Interview with Loretta Metoxen

Episode Summary:

One of our favorite episodes to work on was “Episode 6: Native Historians do Stand-up” about the WPA project to preserve the Oneida language and history. But that was not the first time we explored this story. We first traveled to Oneida, conducting interviews and digging into archives, when we produced our documentary Soul of a People. One of those interviews was with the remarkable Loretta Metoxen.

Until her death in 2021, Metoxen was the Tribal Historian for the Oneida Nation, a position she served in for over two decades. She was tasked with preserving, documenting and interpreting her people’s history, culture, and traditions. Having learned directly from the WPA’s Oscar Archiquette, Metoxen is clear in her reflections on the groundbreaking work of the Oneida writers during the Depression and its huge impact today.

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Additional Links:

Learn more about Loretta Metoxen

Oneida Nation Cultural Heritage Website

Oneida Books Rediscovered

Credits:

Director: Andrea Kalin

Interviewer: Oliver Lukacs

Producers: Andrea Kalin, David A. Taylor, James Mirabello

Interview Re-record and Editor: Ethan Oser

Featuring Music from the Oneida Singers and Pond5

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