Chief Lee Vest Interview Series: Oral History of the Remnant Yuchi Nation
This four-part interview series preserves one of the most important oral histories connected to Dr. Jim Glanville’s research: the testimony and lived memory of Chief Lee Vest of the Remnant Yuchi Nation. Recorded at the Wise Inn in Wise, Virginia, these conversations illuminate ancestral knowledge, regional migrations, land-based memory, and the enduring Indigenous presence within what Dr. Glanville defined as Holstonia. By hosting this series on Holstonia.co, we honor both Chief Vest’s voice and Jim’s lifelong commitment to centering Indigenous history in Southwest Virginia.
Recorded: August 5, 2019 – Wise Inn, Wise, Virginia
Format: Four-part oral history series (videos below)
📥 Complete four-part interview transcript available as a downloadable archival PDF
📎 Opens in a new tab — use “Save As” to download.
📜 Part of the Holstonia.co Knowledge Base. Redistribution not permitted.
🎥 Watch the Four-Part Interview Series
• Part 1 (72 minutes) – Watch on YouTube ↗
• Part 2 (49 minutes) – Watch on YouTube ↗
• Part 3 (34 minutes) – Watch on YouTube ↗
• Part 4 (38 minutes) – Watch on YouTube ↗
Links open in a new tab. Videos are hosted on YouTube to preserve original recording quality and accessibility. Videos are hosted externally to maintain site performance and ensure optimal viewing across devices.
Overview
This interview series offers a rare and intimate window into the cultural history of the Yuchi people and their deep connections to Southwest Virginia. Through open conversation and lived memory, Chief Lee Vest reflects on ancestral traditions, historic homelands, language history, and the experiences of the Remnant Yuchi community. His testimony complements and strengthens Dr. Glanville’s long-held belief that early Indigenous presence in Holstonia included Yuchi-speaking peoples.
Cultural Memory & Yuchi Continuity
Chief Vest’s recollections speak to generational resilience—stories carried through displacement, forced migration, and separation. His insights weave together land ties, kinship memory, and regional oral tradition, revealing a continuity often missing from written colonial records. These interviews offer context for understanding how identity persists despite centuries of cultural suppression.
Indigenous Voices in Holstonia
Much of Jim’s research emphasized that Indigenous presence in Southwest Virginia extended far deeper and wider than commonly acknowledged. The conversation with Chief Vest affirms this perspective, demonstrating how oral history fills the gaps left by archeological bias, archival erasure, and academic gatekeeping. Together, the interviews stand as a collaborative reclamation of Indigenous narrative.
Honoring Chief Lee Vest & Dr. Jim Glanville
This series represents a meaningful moment of shared respect between Chief Vest and Dr. Glanville—two men dedicated to truth-telling, cultural remembrance, and historical restoration. Their dialogue helps ensure that the voices of the Yuchi and other Indigenous ancestors are not forgotten but carried forward with integrity and care.
Thank you for honoring what was nearly lost. Your awareness matters more than you know.
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