Offices within the Myaamia Center
The Myaamia Center includes several offices, with differing areas of focus and staff support.
Executive Director
The executive director is responsible for overseeing center operations, managing budgets, supporting the mission, planning and organizing, and overseeing fundraising.
In order to carry out these responsibilities, the Office of the Executive Director works with the collective talents and experiences of the following stakeholders:
Research and Development
Updates coming soon.
Office Staff
- Daryl Baldwin, Executive Director
- George Ironstrack, Assistant Director
- Kara Strass, Executive Assistant
- Jennifer Jones-Scott, Administrative Assistant
- Jerome Viles, National Breath of Life Workshop Coordinator
- Jacqueline Rioja Velarde, Program Manager
- Stella Beerman, Communications Specialist
Language Research
The mission of the Language Research Office is to further our level of knowledge of the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ-Illinois language. The research undertaken by this office supplements the cultural and educational initiatives of the Myaamia Center, feeding directly into the language and cultural programs undertaken by the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe of Oklahoma.
Research and Development
¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ-Illinois Digital Archive
A primary responsibility of the Language Research Office is updating and maintaining the online learner’s dictionary and the comprehensive Indigenous Languages Digital Archive (ILDA) database of the Myaamia language. This latter project entails the ongoing grammatical analysis and annotation of the data in the Jesuit Illinois dictionaries, as well as the digitization and eventual analysis of all later sources on the language. At present, the entirety of the eighteenth-century Illinois dictionaries of Largillier and LeBoullenger have been uploaded into ILDA, as well as about two thirds of Pinet’s Illinois dictionary. Of the nineteenth and twentieth century sources, all of Charles Trowbridge’s Myaamia language notes, Heckewelder’s Myaamia vocabulary, Truman Michelson’s Peoria fieldnotes, and the first of Albert Gatschet’s and Jacob Dunn’s Myaamia-Peoria field notebooks have been uploaded.The purpose of this project is to make this vast amount of raw data maximally useful for both the Center’s language programs and linguistic research, and as such the ILDA database and the Language Research Office’s research are all freely kept available to the tribal and general public.
Grammatical research of ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ-Illinois
Moreover, the Language Research Office also makes the findings of its linguistic research accessible to the scholarly community, specifically to the field of Algonquian studies. This research will be made available in continued publications pertaining to aspects of the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ-Illinois language, as well as public presentations at the annual Algonquian Conference. The current linguistic research goals of the Language Research Office include our ongoing study of the grammar of ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ-Illinois, including semantics, syntax, morphology and phonology, and the ways that those grammatical tools were (and are) used by speakers to make meaning in their lives.
The project of analyzing all the data in the original manuscripts as they are uploaded into ILDA is expected to continue for years to come.
Finally, the Language Research Office will make itself available to help or train any members of the Myaamia community who wish to learn the language more extensively or who wish to learn to do their own linguistic study of ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ-Illinois.
Office Staff
- Dr. David J. Costa, Director
- Carole Katz, Language Document Transcriptionist
- Dr. Hunter Thompson Lockwood, Project Coordinator
Education
The Education office develops educational models, materials, and programs that specifically address the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe of Oklahoma’s language and culture educational needs. Key tribal efforts that the Education Office assists in the development and implementation of are , the for 10-16 year-olds, and the for citizens of the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe. The Education Office also serves as authors and editorial staff for .
The office also coordinates the Myaamia Heritage Program for Myaamia undergraduates at ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ who attend the university with the support of the Myaamia Heritage Award. This program includes a three-course series on Contemporary Issues and Sovereignty, History and Cultural Ecology, Language and Culture, and concludes with a two-semester long senior project.
The Education office works with the general ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ community by visiting classrooms and collaborating with professors who incorporate Myaamia language and culture into their courses. Support is also provided for K-12 educators throughout the Midwest by making Myaamia educational materials available to public educators in a variety of ways. Examples of ongoing K-12 outreach are our collaboration with and with the Ohio History Connection on their fourth grade textbook:
Research and Development
šaapohkaayoni: A Myaamia Education Portal
The was built to address the needs of the Myaamia community. Our community is widespread throughout the United States and Internationally, and traveling to access educational opportunities is not always feasible. This portal allows members of the Myaamia community to access educational opportunities from anywhere with Internet access.
These educational opportunities include self-directed learning modules, searchable learning resources, and the ability to sign up for synchronous and asynchronous programming.
Eewansaapita Curriculum Planning
is the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe of Oklahoma's summer language and culture educational program for 10-16 year olds. They make use of core themes that rotate each year that also connect to tribal events throughout the year.
Aacimwahkionkonci: Stories from the Land
, Stories from the Land, supports rekindling Myaamia connections to ancestral places. The database was built to archive Myaamia land ownership, particularly allotments, from the treaty era and beyond. Using these extensive real estate records, more and stories in the geospatial hub can reveal the story of Myaamia landscapes, and people in places.
Currently, the Aacimwahkionkonci project is continuing to research the history of Kansas allotment sales, as well as create StoryMaps in collaboration with Myaamia community members.
Reclaiming Stories
is an interdisciplinary team of tribal cultural experts, artists, and academics who are dedicated to researching early Myaamia and Peewaalia ‘Peoria Tribe’ cultures. The collaborative initiative is a tribal community-focused research venture that is centered on producing knowledge for both academic and community audiences on seventeenth century Illinois hide robes and (hi)stories. The goal of the Reclaiming Stories project is to reclaim the practice of creating Minohsayaki ‘Painted Hide Robes’ for the Myaamia and Peewaalia. This project is funded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the Humanities Without Walls Consortium.
