Neepwaantiinki: Stories from Myaamia Revitalization

Within the Myaamia community we often say that revitalization is about more than language. In this episode, Kara, Kristina, and George look at the revitalization of peekitahaminki ‘lacrosse' as an example of the process and impacts of community revitalization through a sport that has some of the deepest Indigenous roots in North America.  They are joined for this episode by Haley Shea, who speaks to the impact of cultural revitalization and specifically peekitahaminki in the Myaamia community.

The Neepwaantiinki team continues the story of three key people who helped launch an era of community-wide revitalization for Myaamia people: Julie Olds, Daryl Baldwin, and David Costa. In the second of a two-part episode, the team will share about the evolution of cultural revitalization, the impact of the relationship between Miami University and the Miami Tribe, and  talk about their thoughts on what the future holds for Myaamiaki.

In this episode, the Neepwaantiinki team introduces three of the key people who helped launch an era of community-wide revitalization for Myaamia people. Julie Olds, Daryl Baldwin, and David Costa come from all over what is today the United States, bringing different skill sets and life experiences, and together helped create the fertile space of community revitalization that Myaamiaki enjoy today. In this, the first of a two-part episode, the team will share what they learned about the early period of Myaamia revitalization through interviews with each of these amazing cultural leaders.

In this episode, Kara, Kristina, and George discuss the paradox of speaking their language, one that many have labeled “extinct.” They begin by talking about how Myaamiaataweenki ‘Miami language' became dormant and then tell the story of the revitalization of the language from documentation over the past thirty years. This episode dives into the close collaboration between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Myaamia Center, which led to the creation of the educational structures that are supporting the Myaamia community today.

Since 1991,  nearly 100 Myaamia ‘Miami Indian' students have graduated from Miami University, and these graduates have played a huge role in expanding the language and cultural revitalization work of the Myaamia community. What is it like to be a Myaamia student at Miami University, and how has this experience changed over the years? Kara, Kristina, and George our joined by their relative and fellow MU graduate, Ian Young, to talk about the Myaamia student experience at Miami University.

The Miami Tribe's historical homeland is centered in the Wabash River Valley in what is today Indiana. How did the tribe end up in Oklahoma, and how did this history affect Myaamia ‘Miami Indian' people and their lifeways? Kara, Kristina, and George walk through the Tribe's history of forced removals, land loss, and population fragmentation and discuss the impact that these changes had on their people.

The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University have a relationship that stretches back nearly fifty years. How did this unique and successful relationship get its start and who were the key figures who helped make it possible? Join three Myaamia ‘Miami Indian' graduates of Miami University - Kara Strass, Kristina Fox, and George Ironstrack - as they share the story of this Tribe-University relationship.