THIS YEAR’S LECTURE BY KITUWAH (CHEROKEE) ELDER, DR. TOM BELT
on
TOHI’: KITUWAH PERSPECTIVES OF HEALTH
“TOHI’, in the Kituwah world, reflects things moving in a normal, peaceful way. Elders have described tohi’ as the clouds and grass moving at their own pace, not rushed or urgent. There is a fluidness to life. Harmony and well-being, balance and peace can reflect the essence of tohi’. Illness, harmfulness, stress, can pull one away from tohi’, particularly if left to be dealt with for any length of time.”
~Sounds of Tohi’, 2022
Dr. Thomas N. Belt (Cherokee Nation) is retired coordinator of Western Carolina University’s Cherokee language program, recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from WCU and a national honor for service bestowed to him from the Cherokee Nation. Tom is a fluent Cherokee speaker. He attended the Universities of Oklahoma and Colorado and taught Cherokee language at the Cherokee Elementary School for 7 years. He is a frequent guest lecturer at universities including Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, Purdue, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale. He also works as a consultant for the American Philosophical Society’s CNAIR program in Philadelphia and for the Center for Native Health. Tom is also a member of the Smithsonian Institution’s Native Culture & health Work Group. He is co-founder of the annual Rooted in Mountains Symposium.