Neepwaantiinki: Stories from Myaamia Revitalization
The podcast discusses the 50-year relationship between the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe of Oklahoma and ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ, explores how the Tribe and university learn from each other, and explains how this relationship impacts the revitalization of Myaamia language and culture. Join hosts Kara Strass, Kristina Fox, and George Ironstrack as they explore their work at the Myaamia Center and their Tribal Nation’s revitalization efforts.
Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia
An interdisciplinary curriculum for 4th through 12th grades. This site is undergoing continued beta testing and is currently seeking to identify and respond to new educational needs related to Myaamia lifeways. This curriculum can be accessed at .
Office Staff
- George Ironstrack, Director
- Kristina Fox, Myaamia Education Coordinator
- Dr. Cameron Shriver, Myaamia Research Associate
Media and Technology
The Media and Technology Office develops the technological means by which research information and materials are distributed to the widespread Myaamia community. It also documents the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe’s activities (through photography, videography, and publications of various formats) while assisting with the planning and execution of these activities.
Other ongoing projects include providing information technology support for the Myaamia Center and exploring technological aspects of language learning and culturally informative tools that indigenous people can use.
With such varied responsibilities and tasks, the Media and Technology Office interfaces with the other offices of the Myaamia Center and ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe of Oklahoma in many interesting and often unexpected ways.
Research and Development
Indigenous Languages Digital Archive (ILDA)
The project aims to create a digital archiving tool that can be used by indigenous communities working to revitalize their language and culture from documentation. The Myaamia Center continues to beta test this system with plans for a future release through the National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages.
In 2020, the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ-Illinois Digital Archive (MIDA) was successfully adapted into the ILDA format, where it continues to be extensively used for research and analysis.
Myaamia Dictionary
The Myaamia language learning tools are currently in a solid state of function and reliability, but our office continues to improve and enhance these resources. 'The Myaamia Dictionary' is a deployment of ILDA's dictionary capabilities and on most modern mobile devices and personal computers as a Progressive Web Application (PWA) or visited with any web browser at .
Distance Learning Support
The Office of Media and Technology works to provide equipment, staff support, and supplemental training to Myaamia Center staff and educators throughout the Myaamia community. This allows for engagement with learning audiences wherever they may be located. Resources such as educational videos and podcasts are produced by this effort and are used as supplemental content in community programs as well as on 'the Myaamia Educational Portal'.
Myaamia Kiilhswaakani 'Myaamia Lunar Calendar'
The Myaamia Kiilhswaakani project is primarily managed by the Office of Media & Technology but is designed, edited, and distributed by an interdisciplinary group of staff from the Myaamia Center as well the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe of Oklahoma Cultural Resources Office.
Myaamia Ethnobotanical Database
is a growing research-focused database of botantical knowledge gathered from tribal elders as well as modern and historical scholarly work.
Office Staff
- Jonathan Fox, Director
- Dr. Douglas Troy, Coordinator of Application Development
¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe Relations
¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe Relations advances ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ’s educational partnership with the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe of Oklahoma. Neepwaantiinki, meaning "learning from each other" in the Myaamia language, aptly describes the foundation of this multi-layered reciprocal partnership.
The ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe Relations office serves in the following capacities:
- Connection for potential Myaamia students interested in attending ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ and ongoing individual and group support for ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe students at ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ.
- Support beyond graduation to Myaamia alumni, encouraging lifetime connections with both ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ and the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe.
- Acting as a "gateway" for interested individuals to learn more about and/or associate with the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe. The intentional plan is to monitor the activities that are in existence as well as any new initiatives that may evolve into future projects with the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe.
- Making the broader University campus aware and proud of the unique relationship with the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe.
See ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe Relations to learn more about the history of the relationship between the ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Tribe and the University, including resources for student programming and support and campus activities.
Research and Development
Project updates coming soon.
Office Staff
- Kara Strass, Director
- Andrew Sawyer, Education Outreach Specialist
- Bobbe Burke, Relations Coordinator, Emeritus
Assessment and Evaluation
The purpose of the Assessment and Evaluation Office is to observe, interpret, and document the impact of experiences among tribal citizens, especially the youth, who enter the Myaamia cultural learning environment. The Nipwaayoni Acquisition and Assessment Team (NAAT), created in 2012, is a specialized interdisciplinary team charged with developing assessment instruments that deepen our understanding of the community impact of language and cultural education.
Research and Development
Nahi Meehtohseeniwinki 'A Myaamia Living Well Model'
This project explores various facets of a Myaamia experience to better understand the meaning of nahi-meehtohseeniwinki ‘living well’ through the lens of Myaamia language and culture. This project seeks to provide guidance on (1) what it means for Myaamiaki to live well in the community today and (2) how to improve the process of nahi meehtohseeniwinki 'living well' for Myaamiaki.
Offices Investigating: Assessment & Evaluation, Education, Executive Director's Office
Office Staff
- Dr. Haley Shea, Director
- Dr. Paul Branscum, Professor Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health - ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ
- Dr. Tracy Hirata-Edds, Language Assessment Coordinator
- Kristen Morio, Senior Reearch Associate, Discovery Center - ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ
- Alison Lapointe, Researcher and Statistician, Discovery Center - ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