Nola Reporter

Lack of knowledge and understanding as well as misinformation about  Indigenous cultures is an ongoing issue for Indigenous peoples all over  the world. https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/departments/anthropology/people/judith-maxwell,  professor in the Department of Anthropology at the School of Liberal  Arts and a member of the Etowah tribe, is making strides in changing  this through her work and the program she founded and directs, the https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/programs/native-american-studies

“There has been an intellectual erasure of Native America. If you  talk to most people about Native Americans, they tend to talk about them  in the past tense. The message I’m delivering is — we are still here,”  said Maxwell. “Native Americans have and are contributing to United  States history.”

The Native American Studies Minor grew out of the work that Maxwell  has been doing for the past 10 years with the Tunica-Biloxi tribe of  Louisiana. When she started the project, Tunica was a “sleeping  language,” as it had no Native speakers, despite having a community that  identifies with the language and culture. The language is now  reawakening, with approximately 80 Tunica-Biloxi children who are  learning the language, five adult master teachers and about 20 fluent  Tulanians. The two-week summer intensive Tunica course that Maxwell  teaches consists of one week of classes on campus and one week working  with the tribe.

The minor program requires five courses with at least 60 percent  Native American content. Currently there are 30 courses available  through the Department of Anthropology and four courses through the  departments of Art and Music, but Maxwell would like to grow the program  both in scope, such as creating a larger certificate program, as well  as the interdisciplinary aspect, with more departments offering courses  with substantial Native American content. She now teaches a 1000-level  course, Native America: An Introduction, which she hopes will pique  students’ interest and lead to further learning.

Maxwell’s purpose and goals are ambitious and are of vital importance  to the Native American community. In the classroom, she discusses the  constant issues that face tribes all across the country — such as  continual threats to Native lands through land-grabbing policies and  environmental issues that include mineral rights and management of  natural resources on Indigenous territory. By bringing issues to the  forefront, Maxwell hopes her students will become conscientious  citizens.

“I think that perhaps the most important thing is just the  recognition. Because if you recognize that Indigenous people are still  here, then you can think about how you interact with them, and what kind  of policies you might be willing to support in the future, considering  their effect on Indigenous peoples,” said Maxwell.

Acknowledging that the United States was built on Native land is an  important first step to raising awareness and visibility. The https://tulane.edu/racial-equity/land-acknowledgement was read at the Unified Commencement ceremony and numerous Tulane  school ceremonies this May, with Maxwell reading at the School of  Liberal Arts ceremony. Maxwell believes that this important first step  is leading to further progress for Native American faculty, staff and  students, including the formation of an Indigenous student organization  and the expansion of the Indigenous Studies Symposium.

“There is a lot to be said for creating spaces in which people can  come together. So that is something that we’d like to see. I can bring  in people to the course individually, but to bring Tulane in as an  institution, so it can become a space, a nexus for this kind of sharing,  both with students and with the community, is so important.”

To learn more about the Native American Studies Minor program, https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/programs/native-american-studies

_{Source: https://news.tulane.edu/news/native-american-studies-program-raises-awareness-indigenous-cultures}