ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. – As the repatriation of Indigenous artifacts and ancestral remains continues, last week Cornell University joined the ranks of those institutions returning tribal artifacts and remains to their proper places. Last Tuesday, the university held a small ceremony on campus where it apologized to the Oneida Indian Nation and returned remains it had in its possession since 1964.
During the ceremony, University President Martha E. Pollack addressed those assembled, “Today we’re marking an event that is both long overdue and never should have become necessary. We’re returning ancestral remains and possessions that we now recognize never should have been taken; never should have come to Cornell; and never should have been kept here.”
Pollack continued, “We are here to try – as far as we are able – to right those wrongs. In doing so, we take responsibility for them and we grieve the harm they have caused.”
The ancestral remains were discovered on a farm in 1964 near Windsor, New York during the installation of a water line. The remains and their accompanying grave goods ended up in the possession of anthropologist, Professor Kenneth A.R. Kennedy after they were sent to him at Cornell for identification.
While the remains were discovered decades before the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 was passed, by the ’90s the remains were long forgotten and stored in the university’s archives. It was only sometime after his death in 2014 that some of Kennedy’s colleagues rediscovered the remains. Nearly a decade later, the ancestral remains and artifacts will finally be returned to Oneida Nation.
Cornell University itself sits upon what is part of the traditional lands of the Cayuga Nation (Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ people), land that was acquired by the university under the Morrill Act of 1862.
Oneida Indian Nation representative, Ray Halbritter said during the ceremony:
“We are finally able to speak to them in Onyota’a:ká:, the Oneida language – the language they would have spoken during their lifetimes.
“The return of our ancestors to our sacred homelands is a basic human right. We commend Cornell University for working with the Oneida Indian Nation to right this wrong. The repatriation of our ancestors’ remains enables us to honor their lives and honor the ways that our people have lived by since time immemorial.
“Each time the remains of our ancestors and our cultural artifacts are returned to us in this way, we take another step forward in a long journey toward recognition of our sovereignty as a nation and our dignity as people.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Pollack and Halbritter signed an agreement for the transfer of the artifacts that were interred with the remains to all be returned to the Oneida Nation.
♥ ♥ ♥
TWH – Several news items last week focused on “witches” imagined or real and all were cast in a negative light. The foreperson for the special grand jury in Georgia, Emily Kohrs, gave numerous interviews with a variety of media outlets on her experience serving as a juror. She was later characterized as being a “witch” based on some of the content she had shared on some of her social media accounts.
The special grand jury was convened in connection to the attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and had completed its work. Legally in Georgia, jurors can speak about the process and their experience as long as they do not divulge deliberations or sensitive details. According to CNN, “In fact, the statute says reports issued by special grand juries should be published if the grand jury recommends it. And Kohrs says the judge gave her and the other jurors permission to speak to the press, albeit with limitations.”
Whether Kohrs actually identifies as a Witch or not is immaterial. The fact that she was excoriated on a number of right-leaning media sources for possibly being a Witch highlights the amount of bias that modern magical practitioners, Wiccans, and Witches must continually deal with.
Peg Aloi on her substack, The Witching Hour, published an article that pointedly called the attacks on Kohrs a “witch hunt.”
“Cue the pitchforks, cudgels, and stupid memes. This is a witch hunt.
“Now Miss Kohrs’ integrity is being attacked, she is being ridiculed for being ‘crazy,’ and is also now a target of right wing hatred of the Christo-fascist variety.
“Maybe this is a good time to remind everyone that witchcraft is not only an extremely popular cultural movement, but also a legally-sanctioned religious practice. Witchcraft is also a life-affirming path that honors nature.
Had Kohrs’ posts been focused on Christian values, it is unlikely they would have become such fodder for those on the far right.
In another attempt by pastor Greg Locke to stir up hate made these comments captured by Hemant Mehta:
Christian hate-preacher Greg Locke told conspiracy theorist Kandiss Taylor that public schools are hiring witches “at an alarming rate.”
