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Sustainability Oxford and Beyond

Celebrating Miami: Tribe and University Week on campus from Nov. 6-13

“The celebration will highlight our unique relationship, its significance, and how we have been partners in learning across the years,” Miami University President Gregory Crawford said in an email to the Miami community.

the Day of Reflection walk on campus
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizens, Miami Tribe students, and the Miami University community walked from the Art Museum to the Myaamia Center at Bonham House on Oct. 11, 2021, as part of the Day of Reflection commemorating the 175th anniversary of the Miami Tribe's removal from their homelands (photo by Jeff Sabo).
Sustainability Oxford and Beyond

Celebrating Miami: Tribe and University Week on campus from Nov. 6-13

Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizens, Miami Tribe students, and the Miami University community walked from the Art Museum to the Myaamia Center at Bonham House on Oct. 11, 2021, as part of the Day of Reflection commemorating the 175th anniversary of the Miami Tribe's removal from their homelands (photo by Jeff Sabo).

  Celebrating Miami: Tribe and University Week on campus from Nov. 6-13

A yearlong commemoration celebrating the 50-year relationship of Miami University and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma will culminate with “Celebrating Miami: Tribe and University Week” Nov. 6-13.

“The celebration will highlight our unique relationship, its significance, and how we have been partners in learning across the years,” Miami University President Gregory Crawford said in an email to the Miami community.

“The Two Miamis: 50th Anniversary Celebration” will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in Millett Hall. President Crawford and Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Chief Douglas Lankford will join staff from the Myaamia Center at the event. Speakers will reflect on their personal connections to the relationship to show the impact on both the Miami Tribe and the university. The event is open to the Miami community and the public.

Check the schedule for a full list of events. Other highlights include:

Miami University Art Museum, 5 p.m. Wednesday — The art museum will host a Celebration of Student Creativity Reception and Awards Ceremony. Student participants in the  Student Response Exhibit (SRE)  “Interconnected: Land, Identity, Community” will be recognized at the ceremony. Visitors to the exhibition can cast a vote for their three favorite works in the exhibition via a kiosk in the gallery. This eighth SRE, open to all Miami University students, connected students with the complex theme of sovereignty. The theme, “Interconnected: Land, Identity, Community” (three key factors involved in maintaining sovereignty), was developed in collaboration with the Myaamia Center to reflect on sovereignty, including the inherent and retained political rights and cultural integrity. Some students in the Myaamia Heritage Program have pieces in the exhibit, which will run through Dec. 10.

Western Dining Hall, 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Thursday — Campus Services has partnered with the Myaamia Center to host a lunch with Myaamia menu items.

Heritage Room, Shriver Center, 5:30 p.m. Thursday — Cameron Shriver, a historian and member of the Myaamia Center staff, will present, “Red and White: A History of the Miami Tribe and Miami University Through Imagery.”

The week also will include various athletic events, including men’s and women’s basketball games at Millett, the football team’s 7 p.m. game against Ohio University on Tuesday in Yager Stadium, and hockey games at Goggin Ice Center. Check the RedHawks site for more details on athletic events, which will feature educational information about the Miami Tribe and its relationship with Miami University. All of the teams will be wearing uniforms featuring the  Myaamia Heritage Logo.

Interactive campus map

Miami University’s interactive campus map offers the “Neepwaantinki: Learning from Each Other” virtual tour. This tour was created by students of AMS301, an “American Identities: Community-Driven Research” class at Miami. Taught by Sandra Garner, a Myaamia Center affiliate, the class focuses on collaboration and interactive research in American Studies. The tour guides users through a number of locations relevant to the Miami Tribe and its relationship with Miami University. 

Tribal sovereignty: Miami’s FOCUS program theme for this academic year

During the observance of the 50th anniversary of the relationship between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University, the campus community will reflect on the often-unseen established rights of tribal sovereignty in North America. Tribal sovereignty includes inherent and retained political rights and cultural integrity of Native Nations. Three key factors in maintaining sovereignty are land, identity, and community.

The FOCUS program is a collaboration that explores a topic, question, or problem of importance to the university, the region, and the world. Grounded in the educational mission of Miami, the FOCUS theme provides opportunities for teaching, engagement, and learning on Miami’s campuses.

During the 2022-23 FOCUS theme year, the theme of tribal sovereignty will be explored from different angles that cut across the university as well as the broader community, including events in the Celebrating Miami Week. Each event will encourage participants and audiences to reflect on tribal sovereignty in the context of Miami University.

Information about the FOCUS theme and upcoming events can be found at https://miamioh.edu/focus/.