Panel Examines Lack of Native American Studies

Students, faculty, and Native American scholars discussed introducing an indigenous studies program as part of Friday’s Faculty House workshop on the under-representation of Native Americans in Columbia’s curriculum and faculty.

“Little attention in the curriculum of Native American culture and history leaves a huge intellectual hole,” said Jean Howard, who formed the committee 18 months ago while serving as the first vice-provost for diversity initiatives. “It seemed important because we have Native American students at Columbia, but few faculty.”

Howard said that she formed the committee in order to address student concerns that Native American culture was largely ignored on campus.

“Native American studies needs to be coupled with Native scholars,” said JoAnn Kintz, CC ’08, president of the Columbia Native American Council and a member of the committee.

Since arriving at Columbia, Kintz has been advocating for greater representation of Native Americans within the curriculum. “I could not believe that no major Native American perspective was offered in the Core,” Kintz said.

A dinner welcoming the invited professors kicked off Thursday’s workshop. Held at the Faculty House, the dinner featured a keynote address by University of Kansas
professor Michael Yellow Bird.

“It is important that it be indigenous,” he said, referring to creating a Native American program. “It should be study to empower Native people.”

Decolonization, nation-building, Native American sovereignty, and global climate change were recurring themes throughout the workshop, with concerns touching on the slowly disappearing culture and language.

“We exist nowhere else in the planet,” said Dawn Martin-Hill, a professor at McMaster University in Ontario. “This is our homeland, and being invisible is part of the problem of being indigenous people in the United States and Canada.”

Although the University offers some courses relating to Native Americans, some feel that the courses are too scattered across disciplines and schools to comprise a cohesive program. Workshop participants and committee members expressed a desire to capitalize on the University’s resources and location.

“We started to bring scholars to see what questions we should be asking, and about creating a center,” said Geraldine Downey, vice-provost for diversity initiatives. “The University is committed.”

jesse.dean@columbiaspectator.com