Dear Friends of the Eno,
Over the last three-plus months, I’ve made an effort to connect with as many of ERA’s volunteers, partners, and supporters as I possibly can. The reality is that I’ve barely scratched the surface, but literally every one of those meetings has been time well spent. It has been a true joy to make these connections, to hear about our shared history, and to bond over a mutual passion for the Eno River and its surrounding lands. In late March, I heard from a former board member whose name you might recognize: Don Cox. Don was on the founding board of ERA and was the chair for the first fifteen years of the agency’s history. Don currently lives in Maine, is downsizing to a smaller home, and wanted to pass along some mementos of his time on the board.
In April, I made a visit to the home of Don’s daughter, Kay, whose husband passed along several framed art prints from old Festivals and a trove of old slides documenting the agency’s early history. The prints are absolutely lovely and will be included in the Festival raffle this year. The last item that Don passed along was a cigar box of indigenous artifacts that he had collected over the course of his many visits to the Eno River basin. He asked that we return these items to their rightful owners.
Judge Beverly Scarlett, co-founder of Indigenous Memories
Artifacts donated by Don Cox
I felt the weight of history as I opened the cigar box to discover a stunning collection of arrowheads, stone tools, and a hand axe that practically emanated an energy that crossed thousands of years of history. I immediately thought of Beverly Scarlett. Beverly is a former district court judge from Hillsborough who co-founded a group called Indigenous Memories. I’ve met some impressive people in the last three months, but Beverly’s passion, her commitment to social justice, and her honesty made quite an impression on me. I was delighted when Beverly enthusiastically accepted my offer to pass along Don’s artifacts.
I recently met Beverly at her home, where she led me on a tour of her family’s property which dates back countless generations. We visited several burial mounds and Beverly shared more about her family’s history and her work with Indigenous Memories. I was truly touched by Beverly’s generosity of spirit and I was honored to play a small part in repatriating these artifacts so they can be used to share the story of the Saponi with our community. While I can’t yet share the news officially, I sincerely hope that some of you get to learn more about Indigenous Memories at this year’s Festival. I am excited to use the Eno and ERA as a platform to highlight the good work of our friends, partners, and the many artists that make the Festival so special. Thank you for supporting our work. We couldn’t do it without you.
In Partnership,
Ryan J. Fehrman
