Native American Studies program raises awareness of Indigenous cultures

Lack of knowledge and understanding as well as misinformation about Indigenous cultures is an ongoing issue for Indigenous peoples all over the world. 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 Native American Studies Minor.

“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.

By Jill Dorje