Native American Studies and Anthropology

Native American Studies and the Department of Anthropology: 

Native American Studies and the Department of Anthropology have focused on Indigenous issues throughout the duration of our NEH grant, hiring a post-doctoral position and organizing several important public events.

For more information about Native Americans Studies at UM, please visit the department's website.

To learn more about UM Anthropology, please visit the department on instagram. 

The goals for this section of the project were to realize, sustain, and disseminate Indigenous perspectives and scholarship as a means of educating leaders as well as K-20 students/audiences to address our recognized need for renewal, healing, and new visions. Humanities programs associated with these goals aimed to amplify Indigenous knowledge and narrative voices through colloquia, role modelling, and robust cross-cultural exchange. To achieve these goals, we hired a Native American Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow and a Humanities Event Coordinator. We also hosted a Native American Studies lecture series (examples of speaker series and related events provided below.

Below are highlights that reached audiences on and beyond the UM campus community, including some events that involved participation of local organizations.

The associated speaker and event series included the following:

Heather Cahoon

• Philosophical and Tribal Sovereignty: A View of and from the American Indian Governance and Policy Institute, May 4, 2022, University of Montana

Kim Tall Bear:

• Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science, November 12, 2022, University of Montana (Figure 1)
• Dr. Tall Bear also worked with students while here at UM campus, including a lecture and class discussion(s) entitled, Tribal Identity as Relatedness: Against Heteropatriarchal Formations.

 Eldon Yellowhorn:

• Finding Missing Children: Responding to the Calls for Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, April 7, 2022, 7:30 p.m., University of Montana (Figure 2)
• Speaking of Blackfoot: Revitalizing a Boutique Language. April 7, 2022, 4:00 p.m. Payne Family Native American Center, University of Montana

Corwin “Corky” Clairmont, MFA: 

• Art as Activism and Advocacy, March 15, 2023, Montana Art Museum (Figure 3)

Marty Lopez, PhD Candidate: 

• Flicker Feather Films: Indigenous Film and Visual Anthropology, April 6, 2023, Roxy Theater Missoula

Emma Sansaver’s Dress Public Humanities Events (multiple events)

• Presentation, Workshop and Pop-up Museum on the dress and the Fort Shaw Boarding School, Home of Emma’s Basketball Champions of the World team from 1904 at the September 30 Boarding School Symposium, at the Nike N-7 Basketball games, and K-12 visits. Emma’s dress was filmed for a segment of CBS Saturday Morning. The work related to this project was featured throughout the timeline of other events noted above and connected with many of the project goals and partners on UM campus, including the co-PIs on this project.