UMD American Indian Studies celebrates 50 years

A photo of the terrazzo floor with a floral design inspired by Ojibwe beadwork patterns

Nov 3, 2022

Enriching the cultural, academic, and social environment at UMD

The 2022-2023 academic year marks the 50th anniversary of American Indian Studies (AIS) at UMD, which is located on the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe people.

Photo title "Little Spirit Tree" by Travis Novitsky — *Photo by Travis Novitsky*

In April 1972, the American Indian Studies program (AIS) was founded through a student initiative. By October of that year, it became a program within the Division of Social Sciences. Its first director was Dr. Robert Powless, a member of the Oneida Indian Nation who was revered in the Duluth community. The program has facilitated many challenging classes, events, and powwows, and attracted renowned speakers, including the author N. Scott Momaday. Hundreds of alumni from those programs remember the classes and American Indian traditions at UMD.

“Those first few years were a strong time for American Indian students at UMD,” said alumnus Vern Zacher. “UMD became a focus for students in Minnesota and North Dakota.”

AIS provided the framework for community building at UMD by providing a safe space for veterans, as many of the early students had served in the Vietnam War. AIS joins over a dozen American Indian programs at UMD including the American Indian Learning Resource Center, the Indigenous Student Organization, and the Center for American Indian and Minority Health in the Medical School.

In recent years, AIS has added many new programs, including graduate programs. In 2022, AIS continues to educate students, colleagues, and the public about tribal sovereignty, Indigenous cultures, and the historical and contemporary experiences of Native peoples and nations. In addition to building strong relationships with Tribes within UMD’s geographic area, AIS works to fulfill the responsibility to all Native nations through consultation, partnerships, and research.

UMD recognizes that Indigenous Peoples are the original stewards of the lands on which we now live. We collectively acknowledge that the University of Minnesota Duluth is located on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. The University resides on land that was cared for and called home by the Ojibwe people, before them the Dakota and Northern Cheyenne people, and other Native peoples from time immemorial. Ceded by the Ojibwe in an 1854 treaty, this land holds great historical, spiritual, and personal significance for its original stewards, the Native nations and peoples of this region. We recognize and continually support and advocate for the sovereignty of the Native nations in this territory and beyond. By offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm tribal sovereignty and will work to hold the University of Minnesota Duluth accountable to American Indian peoples and nations.