This is the final installment in a three part series about the Myaamia people. Read the previous chapter here.
Chief Forest Olds had always heard of a university in the Myaamia homelands that carried the name of his people.
In 1972, he happened to be in Cincinnati for a conference and decided to make the trip up to Oxford.
Few could have predicted the transformational change his visit would spark in the decades that followed.
This initial visit laid the groundwork for a reciprocal relationship founded on the value of neepwaantiinki, ‘learning from each other.’ Today, our relationship is more than a partnership between Tribe and university – it’s a profound testament to our humanity and the better futures that are possible when we care for each other.
When the relationship between the university and the Tribe began, there were no living speakers of the Myaamia language. No examples of what a university and Tribal partnership could look like.
From individual relationships between Tribal leaders and university leadership, the relationship grew into an integral part of Miami University. 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of this shared commitment to learning and each other.
You, too, can experience this relationship by spending time in the Wiikiaami room, visiting the Eugene Brown sculpture in the Art Museum Sculpture Garden, attending Myaamia Center events, or even by listening to the Myaamia verses of the Alma Mater.
The Myaamia Heritage Logo was created in 2017 to symbolize the reciprocal relationship between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University. Inspired by the Myaamia artform ribbonwork, the logo recognizes our shared need to “tend the fire” of this relationship to sustain its growth.
Learn more about how the logo was created in the video below.
This four-year Myaamia scholarship program is an undergraduate experience for Myaamia students enrolled at Miami University. Students participate in Heritage classes that expand their knowledge of Tribal history, language, and culture, and strengthen their connection to the Myaamia community. The first three students arrived in 1991, and today we have more than 100 graduates of the program.
The Myaamia Center is located in Bonham House on Miami University’s Oxford campus. All work done by the center is born out of Tribal need, from language and cultural revitalization to Tribal education programs and nurturing relationships with the university community.
The Myaamia Center created technologies and programming where none previously existed to support language revitalization work and Indigenous language learning. Their leadership has led to high-impact grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other foundations to teach communities how to do language revitalization and archival work.
The Miami language
Language revitalization is a critical part of Myaamia culture, community identity, and well-being. Though the last first-language speakers passed away in the mid-twentieth century, the Tribe uses their many archival records to inform their language revitalization efforts. Today, the language is once again used by many Myaamia people as a means of connection.
Summer learning programs like Saakaciweeta, 'emerge,' and Eewansaapita, 'sunrise,' play a critical role in revitalizing Myaamia language and culture. The metaphoric names of these educational programs capture the rebirth and renewal of Myaamia culture through youth. Both emphasize Myaamia methods of learning, cultural values, and strengthening kinship ties.
To plant a garden, the site must be prepared and unwanted plants removed before new growth can take place.
This cyclical process requires nurturing and conscious awareness. So, too, does the work of language and cultural revitalization.
Tending this garden is a means of discussing values and examining identities. It’s strengthening kinship ties and engaging with the Tribal community. It’s living vibrantly in the present while learning about and responding to the past.
It’s creating relationships that help cultivate generations who know what it means to say niila Myaamia, ‘I am Myaamia.’
This is the final installment of a three-part series about Myaamia people. To learn more:
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