Few would disagree that our contemporary American society needs to develop more effective tools for handling conflicts between people with different beliefs, values, and lifestyles. Americans have a deep-seated belief that in a democracy it is not only possible, but critical that we find ways to develop greater tolerance of and respect for all people, especially those who are different from ourselves.

One way to do this is to carefully study societies that have developed effective ways of tolerating and respecting differences among people of different backgrounds, faiths, and ways of life.


The Past Is Prologue: A Learning Way organization has joined with the Center for Innovative Learning at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, to produce a weekend program of exploration and learning based on the oral history of an ancient people who migrated across the Bering Straits to North America after the last Ice Age. This oral history, captured in a book by Paula Underwood entitled “The Walking People”, forms the basis for a weekend of workshops, storytelling, and shared learning experiences.


On Friday, Oct. 27, “An Evening of Stories” begins at 7:30 pm in the Cailloux Campus Activity Center on Schreiner campus: Mobi Phillips, poet, translator and teacher, will share stories from the book "Who Speaks For Wolf" by Paula Underwood. This evening event is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, Oct. 28, from 9 am to 4:30 pm two separate workshops will be held, each focusing on a different learning story. Workshop #1 will study "Who Speaks For Wolf," and will be facilitated by Laurie Roberts of New Mexico, the daughter of Paula Underwood. Workshop #2 will study “Winter White, Summer Gold” and will be facilitated by Stephanie Nestlerode of Colorado.

A final presentation on Saturday is entitled “Beings On The Wheel” with Joanne Lambert of New Hampshire. Cost for the Saturday sessions is $30 (group rates available) and includes light refreshments. Certification for Professional Educators is available.

On Sunday, Oct. 29, at 1:00 p.m. a tribute to Paula Underwood’s mentor, friend and clan mother, “In Memory of Jeanne Slobod,” will be held in the Cailloux Campus Activity Center. Jeanne was a founding member of the Center for Innovative Learning and lived the last years of her life in Kerrville, Texas. Jeanne, who died earlier this year, was the first president of PIP: ALW, and was the original editor of “The Walking People”. Jeanne was often heard saying that while she realized at some point in her life she would not be writing a great American novel, her participation in the oral history of The Walking People, as written down by Paula Underwood, was, indeed, her greatest contribution to literature and her true mission in life.

The weekend’s activities are appropriate for teachers, healers, caregivers, counselors, psychologists, business leaders, health care professionals, law enforcement, clergy, and others who face the challenges of promoting peace and harmony in an increasingly stressed-out society.

The study of these ancient Native American learning stories will give participants simple, time-tested tools for learning more effectively and for making decisions that help set goals and achieve them.

For more information, contact Dr. Kathleen Hudson at Schreiner University, khudson@schreiner.edu (830-792-7409) or visit the web site www.learningpeople.org.