He added that witches infiltrated his church and prayed over him, which made him sick and “messed [his] flesh up.” pic.twitter.com/cNxdkUrStg
— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) February 27, 2023
Locke seems unable to grasp the fact that Witches and their beliefs are covered under the very same constitution that grants him the right to practice his faith. TWH has covered Locke and his book burnings in Tennessee and his inflammatory statements that could be interpreted as advocating for harm to Witches.
Announcements:
- A new space, Third Sanctum, located in Warwick, Rhode Island is seeking artists for its monthly exhibitions. The space is located behind The Veiled Crow, a shop that sells “Witchery for Mind, Body, & Home.” According to social media posts by Third Sanctum, “In addition to hosting lectures, workshops, classes, and rituals, Third Sanctum is home to monthly themed art exhibitions featuring local and national talent. These shows will alternate between invitation-based and open-submission processes. There will also be special pop-up events featuring local makers and artisans.”
- The Journal of Academic Freedom is seeking original articles that investigate the links between landscapes of social power and the historical development and contemporary status of academic freedom for its 2023 issue. From The Journal, “We invite consideration of how academic freedom serves as a touchstone for democracy and the ways that the death of academic freedom signals the atrophy of more inclusive and democratized landscapes of power. What is the relationship between democratic societies and the flourishing of academia and academic freedom within them? What kind of society would powerful forces working against academia and academic freedom usher forth if they had their way?” The deadline for submissions is March 20.
- The Fredrick Pagan Pride Day announced that it is seeking applications for entertainers, event sponsors, local groups and charities, vendors, volunteers, and workshop and Ritual Leaders for their 7th annual Pagan Pride event, scheduled for September 9, 2023. Organizers request all inquiries be made via their website.
Upcoming Events:
- Twin Cities Pagan Pride announced in a press release that they will be hosting their 12th annual Paganicon Midwest Conference on March 17 through 19, 2023, at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West located at 3131 Campus Drive, Plymouth, Minnesota. The 2023 conference programming includes workshops, panels, discussions, social space, live music, a ball, and vendors. This year’s featured guests include Christopher Penczak, Andras Corban-Arthen, and Kristoffer Hughes; musical performances by Sharon Knight and Winter, The Mechanist & The Star Goddess, and Open Investigation. The conference will also host an Art Show by The Third Offering: A Sacred Gallery Space that will feature artists from all over the U.S., displaying all types of visual media and is free and open to the public.
- Circle Sanctuary will be hosting its Welcome Spring Festival on Saturday, March 25 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (CDT) at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve near Barneveld, Wisconsin. The event will feature workshops and crafting, rituals, a nature walk, and an Ostara egg hunt. Selena Fox will offer a Spring Divination workshop that will also be accessible online. More details on the event and Fox’s divination workshop can be found on
- Circle Sanctuary announced last week that registration for Pagan Spirit Gathering is now open. The annual event includes a variety of vendors, workshops, music, and rituals.
- The Scottish Goddess Conference 2023 will be held online from September 13 – 17 as well as in person in Paisley, Scotland on September 16, 2023. This theme for 2023 is “Oracles of the Divine, and will be dedicated to all things related to communicating with the other realms and spirits. From oracle work to séance, spiritism, necromancy, omens, trance work, psychedelic plants, medium, divination methods, ancient oracles, and much more!” Speakers include Professor Daniel Ogden, Dr. Jeffrey S. Kupperman, Kristoffer Hughes, Caitlin Matthews, Ivo Dominguez, Jeff Cullen, Chris Allaun, Lucya Starza, Starr Ravenhawk, Susana Aguilar, Michael Mayo, Cara Hamilton. Super Early Bird Tickets are currently available on the Scottish Goddess Conference Website. The Conference will also hold a Virtual Goddess Market till September and a live Goddess Market at the event venue at the Wynd Centre in Paisley, Scotland, to support the Goddess Temple Alba.
