First Nations Conference

March 20th & 21st, 2008

Native Studies at Boise State University: Talking Strategy

 
Open Letter to the Communtiy
From the First Nations Conference Cochairs
Boise State University professors are committed to educational excellence and are doing amazing things in their research and teaching. President Kustra has taken our helm and is overseeing the construction of new buildings and placing a new energy and emphasis on transforming our school into a research university of distinction.

There are other areas of our strategic plan that we can look at too, which has to do with taking advantage of the great potential that is inherent in the land itself. It is something that epitomizes the spirit of sustainability and being as indigenous to the land as the deer, sagebrush, rivers, and eagles.

We're talking about emphasizing our strengths and showcasing what could be a unique platform for research that personifies our region. We're talking about an Indian Studies area. We have the history right here on the land in Boise that represents much of the significant history of the Great Basin area of the last ten thousand years. We should have a research center here that is composed of Indigenous and other scholars devoted to the history, culture, and experience of Indigenous people.
 
This strategy could also serve the Indigenous students from the region by helping them attain their dreams with a curriculum patterned after other successful programs around the country. A stellar example is the innovative Evergreen College graduate program in tribal governance, developed by Dr. Alan Parker to nurture future leaders. Why not here? It is in all of our best interests to develop what Indian country has to offer Idaho.
 
We are cochairs of a First Nations Conference, where many of the potential players will discuss possible strategies to make this a reality. We have invited our administrators, Idaho Tribal representatives, students, staff, and faculty to participate in several roundtable discussions. Many of the local high tech industries have been vocal about adding diversity and character to Boise, and have been supportive of our efforts in the past.
 
The conference has other attractions for the region to make it educational, inspiring and fun. Wilma Mankiller, one of the first female tribal leaders, is giving the talk, Leading from the Heart. Also an author, she is one of the most inspirational people from Indian country. Lee Marmon, an Indigenous photographer from Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, will also present documentary work on his people that he has done for over 50 years. The nationally known filmmaker Heather Rae (who has just won a prestigious Sundance Film Institute Award and also signed with Sony Pictures) will preview her work-in-progress film, Family: The First Circle. Randy Redroad will show his film The Doe Boy, and Blackhorse Lowe will screen his short films Shush and Hey Indian. Other Conference items include Pocahontas Meets Hello Kitty, an exhibition of contemporary prints, and a series of individual presentations by Tribal representatives, students, and scholars, on the Conference theme, Native Studies at Boise State University: Talking Strategy.
 
It will all be at the BSU Student Union Building on March 20th and 21st. Please read the rest of our website for details. The annual Pow Wow hosted by the BSU Indigenous student organization, the Intertribal Native Council, will be on March 22nd and 23rd . All of the events are free and we hope that you will come, because after all, we planned them for you.
 
Thank you for coming, we sincerely appreciate your presence.
 

Gretchen L.S. Cotrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor, gcotrell@boisestate.edu
Larry McNeil, Professor, lmcneil@boisestate.edu
Martin Cutler, Ph.D.Assist. Professor, martincutler@boisestate.edu
 

Cotrell, McNeil & Cutler are American Indian faculty at BSU.