October 6, 2023

Dear UM Community,

On Monday, Oct. 9, communities across Montana will observe Indigenous Peoples Day. The State of Montana dedicates the second Monday in October each year to celebrate our diverse Indigenous cultures and peoples.

At our University, we will honor the day with a host of events and activities, with a heart for learning and hearing. The day is an opportunity to honor the many ways Indigenous students, faculty, staff and alumni contribute to our own University culture and strengths as an institution.

Indigenous Peoples Day also calls us to continue our work to respectfully partner with tribal communities, serve Indigenous members of the Griz community, and recognize the sovereignty of Indigenous nations. We are fortunate for enriched student experiences, Indigenous-centered scholarship, ceremonies, stories and teaching that both impact our understanding of history and influence our future.

Evidence of this continued, dedicated work is reflected in our actions and progress as a campus. The University of Montana wishes to express its gratitude and appreciation of the historic events that occurred this week when our campus hosted a Blackfoot Confederacy delegation that was comprised of distinguished Blackfoot Elder Leonard Bastien Weasel Traveller (Apaa Makaa). Tyson Running Wolf and Lona Running Wolf are leaders from several prominent spiritual Amskapi Pikuni Societies. The delegation included leaders from the Blackfoot Way of Life (Siksikaitsitapiipaitapiiyssin), Horn Society (Iitsskinnayiiks), Brave Dog Society (Kanatsomitaiksi) and Thunder Pipe (Ninaimsskaahkoyinnimaan). Their delegation also included many UM Indigenous Alumni including the leader of the Brave Dog Society Darrell Hall and Blackfeet Shield Keepers.

The delegation shared ceremonies, teachings, and meals with students, staff, faculty, and our Indigenous community to kick off events funded by a $1 million Mellon Foundation grant to host Indigenous elders and support integrating Indigenous ways of knowing and Native expertise into the curriculum. The Mellon Foundation will provide UM funding to hire a program manager and tenure-track faculty member to join this effort. Next steps will be continued outreach to tribal nations in Montana seeking to center Indigenous knowledge in contemporary pathways to degrees. 

The University is grateful to the Blackfeet elders and spiritual leaders who traveled to campus this week to share with us their knowledge, culture and ceremony, creating pathways for other tribal partners to collaborate with UM in higher education. Many thanks to the numerous students, staff, and community members who ensured that the historic visit was a success. The Blackfoot Pipe Ceremony held on the UM Oval was the first formal public Blackfoot ceremony held since the campus was built upon ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples of the region. Ceremonies and mentoring activities were held this week on campus and in Missoula.

Thank you to all who have helped to embody the inclusive values of UM.  The evidence of UM’s success is reflected in our Native American student enrollment, which is up 5.25% this fall. Since 2018, the number of Native Americans enrolled at UM has increased by 30%. We hope to continue making UM a central place that supports Indigenous educational opportunities.