Sixteen undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students will display research posters created for the Native American Studies class, “Allies, Advocacy, Resistance” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today (May 2) in the Mountainlair Commons.
The WVU community is invited to tour the exhibit and speak with the student researchers about their work. Their individual topics connect to interrelated themes surrounding Indigenous land, historic U.S. assimilation policies — such as Indian Residential Schools and the Indian Child Adoption Program — and the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis.
The posters reflect specific interests in subjects such as Indigenous language preservation and restoration, how tribes and organizations are combating violence against Native women, environmental concerns in Indian Country, and the ongoing need for the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act.
“Allies, Advocacy, Resistance” discusses historical contexts and contemporary issues during live, in-person or virtual conversations with Indigenous experts from Native Nations including the Alutiiq, Lakota, Oneida, Onondaga, Salish and Kootenai, and Seneca-Cayuga.
The class also participated in a three-day study trip to the site of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and cemetery in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. They met with descendants of Indian School survivors, took part in an interactive archives workshop at the Dickinson College library and participated in a special potluck and learning session hosted by the Circle Legacy American Indian Center of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.