Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums Project at UW-Madison SLIS
As we begin planning for our own gatherings – our seventh Convening Culture Keepers at Ho-Chunk Nation, and our IMLS-sponsored Convening Great Lakes Culture Keepers institute at Ziibiwing – we’ve been spending lots of time reflecting on our own conference-going experiences.
The view of the resort from our room. Holy moly, how nice!
This past June, the three of us – Robin, Jake, and Mary – have been fortunate to be able to attend the 2013 Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM), hosted by the Santa Ana Pueblo at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa. Why we continuously declare ATALM as a favorite conference led us to consider the aspects we love and appreciate so much.
Maybe it starts with the journey of getting there, which is quite the experience itself.
Two days before this year’s ATALM began, we hopped in Jake’s car, prepared to drive 20 hours together across the country. Our trip was not easy, but we had our eye on the prize (a fantastic gathering! a beautiful resort!). We navigated some of the continental US by:
The most important part, though, might be the community.
We love that the community at ATALM is diverse in a variety of ways, and on top of that, inclusive. ATALM is attended by practicing librarians, archivists, museum curators, graduate students, artists, and funders — Native and non-Native, working on and off tribal communities.
As self-proclaimed introverts, we found ourselves the opposites at ATALM. Here we were, comfortable among hundreds of attendees, wanting to meet and talk with as many people as we could! Our ease came out of knowing we were with so many like-minded individuals; though we all come from different institutions from all over the world and many of us are at different points in our professional development, it feels as if we are all working towards the same goal.
We were naturally drawn to talking to Shavonn, a co-founder of Na Hawai’i ‘Imi Loa, the Native Hawaiian student group at University of Hawai’i at Manoa. We connected with her after a session Omar co-presented called “Developing and Organizing Professional Development Gatherings for Tribal Communities”. Na Hawai’I ‘Imi Loa is working hard to bring Native library and archives issues to the forefront. Jake, Omar, and Robin sat in on a roundtable led by the student group, where we discussed LIS programs that incorporate tribal librarianship. With members of Knowledge River in Arizona, we all exchanged stories of programming and relationship-building advice. We look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with Na Hawai’i iImi Loa beyond ATALM.
And it was so nice to see some Culture Keepers in attendance! Even though we were far from Madison (it was Mary and Jake’s first time in the southwest!), we found “home” in New Mexico. After arriving at the resort following our two-day road trip, we went down to the pool to relax. In the hot tub, we were surprised to see Tinker Schuman, who had led the opening prayer at our last Convening Culture Keepers gathering at Flambeau! She was attending the conference with her daughter, Teresa, who runs the George W. Brown Ojibwe Museum and Cultural Center. We spent time with Tinker talking and soaking in the hot tub, swimming in the pool, and ending our evening meditating together in a quiet courtyard.
We sat with Sam, the librarian from Forest County Potawatomi, at most of our meals. We sung the praises of living in Wisconsin with other people we ate with. Talking about Wisconsin with Sam felt like home. There were many more Culture Keepers there, too: Mike from Forest County Potawatomi, Caryl from Lac Courte Oreilles, Nathalee from Stockbridge-Munsee, Rita from Oneida Nation, and Maria, Bryan and Jessica from the College of Menominee Nation.
And with such an experienced community, we recognize there are many opportunities to learn from each other.
Sessions feel like a celebration and recognition of hard work. Sharing stories with others in a formal setting, like a session, and informal settings, like meals and field trips, helps us see the bigger picture of the work of tribal institutions.
The sessions at ATALM differ greatly from those at a strictly academic or professional development conference; rather than listen, eyes glazed over to monotone presenters, ATALM workshops provide attendees with an opportunity to strengthen skills. Learning can be taken directly back to an attendee’s institution and put into practice.
Mary, the self-proclaimed Stephen Spielberg of the Red Cliff video project, was delighted to further her videography, storytelling, and editing skills at the IMLS-funded “Digital Storytelling” workshop, led by Tribal Heritage Research Fellows Jason Axtell, Greg Rodgers, and Tim Tingle. This workshop taught participants how to create compelling storytelling narratives, how to edit short films, and how to use still photographs and voice over narration in the completion of short films.
Greg, Tim, and Jason, who are all extremely accomplished authors, writers, and filmmakers, assisted each of the workshop attendees, even with basic tasks like web searching and downloading photos.There was a strong sense of community created by the sharing of our stories. We learned together, were frustrated together, and celebrated the collective mastery of some elements of iMovie together. Greg, Tim, and Jason encouraged all the workshop attendees to return to their institutions and continue to tell their important and necessary stories. At the TLAM Project, we try to do that.
The energy we get from attending ATALM sustains us.
A couple months later, we still talk about our experiences we had there: the people we met; the sessions we attended; the beautiful area with rich Native culture. We’re already looking forward to next year. We’ve begun brainstorming how we can contribute to ATALM in Palm Springs next June!
Road trip, anyone?
-Mary and Robin