#17 - Indigenous Scholars: Communicating For and To Our Tribal Communities - Guest: JoRee LaFrance

08/28/20 • 91 min

In the episode, the IRC team speaks with JoRee LaFrance (Apsáalooke). She is a PhD student in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. She comes from the Crow Reservation located in southeastern Montana. Her Apsáalooke name is Iichiinmaaáatchilash (Fortunate with Horses) and she comes from the Greasy Mouth clan and is a child of Ties in the Bundle clan. She uses the intersection of her background in earth sciences and Native American studies to focus on water quality issues on her reservation.

JoRee's PhD research aims to understand the contaminant behavior in the Indigenous Food, Energy, Water Security and Sovereignty (Indige-FEWSS) nexus in the Little Bighorn River watershed. More specifically, she will address the contaminant concentration-discharge relationship in the river to further determine any implications and to characterize exposure routes unique to Apsáalooke people.

The episode begins with Ellen BigSam (Salish) singing a Snqaqaá. The Nqaqaá was performed in anticipation of the departure of a war or hunting party. In the Nqaqaá a small group of people sang the Snqaqaá from teepee to teepee as the war or hunting party made their preparations for departure. By the time the singers had completed the circle the warriors had departed silently.

JoRee and the IRC Team continue by discussing the importance of our tribal communities and landscapes as a source of inspiration for our research and academic aspirations. The discussion centers on how our time away from our tribal communities helps to shape the research we envision while attaining academic knowledge. The conversation shifts to the importance of communicating our academic knowledge back to our Tribal Communities.
The second half episode begins with Grant Bull Tail (Apsáalooke). During the creation of humankind and the Earth, it is said in some version of the creation story that the Creator sang this song.
JoRee and the IRC Team continue the discussion on the purpose of writing in Western academics. The discussion center on advice for current and emerging Indigenous scholars on how to make our academic writing be a purposeful product for our respective Tribal communities. The discussion shift to the complexities of economic development on Reservation and how Tribes can move toward sustainable and renewable economic ventures.
Have answers? Suggestions? Agree? Disagree? Join the conversation at one of our social media sites. Your input is valuable to advance our understanding.

Guest: JoRee LaFrance
Learn more:
https://environmentalscience.cals.arizona.edu/person/joree-lafrance
https://climas.arizona.edu/about/people/joree-lafrance
https://dartmouthcollegefund.org/story/way-home
Hosts: Aaron Brien, Kamiah Dumontier, Salena Hill, Shandin Pete, Brenda Shepard
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
Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-irc/id1512551396
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1H5Y1pWYI8N6SYZAaawwxb
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ircskc/
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YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwuqsg39_mE76xMxER5MSQ

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#18 - Highlights: Ep 3. - Indian Romantic or Romanticism? & Ep 4. - Metaphors and Circles? What Do Indians Really Think!

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In this bonus episode, listen to highlight from the IRC teams discussions from Episode 3 and Episode 4. In Episode 3 the team discusses positive stereotyping and romanticism of Indigenous worldviews. The introduction of EuroAmerican instrument, in this case, a harmonica played by Jerome Vanderburg, facilitated the notion of composition of songs into the lifeway of Indigenous people. The fact that Indigenous people are adaptable and our cultural expressions are not static is a factor in combating the effects of positive stereotyping and the development of a romanticized version of ourselves. Stereotypes that are deemed favorable beliefs about ourselves that directly or indirectly suggest that we have a more significant advantage or superiority in areas such as stewardship, holistic solutions, and circular thinking can steer us away from our practical roots.

In Episode 4 the IRC team discusses the assumption that Indigenous thought is circular and metaphorical. The Salish Syulm, an observance by the woman of the brave deed of their male relatives, serves as a platform to discuss the misuse/use of metaphors and circularity in an Indigenous worldview. The Syulm has been described metaphorically as a "scalp dance", as the woman will dance with the articles their male relatives wore in battle or took from a battle; often this was a scalp of the enemy. In this same way, the "circle" has been touted as a primary component of Indigenous life when in reality it may be simply a description of the cyclical pattern of life and not an all-encompassing symbolic representation of reality.

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

Join the conversation at one of our social media sites. Our listener's input is valuable!

Featuring: Aaron Brien, Kamiah Dumontier, Salena Hill, Serra Hoagland, Marty Lopez, Brenda Shepard, Shandin Pete

Website http://irc.skc.edu
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ircskc/
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