Searching for an expert in topics like Native language preservation or the nuances of beadworking? A new in-the-works “Indigenous Knowledge Keepers List” from Wyoming Humanities aims to help build those sorts of bridges. Its goal is to connect those experts with educators and interested organizations, in order to create more informed programs, consultations and presentations.
Chloé Flagg is the director of grants and programs for Wyoming Humanities. She said the project is about painting more complete pictures and expanding narratives.
“The mission of Wyoming Humanities is to invite Wyoming to explore the ideas and the stories that shape us, and Indigenous ideas and stories are very much a part of this Wyoming story and our larger Wyoming identity,” she said.
Jazmine Wildcat is the Native Narratives intern at Wyoming Humanities and has been helping create the directory of contacts. She’s an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and said she’s been prioritizing connecting with people in ways that are curious and culturally-sensitive.
“I want the people in this list to be able to spread their knowledge and then that's keeping things going, keeping things alive – like storytelling, like music, art and language,” she said.
Wildcat is about to start her senior year at the University of Wyoming and is triple majoring in Psychology, Native American Indigenous Studies and Political Science. She said the list is a jumping-off point for future conversations.
“We're not going to publish any information or any of the knowledge. I feel like we still have to hold our knowledge, we have to be careful with who we share it with,” she said. “So if people want to know certain things, they're going to reach out to the people in this list.”
Wildcat said that in her interviews with people who are interested in being on the list, she focuses on building personal connections and also asking questions about what issues matter most to those being interviewed. She said those methods are part of a bigger conversation about Indigenizing research and data sovereignty.
“Data sovereignty as a whole has more recently become a bigger and a more talked about thing. [It’s] being able to conduct our own research and have that research be taken seriously. Then along with that, keeping data secured so no one else is sort of using that for their own personal gain,” she said.
The directory is set to launch this winter and will continue to be updated after publication. Those interested in getting their name on the list can reach out to Wyoming Humanities to learn more.
The organization also launched a new grant for educators to help fulfill the requirements of the state’s Indian Education for All Act, which was passed in 2017 and aims to educate all students in Wyoming about the Native American tribes of the region. K-12 teachers can have Indigenous experts from the directory visit their classrooms and then be able to compensate them for their travel and their time.
