Events
“An Introduction to the American Indian Narrative”
Ryan Comfort, American Indian Curriculum Services Coordinator, and
Aaron Bird Bear, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis MS program
Tuesday, September 22, 3-4pm
259 Educational Sciences
“An Introduction to the American Indian Narrative” is an entry level presentation focusing on broad issues in Indian country and how those issues are reflected in our current state and campus climates. Aaron Bird Bear will briefly examine how decades of federal Indian policy work to shape our Wisconsin community by focusing on policies of assimilation and education. Moving from broad historic policy, Ryan Comfort will bring the focus sharply in on Wisconsin’s own American Indian education policies with an overview of “Act 31,” its sources, purpose, and implications for K-12 and higher education.
“The Americana Indian: American Indians in the American Imagination”
Brian Baker, Associate Proffessor of Ethnic Studies and American Indian Studies, California State University, Sacramento
Exhibition: September 25 –November 10
Opening Reception: 7pm–9pm • September 25
Guided Tour: 4:30pm–6:30pm • September 28
Memorial Union Theater Gallery
The Americana Indian aims to demonstrate the proliferation of conventional representations in American popular culture and commerce, while questioning how the images work to convey a limited set of messages about Native peoples. Curator Brian Baker states,
“The objects and images gathered together for this exhibit highlight the powerful cultural and political characteristics of the Americana Indian that pervade and buttress the collective identity of the nation.”
Seven major themes inform the presentation’s content: 1) Invention and Discovery, 2) Colonialism and the Indian Paradox, 3) Shaping the Imagination, 4) Indian Parts that Service the Imagination, 5) The Indian in the Cupboard, 6) Indian Heads and American Consumption, and 7) Playing Indian. With Wisconsin’s educational mandate to develop curriculum and teacher training for Wisconsin Indian history, culture, and tribal, “The Americana Indian” may serve as a resource for educators grappling with the question of how to represent the tribes in the state of Wisconsin for units of their curriculum.
“Expanding the Narrative”
A Discussion Panel
Moderated by Aaron Bird Bear
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
4:00pm-5:30pm
259 Educational Sciences Building
“Expanding the Narrative” A Discussion Panel opens a conversation about existing colonial narratives in the education system, the types of narratives
Native educators would like to see, and specific ways to create change.
Scheduled panelists include UW-Madison School of Education alumni Gene Delcourt (Abenaki Nation), Social Studies, Shabazz City High School; and
Don Hoaglin (Pomo Nation), English, East High School. The panel also includes Asst. Prof. of Art History
Nancy Marie Mithlo (Chiricahua Apache Nation), former administrator, Native American Preparatory School, Santa Fe, NM;
Lance Tallmadge (Ho-Chunk Nation), Native American Student Services Coordinator, Black River Falls School District and
Brian Baker (Bad River Chippewa), Assoc. Prof. of Ethnic Studies and American Indian Studies, Sacramento State. The conversation from this panel will help ground the School of Education’s year long discussion on American Indian issues in education.
“American Indians in Children’s Literature”
Debbie Reese, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies
Janice Rice, University of Wisconsin Madison, Senior Academic Librarian, College Library
Thursday November 5, 2009
presentation: 3:00-4:15pm
discussion: 4:30pm
228 Educational Sciences Building
“American Indians in Children’s Literature” will examine the role of American Indians in both children’s and young adult literature. The presentation will help students understand how to examine works with American Indian themes, characters, or images with a critical eye focused on accuracy and authenticity.
Debbie Reese, a citizen from the Nambe Pueblo in New Mexico, is an American Indian Studies faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Asst. Professor Reese explores the messages, both visual and literary, about American Indians that children, both native and non-native, encounter in some of America’s most popular literature.
Janice Rice, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, is the UW–Madison College Library Outreach Coordinator. In her role as librarian, Janice invites students to learn about Native American culture, both in book form and through the use of technology, and puts Native American history and culture in context for students. Janice recently finished a term as president of the American Indian Library Association.
Knowledge, Skills, and Mindsets for Teaching American Indian Studies and Students”
A workshop by JP Leary, Wisconsin DPI, and
Ryan Comfort, American Indian Curriculum Services, School of Education, UW-Madison
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
2:00pm - 5:00pm
259 Educational Sciences
“Tools for Change” is an interactive workshop geared towards providing participants who want to integrate American Indian Studies into their classroom with concrete tools and a plan for action. The workshop will help participants identify colonial narratives and provide the resources for developing the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to take action and integrate counter narratives into their professional lives. Participants should bring a lesson plan, project, or other work in which they would like to integrate American Indian studies in a meaningful way.
Pow-wow 101: An Introduction for All the People
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Program: 10:00am to 12:30pm
Pow-wow: 1:00pm to 9:00pm
228 Educational Sciences
“Pow-wow 101” is a student led program designed to give students, staff, faculty, community members, and their families the knowledge and experience to engage pow-wow and integrate an understanding of American Indian history, culture, and sovereignty into their personal and professional lives. The program combines background knowledge, tangible experience, and topic specific discussion about pow-wow and how it relates to diverse areas of education. Pow-wow 101 provides the opportunity for a select corps of teacher education students to engage more deeply with American Indian studies and practice translating cultural content into relevant lessons for a diverse audience.