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Welcome

 

Click here to hear this greeting in Chinuk Wawa, the intertribal universal language of the Pacific Northwest

 

 

 

 

 

What is Native American and Indigenous Studies?

Native American and Indigenous Studies is an interdisciplinary field that uses multiple approaches from history, anthropology, law, literature, ethnic studies, and other disciplines to understand Native American history, culture, politics, and contemporary lives. NAIS highlights the unique place of tribes in the state-tribal-federal intergovernmental matrix and the myriad of distinct issues Native peoples of the United States face, from language and cultural protection to environmental issues to economic development and beyond.

Why Native American and Indigenous Studies?

Students in Native American and Indigenous Studies will join a diverse, tightly knit community of scholars who cherish our connections with Native communities and strive to make our work valuable for the project of building up Native nations. Most Americans are vaguely aware of tribal governments and even fewer have thought about what limited forms of tribal sovereignty say about American democratic ideals. Through our research, classes, programming, and activism, we aim to change this. In a state with nine federally recognized indigenous nations and with a Native American population 50% higher proportionally than the national average, this knowledge is crucial for future leaders in all fields.

What Will I Learn & Where Can I Go?
UO NAIS affords students extensive grounding in Indigenous history and culture as well as nuanced understanding of tribal sovereignty, Indigenous nationhood, settler colonialism, and the diversity and beauty of contemporary Indigenous lives and experiences. Such work prepares students for a variety of postsecondary opportunities ranging from government, law, research, and education; to nonprofit and public interest work, environmental and resource management, and business and economic development; to the arts, journalism, communication, new media, and beyond.

 

Major Requirements

The NAIS interdisciplinary major has two tracks: a conventional track and a language track. Both tracks require a minimum of 56 credits, at least 28 of which must be taken in residence at the UO, the same core coursework and distribution requirements, and 1 year of Indigenous language instruction. The language track includes a 2nd year of Indigenous language instruction.

Core courses for the NAIS major include: ES 256: Intro to Native American Studies, ES 321: Indigenous Peoples of Oregon, ES 468: NAIS Research Methods and Ethics, and ES 470: Native American and Indigenous Feminsims

All courses counting toward the major must be taken for letter grades and completed with grades of C or higher. 

At least one upper-division course must be taken from Group 3: Literature, Media, and the Arts. 

 

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NAIS Major Worksheet

 

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Minor Requirements

The Native American and Indigenous Studies minor compliments numerous other fields of study and provides access to ways of knowing and living that are part of the heritage and future of this state, and this nation.  

The interdisciplinary minor requires a minimum of 28 credits, with at least 16 of those being upper-division credits. All courses counting toward the minor must be taken for letter grades and completed with grades of C or higher.

Students must fulfill distribution requirements, taking at least one class each from the following groups:

Group I: Culture, Language, and Education
Group II: Law, Policy, Governance, and History
Group III: Literature, Media, and the Arts

 

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Classes

 

NAIS Minor
Worksheet

 

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Native American and Indigenous Studies Advisory Council
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Meet Our Advisors

Native students

 

Resources and Programs for
Native Students

 

NAIS Academic Partners
and Units

Native students

 

Territorial Acknowledgment

The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people. Following treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, Kalapuya descendants are primarily citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and they continue to make important contributions to their communities, to the UO, to Oregon, and to the world.

In following the Indigenous protocol of acknowledging the original people of the land we occupy, we also extend our respect to the nine federally recognized Indigenous nations of Oregon: the Burns Paiute Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, and the Klamath Tribes.

We express our respect to the many more tribes who have ancestral connections to this territory, including the Chinook Indian Nation and the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes, as well as to all other displaced Indigenous peoples who call Oregon home. Hayu masi.

 

Events

 

Spring 2023 Potlucks @ Longhouse
1st and 3rd Thursdays, 5:30 pm, Culture and Community Night @ the Longhouse

Come join us at the Many Nations Longhouse for a delicious meal, better fellowship, and celebrations of our communities and cultures. Everyone is welcome!

