The marker, next to Schar Hall Under the Oaks, is a symbol of the continued connection and relationship between Elon University and the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation Tribe.
Corey Roberts, Elon University assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous studies, welcomed an audience Under the Oaks on Sept. 9 with a small lesson on the Yesa:sahį́ language of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation Tribe.
“I can’t help but teach the language, so you all are going to come away with at least one word of the language,” said Roberts, who teaches two courses on the language, which has its own writing system, including letters that are not part of the English or other alphabets. The new historical marker, which sits next to Schar Hall, includes the Yesa:sahį́ (yay-sa-sa-heen) translation for “grove of oaks.”
Revitalizing the Yesa:sahį́ language is central to Robert’s work at Elon and part of a larger effort to strengthen the university’s relationship with the OBSN, including a new historical marker unveiled Under the Oaks on Tuesday.
“Occaneechi mekureme:čʰen. Welcome the Occaneechi. Yesáh mekureme:čʰen Welcome to the Yesáh people. Elon hu:k mekureme:čʰen. Welcome to the entire Elon community. Kihoe hu:k mekureme:čʰen. Welcome to all who come here,” said Roberts, as he translated from Yesa:sahį́ to English.
Elon strives to honor the legacy of the Siouan-speaking American Indian tribes who first lived in the area and the OBSN, which became the most prevalent by 1650. The Occaneechi Heritage Language and Learning Working Group was established in 2024 to aid in this effort.
“This mutually beneficial connection aligns with creating learning opportunities that contribute positively to society. I am eager to continue collaborations with our Occaneechi partners, as we work together to honor cultures and model growth through relationships,” said Randy Williams, vice president of inclusive excellence at Elon.
Members of the OBSN continue to live in the area, and as Roberts addressed the audience Tuesday, smoke billowed around him while OBSN Tribal Administrator Vickie Jeffries “smudged the land” by burning sage to clear negativity from the land.
“Many people have walked this land on which we currently stand and sit, for centuries, for millennia,” said Roberts. “And their stories, both positive and otherwise, have walked with them. Sage is burnt to clear the way for the positive intentions that we bring to this gathering today.”’
Roberts offered words of prayers in Yesa:sahį́ before speaking on the four principles of Indigenous people in relationship to higher education:
- Respect (Respect Indigenous cultural integrity): “This includes acknowledging native ways of knowing and valuing the world, and both the individuals, groups, and the features of it,” said Roberts.
- Relevance (Relevance to Indigenous perspectives and experiences): “Relevance in the indigenous context is a charge for us to learn more about what that looks like, for the native peoples that are present and/or in historical relationship to the land,” Roberts said.
- Reciprocity (Being in a reciprocal relationship): “Reciprocity emphasizes the openness to, and the excitement about, building meaning together, experiential, land-based knowledge, academic knowledge, all coming together to cultivate deeper and more mutually beneficial relationships over time,” said Roberts.
- Responsibility (Responsibility to participation): “This takes statements of commitment to partnership off of web pages and puts them onto stone in to the earth,” Roberts said. “Not unlike a historical marker that’s made in stone and placed on this very Earth that we should all know and love.”
In the spirit of reciprocity and responsibility, Elon President Connie Ledoux Book and OBSN Tribal Chairperson Tony Hayes exchanged gifts. Book received a basket woven by Jeffries with rabbit skin, cedar and tobacco, sacred herbs of the OBSN, while Book gifted Hayes a tobacco bundle, a gift that, according to Roberts, is considered sacred because “tobacco is a medicine that carries prayers to the creator.”
“Gathering here Under the Oaks has always been one of Elon’s most cherished traditions. This is a very special place at Elon, and today, the tradition grows even deeper,” said Book. “This moment is not just about installing a marker, it’s about telling a fuller story of Elon, one that honors the past and helps us imagine a stronger, more inclusive future. It’s a beautiful thing.”
