Sunday Concert Series: Lloyd Arneach
Sunday, February 19
@ 3pm, FREE
Haywood County Public Library
An enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Lloyd Arneach was born and reared on the Cherokee Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina. He learned his first legends from two storytelling uncles on the reservation. His father was Vice-Chief of the Eastern Band, his mother was the first woman ever elected to the Tribal Council and his Grandmother (Lula Owl Gloyne) was a Beloved Woman of the tribe.
From 1970 to 1990, Arneach traveled throughout the state of Georgia, lecturing on Cherokee history and culture. This was done in his spare time while working full-time for AT&T's computer department in Atlanta. In 1990, he added storytelling to his presentations on culture and history, and in 1993 began a full-time career as both storyteller and historian.
Mr. Arneach presents his stories in a style that is humorous, informative and extremely moving. His stories range from the "old stories" of the Cherokee to contemporary stories he has collected; from creation stories to behind the scenes of "Dances with Wolves." He tells stories of different Native Americans: Floyd Red Crow Westerman; Billy Mills, an Olympic champion; a young Cree Indian girl with no stories to tell; and a postmaster on the Papago Reservation. He shares historical stories from a variety of Native American tribes. Some of these stories are difficult for Mr. Arneach to tell because of the strong feelings associated with his experiences as a Native American. As part of his presentation, he will have a number of Native American artifacts to show and demonstrate on February 19.
Lloyd Arneach has told stories at the Kennedy Center, National Folklife Festival (Washington, D.C.), the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, D.C.), the Winnepeg International Storytelling Festival (Canada), festivals, schools, universities, Pow-Wows, theaters, and other venues throughout the United States. He has also told stories on the Discovery Channel. His CD Can You Hear the Smoke? features stories and legends adapted by Lloyd. In 1992, Children's Press published his book, The Animal's Ballgame, based on one of Lloyd's favorite Cherokee animal stories. During the summers of 2006 and 2008, Mr. Arneach performed in the Cherokee outdoor drama Unto These Hills - A Retelling. Mr. Arneach’s book of Cherokee stories, Long-Ago Stories of the Eastern Cherokee was released in early 2008. He now resides in Cherokee, North Carolina.