 

Schnitzer
Through August 27, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

Our Shared Breath: Creativity and Community

This exhibit presents the work of six artists to consider our own understandings of community, generosity, responsibility to the more-than-human world, and creativity in all its forms. Their prints, paintings, sculptures, and videos speak to individual and communal relationships with the land, water, and fellow living beings (human and non-human), and invite reflection on themes of reciprocity, storytelling, record-keeping, and lived experiences. Featured artists include: Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos) Melanie Yazzie (Diné), Rick Bartow (Mad River Wiyot), and Lehuauakea (Kanaka Maoli). 

 

Princess Pocahontas Staged Reading Flyer
June 2, 7:30 pm, Hope Theatre, University of Oregon

illioo Native Theatre presents a staged reading of Princess Pocahontas and the Blue Spots by Monique Mojica (Kunu Rappahannock): An Embodied Dialog between Four Contemporary Women and Four Women Ancestors

Free and open to the public. All are welcome. Post-performance discussion following. 

 

Graham MA Presentation
June 8, 1-2 pm, Many Nations Longhouse

"Indigenous Resurgence on the University of Oregon Campus: Reclamation through Relational Landscape Design"

Master of Landscape Architecture Presentation with Grace Graham, MLA Candidate 2023. 

This project engages with issues of Indigenous recognition, resurgence, and futurity at the University of Oregon through the lens of landscape design. By applying a relational approach to the design process that is rooted in Indigenous research methods, Grace uncovers the principles at the root of the University’s current campus planning structures and empowers Indigenous community members to reimagine them through their own lived experiences. Through this work, Grace hopes to ignite a larger conversation about the need to center Indigenous knowledge and leadership at institutions of higher education, and across the landscape architecture discipline. 

If you are unable to attend in person but would still like to listen to the presentation, register via Zoom here.

Longhouse
June 12-Aug. 4, UO Campus

UO Linguistics Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

The University of Oregon (UO) Linguistics REU site is an 8-week, fully funded summer program designed for American Indian/Alaska Native students. At this site, students gain research experience in two research areas Linguistics: Experimental Linguistics and Descriptive Linguistics. This program is also designed to provide an introduction to STEM and higher education more broadly. The dates of the 2023 REU program will be June 12 – August 4, 2023. Deadline to apply is January 5, 2023.

 

Native Graduation Save the Date!
June 18, 2-4 pm, Many Nations Longhouse

Native Graduation! 

Come join us to celebrate Native graduates from the Class of 2023 and their families and communities! Light refreshments will be provided. Sponsored by the Native Strategies Group, Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS), the Division of Equity and Inclusion, and the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE). 

 

NILI Logo
June 25-July 1, University of Oregon

Northwest Indian Language Institute: 2023 Summer Institute and TRaiLS Offerings

Summer Institute will be in-person at the UO campus and will include advanced and beginner teacher tracks. The TRaiLs Program will have live, online options available for those physically unable to attend, including midday presentation and conversations led by experts from Native communities. Students will receive a certificate of completion. Check the NILI Summer Institute webpage for registration information. 

 

 

NEWS

 

Photo: Lana Lopesi and her book Bloody Woman
NAIS and IRES faculty, Lana Lopesi, Named Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Dr. Lopesi was honored for her extraordinary contributions to New Zealand arts and culture. Congratulations, Lana! Click here and here to read the full story. 
Lopesi Photo
Lana Lopesi, UO Today Interview
Check out this UO Today interview between Dr. Lopesi and OHC director, Paul Peppis! 
NASU O
Honors College Students Go in Search of the "Cayuse Five" 
A seminar class gets a hands-on learning experience, and deeper perspectives on Oregon Indigenous history. 
NASU O
NASU Speaks Out Against Budget Cuts to Native Student Programming
In the wake of the disruption of Covid-19 and the shift to distanced learning, UO's Native American Student Union (NASU) learned that it's operating budget was to be reduced by nearly 50% for the 2022-23 academic year. Videographer Owen Lowe-Rogstad sat down with NASU's four co-directors to learn how this decision by ASUO impacts NASU and how they have fought to reinstate their budget. Click here to view the video documentary. 
CNN
UO Announces Home Flight Program
Initiative will cover tuition and fees for federally recognized Oregon Indigenous students, allocate funds for a dedicated Native academic advisor, and provide student support and professionalization for Native students. Click here for more information from the UO.