Recent News
This quarter, new faculty Jessica Bissett-Perea and John-Carlos Perea are co-teaching a new iteration of “Powwow Cultures in Native North America.”
While a powwow course existed in the past, this is the first time it’s an interdisciplinary offering between American Indian Studies and the School of Music. The course will cover historic and contemporary powwow practices through a variety of activities, including participation in the annual First… Read more
These caretakers can help ensure museum collections are handled, and expanded, appropriately. AIS Adjunct Professor Sven Haakanson speaks about his experience as a curator at the Burke Museum and his hopes for more Indigenous curators. You can read the full article in the Arts and… Read more
Washington state is sending a statue of an Indigenous activist it arrested more than 50 times to the Halls of Congress. The statue of Billy Frank Jr. will be the first contemporary depiction of an Indigenous person in National Statuary Hall, since Oklahoma put a statue of movie star Will Rogers there in 1939.
Frank is wearing jeans, a button-down shirt and a bolo tie. His hair is in a ponytail and he’s got a big smile on his face.
You can read… Read more
The timeless power of storytelling lies in the sacred exchange between storyteller and listener—a connection that transcends generations, builds community, and sustains culture. It is through this exchange that we find our deepest truths, our shared histories, and the resilience to move forward. The Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Washington recently celebrated this tradition with the annual Sacred Breath event, a gathering that honored not only the art of… Read more
The Department of American Indian Studies (AIS) at the University of Washington, Seattle, is pleased to announce funding from the Mellon Foundation (Mellon) Humanities in Place Program. Over the next three years, a $1.45 million grant award will fund the expansion of existing AIS symposia, the creation of Indigenous student-centered activities, and place-based Indigenous research at the University of Washington and at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center in Seattle’s Discovery Park.
On the… Read more
AIS Associate Professor, Jean Dennison, an Osage Nation citizen, wrote an article for Time Magazine: What Killers of the Flower Moon Doesn't Show About Osage Nation's Legacy.
This beautiful piece firmly conveys not just a surviving, but a thriving Osage Nation. As many head to theaters to see the Martin Scorsese's new film adaptation of the book, Professor Dennison's article provides critical… Read more
Have you heard? UW Professors from the College of Arts and Sciences were featured on the new "Ways of Knowing" Podcast. Episode 7 featured Chad Allen who discusses the Indigenous knowledge around earthworks and mounds.
Give it a listen: https://www.washington.edu/news/2023/10/10/ways-of-knowing-episode-7-ch…
From UW News: Chadwick Allen is a professor of English and… Read more
AIS is proud to support the new UW Canoe Family, č̓away̓altxʷ ʔiišəd (translated to Shell House Family from Lushootseed), a name gifted to the Canoe Family by AIS Professor, Tami Hohn (Puyallup). This summer marked the first Canoe Journey č̓away̓altxʷ ʔiišəd travelled on.
This Journey was embarked on with great care. The Canoe Family met throughout the year to prepare every aspect, from carving paddles with CAIIS’s Native knowledge-in-residence coordinator Philip Red Eagle (Dakota/Salish),… Read more
Just as the year is wrapping up, our friends at CAIIS (the Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies) received some amazing news. With the initial 3 year $1.8 million Melon Foundation grant ending, the Center just received a renewal. The renewal is for $2.3 million over the next 5 years, ensuring the work and community build by the Center will not just continue, but grow. The University is celebrating with us and published a… Read more
Kristy Lee graduated 2020 from the UW with a B.A in English Language and Literature and a minor in American Indian Studies. Kristy is a Associate Project Manager at Qualitest (formerly Q Analysts) in Kirkland, WA, where she collects training data for machine learning and artificial intelligence, primarily through user studies.
AIS program has taught Kristy a lot. "Taking American Indian Studies courses at UW showed me the importance of diversity and minority representation in all… Read more