We’re heading into week nine here in TLAM, and I wanted to take some time to talk about how this class has been affecting me personally.
TLAM is one of those classes that really grabs you and makes you care about it. Part of this is probably because of all the cool experiences it affords us students, like unique opportunities to work with tribal members to effect real change, and the trips we get to take to visit our new partners.
Some of the highlights so far:
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I’ve gone to not one, but two storytelling events (one here in Madison, one at Northland College)
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I’ve gotten to meet and collaborate with the awesome members of the library board for Ginanda Gikendaamin (https://www.tlamproject.org/partnerships/red-cliff-library/) up in Red Cliff
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We’ve had several fantastic speakers in class, including Debbie Reese, of “American Indians in Children’s Literature” (http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/)
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I’ve been involved with the joint TLAM/American Indian Studies book club (http://aisbookclub.blogspot.com/), and had an interesting and rewarding discussion about Sherman Alexie’s “Blasphemy.”
But aside from the unique opportunities I’ve had this semester through TLAM, what has been really great is the feeling of being a part of a group that is making a difference, and that I personally can help make a difference, even in a small way. I’m excited to help out the library board in Red Cliff, because I believe in the project that we’re working on–both the Ginanda Gikendaamin project at Red Cliff and the broader TLAM project of creating more culturally competent information professionals and supporting tribal cultural institutions.
Because of how the class is structured–introducing us to historical, language, law and literature issues before delving into more information about cultural institutions specifically–I feel like I’ve gained a lot more background knowledge about tribal issues (specifically in Wisconsin). This better understanding of certain issues makes me feel better able to be an advocate. Already I am engaging in conversation more often with others about Native American history and current issues.
And this is all from the first eight weeks! I’m excited to see what TLAM will bring in the coming days.
-Eleanor Johnson