helen roundtree, who will speak to us on the topic before it was virginia, setting the scene. dr. roundtree. [ applause ] >>> i may be -- have been invited more than anybody else, but it's because i usually talk about her, who shall be nameless today. [ laughter ] >> i don't plan to mention any individuals today. i was asked to talk about people and the land, and i'm going to stay to the subject. my students used to complain, i stuck to the subject. drove them nuts. [ laughter ] >> the indian attitude to the land here before all of the invaders came, including my ancestors, the indian attitude to the land was probably complex, but there was one element of it that shines through in some of the early accounts. and that is, the entire region is useful, as is! i want to explain why and how that was possible. we need to start off with a couple of basic premises. which we have made no intellectually, but emotionally, it's going to be harder to grasp. at times it is even for me now. indians were rational people. they did things for reasons. they didn't do things to be exotic. they were r