Lukens to deliver 2022 Maine Heritage Lecture
The University of Maine’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will present the 2022 Maine Heritage Lecture on October 13 at 3 p.m. The event takes place at the Bodwell Lounge at the Collins Center for the Arts, with a reception to follow at 4 p.m. at the CCA’s Hudson Museum.
This year’s lecture is titled “Gluskabe in the 21st Century: How Newell Lyon’s Stories Carry the Penobscot Language” and will be delivered by Dr. Margo Lukens, professor of English.
Lukens will tell the story of the theatrical collaboration with Penobscot language carrier Carol Dana that resulted in the publication of the first bilingual volume of Penobscot stories, a book titled “Still They Remember Me;” the co-authored by Lukens, Dana and University of Southern Maine adjunct assistant professor of linguistics Conor M. Quinn and published by University of Massachusetts Press.
The stories – traditional tales about the culture hero Gluskabe – are intended to invite Penobscot language learning while also exploring the deeper meaning behind Gluskabe’s heroic endeavors. They teach readers/listeners about how the land was transformed and balanced to create sustainable life for human while also illustrating how to live well in this place, a foundational tenet of Penobscot morality.
Ultimately, Lukens’s hope is to inspire listeners to work in ways that improve the conditions for justice in Maine’s relationship with Wabanaki people and communities.
The Maine Heritage Lecture is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For more information, contact Kelly Gilks at (207)581-1954 or kelly.gilks@maine.edu.