Center for Great Plains Studies

Great Plains lecture: “Rescuing” Japanese American Histories of Nebraska (Read More)

Learn about the vibrant histories of Japanese Americans in Nebraska from the late 19th Century to the present and the community-led efforts to maintain them in this screening and panel discussion. This event begins with a screening of Nebraska Public Media’s recently aired “Nebraska Stories: Rescuing the Japanese Hall” episode (30 minutes), followed by a panel of Japanese American community members, Vickie Sakurada Schaepler (Japanese Hall and History Project Coordinator), Kim Hachiya (community descendant), and Sharon Ishii-Jordan (Professor Emerita at Creighton University and community descendant), and the senior producer of “Nebraska Stories,” Kay Hall. This event will be moderated by Dr. Donna Doan Anderson. This is part of the Paul A. Olson Great Plains lecture series by the Center for Great Plains Studies.

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The Culture, Science and Future of Fire (Read More)

Ferin Davis Anderson will give a keynote talk for Wild Great Plains, the Center for Great Plains Studies’ 50th annual conference. Anderson will discuss reciprocal restoration and examples of how stewarding a place can lead to cultural revitalization within a community in a talk titled: “How Reciprocal Restoration Fosters Cultural Revitalization.” This talk is free and open to the public, no conference ticket needed, but registration is requested to determine seating needs. Please register here: https://forms.gle/DEnFB1uuih2L5HL49. All other conference speakers require a conference ticket. Parking is available in the lot north of Transformation Drive in Zone 9900 and is paid through the Passport Parking app, details at: https://innovate.unl.edu/parking-nic “Reconnecting with traditional practices such as cultural burning is central in our connection with the land and lessening the impacts of devastating wildfires. Fire holds such power,” Anderson says. “It is our duty to acknowledge fire and to foster a good relationship. As our ancestors understood, the land will teach us.” Anderson is the co-author of “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire,” a STEAM book exploring the science of wildfires, the history of fire in the United States, and the relationship Indigenous people have with fire. Anderson is an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa/Ojibwe/Anishinaabe/Mitchifs in North Dakota. She is also the Natural Resources Manager for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Land and Natural Resources Department. Anderson is responsible for stewarding and restoring natural areas for the SMSC. She works to weave Indigenous knowledge and western science to implement holistic land stewardship practices. This includes using fire as an ecological and cultural tool to achieve beneficial and healing outcomes. Witnessing Indigenous people revitalize and reconnect with this practice has been one of the greatest gifts of her career. Anderson was also part of a team that helped bring bison back to the SMSC – a relative that will help the community connect with the land and their culture. Click here for more information about the Wild Great Plains conference.

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Reckoning and Reconciliation Summer Study and Discussion Circle – virtual (Read More)

Many people who attended the Reckoning and Reconciliation on the Great Plains Summit from April 6-8 have expressed a desire to further explore the issues that emerged and to continue the conversations about how we can promote healing and reconciliation. To help facilitate further discussion, the Center for Great Plains Studies is sponsoring a Summer Study and Discussion Circle. We will be listening to Walter Echo-Hawk’s keynote presentation from April 6 and reading his book, In the Light of Justice: The Rise of Human Rights in Native America and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Then we will hold several online gatherings to discuss Mr. Echo-Hawk’s ideas and how to apply them in our own communities, organizations, and institutions. Margaret Jacobs, director of the Center for Great Plains Studies and a professor of History will facilitate the Circle. Indigenous activists, leaders, legal experts, and writers will join each of the sessions. Click here to register.

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Reckoning and Reconciliation Summer Study and Discussion Circle – virtual (Read More)

Many people who attended the Reckoning and Reconciliation on the Great Plains Summit from April 6-8 have expressed a desire to further explore the issues that emerged and to continue the conversations about how we can promote healing and reconciliation. To help facilitate further discussion, the Center for Great Plains Studies is sponsoring a Summer Study and Discussion Circle. We will be listening to Walter Echo-Hawk’s keynote presentation from April 6 and reading his book, In the Light of Justice: The Rise of Human Rights in Native America and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Then we will hold several online gatherings to discuss Mr. Echo-Hawk’s ideas and how to apply them in our own communities, organizations, and institutions. Margaret Jacobs, director of the Center for Great Plains Studies and a professor of History will facilitate the Circle. Indigenous activists, leaders, legal experts, and writers will join each of the sessions. Click here to register.

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