects cultural values, heritage tourism, and the legacy of freedom while advocating for landscape stewardship rooted in Indigenous practices. The book highlights how marginalized communities create empowering knowledge spaces to honor their heritage despite lacking external resources. The Great Dismal Swamp Region reflects rich historical and cultural heritage, with settlements like Mattoanoak, Bowers Hill, and Skeetertown, which have maintained ancestral lifeways. Despite historical silences about marginalized groups, community members create resilient cultural narratives that emphasize their connections to land and tradition, beckoning a return to their roots.
Contents
Introduction: Defying Borders
Chapter 1: Colonial Beginnings and Its Long Heritage
Chapter 2: Hidden Community Tapestries: African American
Chapter 3: Hidden Community Tapestries: Native
Chapter 4: Economic Development's Chokehold on Heritage
Chapter 5: The Wilderness Society Takes the Helm
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
