Ideas & Images presentations address literacy and language of the Timucuan peoples

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Flagler College Professor of Religion Dr. Timothy Johnson

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (09/09/2014)(readMedia)-- Flagler College kicks off its fall Ideas & Images series on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. with a look at the literacy of Florida's earliest residents, the Timucua.

In a presentation by Flagler College Professor of Religion Dr. Timothy Johnson and University at Albany-SUNY Professor of Anthropology Dr. George Aaron Broadwell, the levels of literacy of these early people are shown to be higher and more independent from European influences than previously thought.

The first segment of the talk, presented by Dr. Johnson, is entitled "The Devil is in(to) the Details: Confessions and Timucuan Education." Johnson will discuss the efforts of Spanish missionary Fray Francisco Pareja. Through Pareja's works, the Timucua were engaged in an education system that combined texts in Spanish, Latin, and Timucuan.

Broadwell will continue the presentation with a talk entitled "Shadow Authors: The Texts of the Earliest Indigenous Florida Writers," which will look at a set of bilingual Timucua-Spanish Christian materials that date from 1612-1635. Broadwell discovered that the Timucua versions of the texts have subtly different content than the Spanish parallels. The conclusion, argues Broadwell, is that the Spanish were not sole authors of the texts-unnamed Timucua writers were actually co-authors.

The 2014-2015 Ideas & Images schedule is entitled "First America: Exploring the Arts and Sciences of St. Augustine."

Additional Ideas & Images presentations for the fall semester include:

• October 9, 2014: "New Discoveries on St. Augustine's Early Black History and its Connections to Cuba." Presented by Dr. Jane L. Landers, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History and Director, Ecclesiastical and Secular Sources for Slave Societies, Vanderbilt University.

• November 12, 2014: "Rebels and Runaways: African-Americans in St. Augustine during the Civil War." Presented by Dr. Larry Rivers, Professor of History, Valdosta State University, and former President, Fort Valley State University

All lectures take place in the Flagler Room in Ponce de Leon Hall at 74 King Street, St. Augustine. For a full listing of all 2014-2015 Ideas and Image events, please visit www.flagler.edu/news-events/community-events/lectures/ideas-and-images.

The series is made possible through sponsors including: Flagler College, Joy McCann Foundation, Schultz Foundation, St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, Florida Humanities Council, St. Johns Cultural Council, St. Johns County Visitor and Convention Bureau, Casa Monica Hotel, Margaret Domini, Flagler College Bookstore, and the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront Hotel.

If you are a person with a disability and need reasonable accommodations, please contact Lynn Francisco at 904-819-6460. Sign Language Interpreters are available upon request with a minimum of three days' notice.

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Flagler College is a private, four-year comprehensive college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs - the largest being business administration, communication, psychology and education. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, an industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.