- The Goddess Temple Alba, with its aim to open a Community Space for Pagans in Scotland, will be hosting several Charitable Goddess Markets this year. The first one was held on February 4, and the next is scheduled for April 29 and will celebrate Beltane, and the third market will be held during the Scottish Goddess Conference on September 16. According to the organizers, “All donations towards spaces for traders will go directly to the Goddess Temple Alba Fund towards a space. Ness Bosch, the Head of the Goddess Temple Alba, and some of the members of the Temple are working very hard to open this Temple space! Go and support the Goddess Community in Scotland by paying a visit to the forthcoming Goddess Markets!” Those interested can now also join the Goddess Community In Scotland Facebook Group to keep up with goddess happenings in Scotland. Anyone interested in securing a space as a trader/vendor with the Goddess Markets can email the organizers. All markets will take place at the Wynd Centre in Paisley, Scotland.
In other news:
- A new student group at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio called the Kenyon Coven club is an inclusive “inter-pagan” religious group that includes Witches, Pagans, Satanists, and Heathens. According to an article published by the college’s newspaper, the group “aims to provide a home for people at Kenyon who are seeking a spiritual journey. The club intends to hold rituals as well as events that are open to the campus.” Lucca Burgess is the founder of the club, and after undergoing his own spiritual journey felt that his values aligned with Paganism. Unfortunately, there were no groups offering anything along Pagan lines. “I was like, we need more representation. This can’t be all of the religious life here. So that’s what got me started on the club,” Burgess said. So last week along with group moderator, Catherine Norton, the Kenyon Coven club held its first meeting which included an opening ritual that about 20 people attended. The club plans to have regular meetings and events that will include rituals and a variety of Pagan paths and practices. Norton said of the goals of the group, “We want everybody to feel comfortable. And I think that the core important stuff that we’re talking about in spiritual practice is to find yourself and be happy. You can do that in any way you want, and we’re just happy to be along for the ride.”
- In more repatriation news, the Swiss Geneva Museum of Ethnography (MEG) returned two artifacts, a medicine mask and a turtle rattle to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy earlier this month. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy spans both sides of the border of Canada and the U.S., consisting of six tribes: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Tuscarora, and Seneca. Last month in a press release the museum acknowledge that the artifacts were obtained without consent and would be returning the two items. The artifacts were initially spotted by a member of the Haudenosaunee external relations committee, Tuscarora Brennen Ferguson in July of last year. The committee sent the museum a letter in November requesting the return of the two artifacts. In a swift response, the museum immediately took steps to arrange for their return. Mohawk elder, Kenneth Deer said, “It was a very quick turnaround because sometimes it takes years to get objects back from a museum, especially from a foreign country. It was a really good experience, and I think it’s a model for other museums to follow.” A delegation of three tribal members, Deer, Ferguson, and Seneca elder Clayton Logan traveled to Switzerland to retrieve the items in person on February 7.
As the end of February and Black History month approaches, a variety of challenges to the way history, and especially Black history, is taught continues to dominate the national dialog.
60 Minutes aired a segment earlier this month on Julieanna Richardson and her project to preserve the history of the accomplishments of Black Americans. Richardson started “The HistoryMakers and ScienceMakers Oral History Digital Archives,” which features first-person accounts, as a resource guide for students, teachers, and institutions.
To date, the archive contains material on over 3,500 African Americans that includes archival photography, biographies, interviews, and videos.
When asked why the first-person accounts were important, Richardson responded with, “How else are you going to know what really has happened in the black community if you don’t allow the community to speak for itself?”
While the names of some of those included in the archive will be familiar to many, like Barack Obama and Maya Angelou, the archive also contains the stories of people few might recognize, like physicist Oliver Keith Baker and Presidential Diarist and appointee, Janis F. Kearney.
Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Santa Muerte Tarot: Book of the Dead, by Fabio Listrani by Thomas Davis, published by Lo Scarabeo.
Card: Major arcana – Judgement XX (20)
The week ahead is likely to offer a clarion call to pursue a vocation or path that resonates deep within the soul. While there is often resistance to making big changes, exploring options and evaluating new avenues may be hard to ignore.
Conversely, allowing fears of failure and insecurities to dictate the boundaries of what is possible serves no purpose other than to prevent new growth and positive expansion.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.