Tribal Research Specialist: The Podcast - #15 - Achieving Success: Advice from Indigenous Professors in Academia - Guests: WILLOW AGEP Alliance Fellows

#15 - Achieving Success: Advice from Indigenous Professors in Academia - Guests: WILLOW AGEP Alliance Fellows

08/13/20 • 40 min

In the episode, the IRC team speaks with The WILLOW AGEP Alliance Fellows. The Willow AGEP Alliance brings together three institutions - University of Montana, Salish Kootenai College, and Sitting Bull College. The WILLOW AGEP Alliance includes interconnected components focusing on retention and support for NAF-STEM via a mentoring program, grant preparation, and management program, and institutional support program. The development of a model to increase the success of NAF-STEM will provide more effective ways to strengthen their participation through professional development and systemic institutional change. This is an AGEP-T: Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate – Transformation under these NSF HRD grant numbers: #1723248 - University of Montana (UM), #1723006 - Salish Kootenai College (SKC), and #1723196 - Sitting Bull College (SBC).
The IRC team asked the WILLOW Fellows the following questions: In Western Academics, what has been considered a victory to you? In the current state, how do victory and success look in the future?
Guests include:
Dr. Annie Belcourt (Otter Woman) is an American Indian Assistant Professor in the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Montana Pharmacy Practice and School of Public and Community Health Sciences Departments.
https://health.umt.edu/pharmacypractice/Faculty%20and%20Preceptors/Directory.php?ID=3227
Renae Schmitt is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She is an instructor in the Environmental Science Program at Sitting Bull College
https://sittingbull.edu/sitting-bull-college/programs/environmental-science-masters-program/
Dr. Robert Smith is an Associate Professor at the University of Montana in the Computer Science Department.
http://hs.umt.edu/cs/facultyAndStaff/default.php?s=Smith3075
Dr. Aaron Thomas is a member of the Navajo Nation. He is the Director of Indigenous Research and STEM Education (IRSE) at the University of Montana, in addition to his role as Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
https://hs.umt.edu/chemistry/people/faculty.php?s=Thomas2104
Have answers? Suggestions? Agree? Disagree? Join the conversation at one of our social media sites. Your input is valuable to advance our understanding.

Hosts: Aaron Brien, Salena, Hill, Serra Hoagland, Shandin Pete
Website http://irc.skc.edu
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#14 - PT 2 Song Knowledge: Retention and use of songs in Tribal communities - Guest: John Stiffarm & Mike Lafromboise

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In part 2 of this series of episodes, the IRC team is also joined by a special guest, John Stiffarm (A̓a̓niiih), and returning guest Mike Lafromboise (Piikani). John is from the Fort Belknap Reservation and has served as a teacher since 2007 of the A̓a̓niiih (Gros Ventre) language in kindergarten through 12th grade. His passion for culture and language revitalization has followed John into all aspects of his life as he continues to promote an Indigenous life through his work in education. Mike is a faculty member in the Tribal Governance program, at Salish Kootenai College.

The IRC team discusses the knowledge of songs both contemporarily and traditionally. The episode starts with a clip of Louie NinePipe singing the Snčučaw, a Shoshone war dance song used by the Salish at the end of the war dance in preparation for the distribution of food. The similarity of this song and others, originating from the Omaha grass dance across the plains and plateau tribes, provides context to the historical sharing of knowledge. The discussion of protocols and procedures related to songs and singing are shared between the respective hosts (Apsáalooke & Seliš) and guests (A̓a̓niiih & Piikani) tribes.
The IRC team continues the discussion after listening to a clip of a song composed for Sampson Birdinground (Apsáalooke) to remark his deeds. The song, generally sung to remark war deeds, was composed to note Sampsons horsemanship and general good qualities. Along with the guests, the IRC continues to discuss how deeds are thought of today the complement those of our ancestors.
The discussion centers around questions such as "How can tribes reinvent or revive traditional practices that were common across our communities?" "How can songs and singing be utilized again to promote inquiry and quests for knowledge?"

Have answers? Suggestions? Agree? Disagree? Join the conversation at one of our social media sites. Your input is valuable to advance our understanding.

Guest: John Stiffarm, Mike Lafromboise
Hosts: Aaron Brien, Shandin Pete
Website http://irc.skc.edu
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#16 - Indigenous Scholars: Making Our Education Work for Tribal Communities - Guest: Lydia Jennings

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In the episode, the IRC team speaks with Lydia Jennings (Pascua Yaqui and Huichol). Lydia is doctoral candidate in the Department of Environmental Sciences, with a minor in American Indian Policy at the University of Arizona (UA). Her research interests are in environmental remediation, Indigenous science, mining policy, and environmental data ownership by tribal nations.

Lydia’s dissertation research focuses on the identification and characterization of microbial indicators as tools to evaluate mine waste reclamation, while her minor research focuses on the laws around mining on federal lands to which tribes have ancestral claims. Lydia’s research with the UA's Native Nations Institute is focused on how scientists and researchers can empower Indigenous data governance practices to create more equitable science practices.

The episode begins with Sophie Moise (Salish) and Mary Kiser (Salish) singing a Snyulmn that was sung as the women prepare for the Syulm. The Syulm takes place to remark victory in battle. The women prepared themselves in three teepees of the camp where the men helped them. The women will dress themselves in the war shirts and headdresses of their husbands, uncles, or sons.
Lydia and the IRC Team continue by discussing the challenges that Indigenous scholars face navigating Western education and how we can put our education to use in our Tribal communities that is purposeful and makes sense in our worldview. The IRC team asks the question: What is the pathway to knowledge that facilitates and promotes diverse and unique Indigenous contributions?
The second half episode begins with Jerome and Agnes Vanderburg (Salish) sing another Snyulmn that is used to escort the women to the center of camp for the Syulm. This song was sung by both men and women in going to the center of the camp circle where the dance was held.
Lydia and the IRC Team continue by imagining what the future of education would be to help future Indigenous scholars as they navigate Western academics.
Have answers? Suggestions? Agree? Disagree? Join the conversation at one of our social media sites. Your input is valuable to advance our understanding.

Guest: Lydia Jennings
Learn more:
https://www.willrunforsoil.com/about-us.html
https://www.nativesoilnerd.com/
http://nni.arizona.edu/people/staff/lydia-jennings
https://environmentalscience.cals.arizona.edu/person/lydia-jennings
Hosts: Kamiah Dumontier, Kisha Gurule, Salena Hill, Serra Hoagland, Shandin Pete, Brenda Shepard
Website http://irc.skc.edu
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Tribal Research Specialist: The Podcast - #15 - Achieving Success: Advice from Indigenous Professors in Academia - Guests: WILLOW AGEP Alliance Fellows

Transcript

Shandin Pete00:00:31.000

Welcome to podcast IRC conversations with indigenous scholars to advance understandings and gain new knowledge hosted by the indigenous Research Center at Salish kootenai College. All right, so that song, there was a song sung by Paul antonian. Early in 1932, it was recorded at that time, and is a is a short clip of what we call though, like a victory song. And generally, these songs were sung, of course, to note a victory in battle or a victo