The Salem Museum will host Central Appalachian Cherokee Tribe CEO/Chief Ren Herdman on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 2 p.m. for a special lecture entitled “Salem, Virginia’s Cherokee Defense.” The event is free and open to the public.

Chief Herdman’s talk will explore a little-known episode in the Colonial history of the Roanoke Valley involving then-Major Andrew Lewis, the local pioneer and militia leader, and Cherokee Chief Ostenaco, the warrior, orator, and diplomat. In 1756, as the French & Indian War raged on, Chief Ostenaco and Major Lewis worked together to prepare for battle against the Shawnee. Chief Herdman will share the story Lewis, Ostenaco, and of the 130 Cherokee who camped along the Roanoke River that even caught the attention of George Washington himself.

Herdman is the CEO and principal chief of the Central Appalachian Cherokee Tribe. The first woman to hold the role, Herdman is of documented Native American descent through DNA and family history. A Southwest Virginia native, Herdman has spent years researching and documenting Native American sites in Central Appalachia and across the country. She is an educator and speaker on Native American issues whose programs explore tribes of the Central Appalachian region and across the United States.