Reznet

UM Native American Center to Break Ground

By Anonymous

Leaders from all Montana American Indian tribes will be at The University of Montana on Saturday, April 19, to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for UM's Native American Center.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m. at the building site, located on the UM Oval south of the Grizzly Bear statue and east of Lommasson Center.

The first of its kind on a U.S. university campus, the center will house UM's Native American Studies Department and American Indian Student Services offices, as well as related campus programming, under one roof.

The 19,900-square-foot facility also will create a gathering space for tribal leaders from across the state, the region and the nation to address common challenges and will provide a bridge for those of both American Indian and other cultures to explore the best that each has to offer.

Construction will begin this summer, with completion expected in fall 2009. The center will be the first UM campus building constructed in accordance with the Leadership in Energy Efficient Design's green building standards.

To pay homage to the tribes that historically used present-day University land as a traditional gathering place, the groundbreaking ceremony will be set up symbolically like the interior of a lodge, with the power of knowledge represented on the west side of the building and speakers facing east.

Gregory Cajete, a Tewa from Santa Clara Pueblo Indian Tribe of New Mexico, will give the keynote address at the ceremony. He will speak about the importance of place to Native Americans.

Cajete, an educator, artist and educational consultant, was the founding director of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. He currently is director of Native American Studies and associate professor in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico.

He is the author of important works such as "Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education," "A People's Ecology: Explorations in Sustainable Living," "Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence," and "Igniting the Sparkle: An Indigenous Science Education Model."

In addition to tribal leaders, UM President George Dennison and Dustin Whitford, president of the University's Kyi-Yo Native American Association, will speak during the ceremony.

The ceremony concludes with the honor song by renowned singing and drumming groups attending the Kyi-Yo Celebration at UM April 18-19. Following the ceremony, traditional Indian games and the Bonnie Heavy Runner Tipi Race will take place on the UM Oval.

From the beginning, American Indian people have led the effort to establish the Native American Center at UM. In discussions begun in early 2004, a committee of cultural consultants from Montana's twelve tribes advised campus leaders on design and about what should be included in the building. The building's architectural designer, Daniel Glenn (Crow), took his cues from those discussions.

Spiritual and community leaders from all Montana tribes gathered in October 2005 for a historic sunrise ceremony to bless the building site - the first time in more than 100 years that all the state's tribes gathered for a single, unified purpose.

UM personnel who had leadership roles in the project are Tribal Liaison Linda Juneau (Blackfeet), Native American Studies Associate Professor Kate Shanley (Assiniboine) and American Indian Student Services Director Patrick Weasel Head (Blackfeet).

To date, $6.6 million has been raised for the center through a comprehensive campaign from individuals, foundations and corporations, and Indian tribes, including gaming tribes, from Montana and throughout the United States.

Terry Payne, a Missoula businessman, is the center's lead donor. Other key donors include First Interstate Bank and the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, a nationally recognized organization headquartered outside of Minneapolis that will be forming a partnership with UM focused around the center and academic programs.

While the UM Foundation met and surpassed its original goal of $6 million for the center, the University recently learned that those initial project cost estimates, given in 2005 dollars, are now obsolete. Because of unprecedented increases in construction costs in recent years, the current price tag is $9.7 million.

The Native American Center was a top campus priority in UM's "Invest in Discovery" campaign that ended in December 2007. The University has committed $1.25 million to the center, so approximately $1.85 million still is needed to complete the project.

Those interested in making a gift may call Julia Horn, senior director of development for the UM Foundation, at 406-243-2646.

To see more online please visit http://www.cas.umt.edu/nas/building.htm