If you are going to be at the National Women’s Studies Association in Detroit, I will be presenting on Indigenous Feminisms, gender in Indigenous language revitalization, teaching feminist theory, and using trauma informed practice to design online community spaces.
Ashley Glassburn has been elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society (AAS), a 212-year-old national research library and community of learners dedicated to discovering and sharing a deeper understanding of the American past. Glassburn joins a distinguished roster of more than 1,100 members from forty-eight states, the District of Columbia, and five other countries. Elected for their achievement in academic or public life, AAS members range from scholars, collectors, and librarians to artists, writers, and history enthusiasts. Since the Society’s founding in 1812, fourteen United States presidents, more than seventy-five Pulitzer Prize winners, scores of Bancroft Prize winners, many Guggenheim fellows, and several MacArthur Award winners have been elected to membership.
Ashley Glassburn and Loyell Bigjohn lead rounds of Paapankamwa iilweeta… (Fox says…) games in Myaamia and Anishinaabemowin at AWE Art Windsor Essex from 5-8p as part of AWE at Night. Indigenous folks get in for free. The evening will include artist and curator talks, feature the exhibit Love Languages, and there will be craft activities for kids - making fox masks to play Paapankamwa iilweeta.
More information is available on: Education News Canada, University of Windsor’s Daily News, AWE Art Windsor Essex.
Days at the Pillars is an annual event where the Miami Nation of Indiana invites the public to our property at the Seven Pillars to learn about Miami history and culture. There will be drumming, dancing, historical education, food, and vendors. Saturday and Sunday 10a-5p. If you are interested in becoming a vendor, please contact the Miami Nation of Indiana office directly.
Miami youth and elder dressed in historical clothing at the Seven Pillars, hanging out on woven mats.
saakaciweeyankwi is the annual language and culture camp for the Miami Nation of Indiana. This camp is open and free to children (ages 9-16) in families enrolled in the Miami Nation of Indiana. At camp, youth get to know their Miami relatives and build meaningful relationships that we hope continue to grow as they do. Together we learn about Miami language, history, art, drumming, singing, and dancing. To learn more about camp and how to enroll, contact the Miami Nation of Indiana office.
Miami youth playing at saakaciweeyankwi camp.
In May 2024, 14 students from the University of Windsor will earn university credit studying in Costa Rica with me. We will travel the length of the country, visiting with three Indigenous communities and learning how to work intentionally towards building good relations with Indigenous peoples as visitors to their lands. We will visit two oceans, hike through the rainforest, swim in mountain rivers, and learn about contemporary efforts to protect Indigenous lands, foster Indigenous language programs, and the local efforts to maintain Indigenous knowledges, such as art, sport, ethnobotany, and foodways.
Recruiting for this course took place in Fall 2023 and is now closed. I cannot promise that this course will be offered again, but my hope is to make this a regular course offering at University of Windsor.
Group of University of Windsor students at Puerto Viejo in Lìmon, Costa Rica smiling out at the Caribean Ocean after an impromptu hike.
nepale neepwankia is our advanced Myaamia language retreat, which will take place at the Koinonia Environmental Education and Retreat Center in Pierceton, Indiana. Through this workshop participants will significantly expand their understanding of how relationships are understood through Myaamia verbs and the complex dynamics of describing relationships between animate beings in Myaamia. We want to express a special thank you to the Peace Studies Department at Manchester University for making space for us to learn Myaamia in such a beautiful place. mihše neewe! This workshop is available for folks who have completed the saakiwa workshop and are interested in learning how to become a community language educator for the Miami Nation of Indiana.
Sara Acton and Mindy Tigler laughing while weaving double woven baskets at the February 2024 Nepale Neepwankia Retreat.
Saakiwa is the Miami Nation of Indiana second intermediate level language workshop. In this workshop we review what we have learned before, practice working with verbs, and learn how to talk about the relationships between beings and items. We are incredibly thankful to the Peace Studies Department of Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana for hosting this workshop on campus. These workshops are made available for free to members of the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana. At this time, we do not have any language programs available for the public.
Sarah Siders Bitzel asking me a serious question while Sara, John B, and Kory laugh.
This winter, I am hosting a series of talking circles to give space for each of the Miami clans to talk amongst themselves about their experience and thoughts on Miami history and culture. These talking circles are part of a research project conducted by Dr. Ashley Glassburn on how historical narratives impact living Miami people and community. This research is funded by the Canadian Tri-Council Social Science and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant. Due to the formal use of this research, these particular talking circles are open only to lineal descent members of the Miami Nation of Indiana. To learn more about your talking circle, ask your council representative.
Godfroy family talking circle at Tribal Complex in January 2024.
On Thursday, March 23 at 3pm Ashley Glassburn will discuss her recent work in a lecture entitled “Thinking, Writing, Speaking Myaamia: Language reclamation for life-long learners.”
Glassburn explores why she and her team completely rewrote all their teaching materials in the last two years and are now basing their approach to writing around core language models developed for Augmentative and Alternate Communication practices originally designed for use with adults with severe expressive communication differences. The result is a significantly different approach to teaching Algonquian verbs and grammar that has ramifications beyond Myaamia language circles.
Presented by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the event will be held in room 268, Dillon Hall, and is open to all
