In her talk, researcher and historical interpreter Victoria Persinger Ferguson will explore how women of the Eastern Woodland tribes in Virginia’s interior (such as those living in Tutelo Village, located where the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem now stands) rose to prominence as the guiding force and foundation of their societies. Ferguson highlights the significance of matrilineal traditions; and how women exercised considerable influence, making key decisions on matters from labor assignments and marital eligibility to burial practices, residency, and the selection of village leadership. Ferguson emphasizes that these women managed vital aspects of daily life and upheld the communal fabric, roles that endured until disruption by European colonization led to the dismantling of traditional tribal structures and the loss of their societal cohesion.

Ferguson is an enrolled citizen of the Monacan Indian Nation and a graduate of Marshall University. She has 30 years background in researching science methodologies and historical documentation on the daily living habits of the Eastern Siouan populations up through the early European colonization period. Ferguson has been involved with public history as a historical interpreter for over 25 years and has participated in numerous educational documentaries. She serves in the position of Program Director for Solitude/Fraction site on the campus of Virginia Tech and is the university’s Presidential Ambassador to Native Nations.