UMD Department of American Indian Studies

11/05/2026

Boozhoo! 👋🏼

Just a reminder that in one week, Nate Smith of Good Thunder will be joining us in the Kathryn A. Martin Library Rotunda on the 12th from 3:30 to 4:30 for Honoring the Harvest: Ojibwe Teachings on Respectful Plant Gathering and Preparation.

See the event page for more information!

11/05/2026

Congratulations to Zachery S. King, Class of 2021 MTAG Alum, on his election to the Turtle Mountain Band Tribal Council as a District I representative!

Gidapiitenimigoo!

11/05/2026

11/05/2026

Next week in collaboration with many of us on campus at UMD we announce our Rock Your Mocs Week!
Monday November 9th through Saturday November 14th, 2026.
We in the AILRC, our Native Students, with Associates, and the UMD Community invite You to show your support and join us!
(Themes are what you wear, Activities are each day at their respective times and locations.)
Details for Saturday the 14th, multiple events, posted in the comments on this post. Please refer to those for contact information.

11/04/2026

The Department of American Indian Studies extends heartfelt congratulations to alumna Peggy Flanagan on her historic election victory to the U.S. Senate, representing Mni Sóta Makoce!

A citizen of the White Earth Nation and a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Flanagan has made history as the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

We celebrate this historic moment and recognize the generations of Indigenous leaders, organizers, and activists whose work has helped make this achievement possible. May her accomplishment inspire future generations of Native students and leaders to envision themselves in positions of influence and leadership.

Miigwech / Pidamayaye / Thank you, Senator-Elect Flanagan, for your extraordinary leadership and service to our communities!

11/04/2026

Boozhoo! 👋

Native writer and comedian Joey Clift (Cowlitz Indian Tribe) will be in Duluth for an evening of conversation on Sunday, November 22 at 5:00 PM at Zeitgeist Zinema!

Joey is a Peabody and Emmy-nominated TV writer, director, and comedian (Spirit Rangers, Molly of Denali, Smartypants, Paw Patrol) and author of the best-selling new book We’ve Been Here The Whole Time: A Not So Sacred Guide to All Things Native America.

He’ll be in conversation with animator and storyboard artist Joshua Cenyaotl Herron (BoJack Horseman, Bob’s Burgers) to talk about making TV, telling Native stories, and breaking into the industry. There will also be a audience Q&A!

📍 Where: Zeitgeist Zinema (Duluth, MN)
🗓️ When: Sunday, Nov 22 | 5:00 PM
🎟️ Tickets: Name-Your-Price!
📚 Zenith Bookstore will be on-site with copies of Joey’s book available for purchase and signing!

Everyone is welcome!

🔗 Grab your tickets and learn more at Zeitgeistarts.com!

10/27/2026

Boozhoo! 👋🏼

Do you like reading science fiction? 🛸 Horror? 🧟‍♀️ Dystopian climate fiction? 🔥

Have you always wondered what it would be like to write a story? 📝

Looking to fulfill two Lib Eds with one course? 🎯

Check out AMIN 3630 - Native New Worlds with novelist and AIS Professor Carter Meland!

In this course, you’ll explore how Native writers transform popular genres to tell compelling, Native-centered stories, and write your own genre fiction along the way. No prior writing experience necessary!

✨ Course Highlights:
• Fulfills Cultural Diversity AND Humanities Lib Eds
• Counts toward the Creative Writing Certificate
• Open to all majors—no prerequisites required!

📆 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 this Spring semester.

Scan the QR code on the poster to add it to your schedule!

Miigwech!

10/24/2026

Boozhoo! 👋🏼

Next Thursday 12-1pm, join our own Prof. Carter Meland via Zoom for "It Consumes What It Forgets: Windigos In and Out of Pop Culture," part of Dark Reflections: A Scholarly Series on Horror, Folklore, Death, and the Macabre.

See the link for more info and registration: https://cla.umn.edu/news-events/events/it-consumes-what-it-forgets-windigos-and-out-pop-culture

10/22/2026

Boozhoo! 👋🏼

Join the St. Louis County Historical Society and the American Indian Learning Resource Center UMD in the Kirby Student Center Ballroom on Saturday, November 14th from11:00am-3:00pm for Native American Heritage Day, followed by the Indigenous Student Organization's 3rd Annual Dagwaagin Round Dance from 3:00-9:00pm!

See the attached poster for more details. We hope to see you there!

08/03/2026

Aaniin-giinawaa!👋

We are absolutely thrilled to share this CAHSS feature celebrating the incredible research team—including our very own Department Head, Dr. Jill Doerfler—behind creating a digital edition of Muzzeniegun, or The Literary Voyager. 📖✨

This project represents vital work for our field, making a significant work of early Indigenous literature publicly accessible.

Read the full article on the CAHSS website to learn more about the team's incredible work:
🔗 https://cahss.d.umn.edu/articles/doerfler-litmag-grant

The Muzzeniegun, or The Literary Voyageur, was published from 1826 to 1827. It was collaboratively created by the Ojibwe poet Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, her siblings, and her settler husband and includes poetry, biographies, Ojibwe stories, and anthropological information. The project will create a....