Astha Dave, Staff Writer–
On Feb. 27, Denison University’s journalism department and Granville Historical Society co-hosted a panel discussion on Ohio’s Indigenous history, resilience, and cultural legacy.
The event, moderated by Jack Shuler, chair of journalism and professor of English at Denison, brought together three prominent voices in Indigenous scholarship and storytelling: John Bickers, a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and historian at Case Western Reserve University; Talon Silverhorn, a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and an interpreter; and Chris Welter, a writer and journalist.
The panel, inspired by “The Ohio Country” podcast project, explored the often-overlooked narratives of Miami, Shawnee, Wyandotte, and other American Indian communities.
The discussion highlighted their historical significance in Ohio, their forced removal, and their enduring cultural presence despite systemic erasure.
This event was part of the Denison Museum’s spring 2025 exhibition, “Echoes of Ohio’s Indigenous Legacy: Bridging Past and Present,” which was funded in part by the America 250-Ohio Commission.
Welter, along with Neenah Ellis, co-creates The Ohio Country podcast. The 12-episode series, an in-depth podcast from WYSO public radio, dives into the complex history of Indigenous presence in Ohio and its continued impact today. It focuses on Indigenous history and the ways historical narrative shapes our understanding of the community.
This podcast is a way for people to begin learning about the American Indian community. It cannot cover every nuance in a 12-episode podcast, but Welter hopes that this gives his listeners some insight into it.
“I think we worry if we are able to present these communities as kind of modern, cultural, and economic governments, and that’s what we want to get across. We had to cover a lot of history in a short amount of time and we tried to be creative in the way we did that, in terms of the scenes that we used, but the most important thing in the podcast is the things that are happening today, right?” Welter said.
Silverhorn expanded on the deep historical ties that Indigenous peoples have to Ohio, emphasizing that their presence predates many of the natural landmarks that define the region today.
“Native people have been here for thousands of years, longer than some of the geological features we now consider intrinsic to Ohio” Silverhorn said. “In some cases, Indigenous presence in this area stretches back nearly 7,000 years longer than the Ohio River has consistently flowed and about 8,000 years longer than Lake Superior has held water.”
Attendees were encouraged to explore the museum’s exhibition, at the end of the panel discussion.
Through discussions like this and projects like the “Ohio Country” podcast, Ohioans have an opportunity to rediscover the stories that shaped the land they call home and to ensure those stories continue to be told.