The Friends of Hale County Library are pleased to announce an upcoming lecture featuring Dr. Ashley Dumas, a professor of anthropology at the University of West Alabama. The lecture will take place on August 8, 2024, at 5:30 PM at the Hale County Library, located at 1103 Main Street, Greensboro, AL 36744.
Dr. Dumas, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama, focuses her research on the late precolonial and colonial eras in the Southeast. Her work includes the history and archaeology of 18th-century Fort Tombecbe, excavations of Salt Springs, and a study of extant slave dwellings. Currently, she is involved in a multi-year effort to understand the 16th-century cultural landscape of central Alabama and indigenous responses to European incursions.
The title of Dr. Dumas’ presentation is “Discovering Mabila: A Sixteenth- Century Province in Alabama’s Black Prairie.” The abstract of the presentation details how the collapse of the Moundville polity around 1450 AD led to the displacement of thousands of people from the Black Warrior River Valley. Some of these displaced people retreated to the Black Prairies of central Alabama, where they adapted to a new environment. In October 1540, they encountered Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and battled his army at the town of Mabila. Archaeologists have found evidence of Spanish presence in this region and are piecing together the narrative of the indigenous people who resisted and survived as a distinct ethnic group for at least another century.
This event is open to the public, and attendees are encouraged to join for an insightful exploration of a significant period in Alabama’s history. For more details, please contact the Hale County Library at (334) 624-3409.
