History of First Americans - HIST 341

with an optional Southern
Cheyenne Intercultural Tour in Oklahoma

This class will introduce students to analytical frameworks of gender, race, and class in American Indigenous historical and contemporary contexts. We will examine Indigenous “survivance,” resilience, and resistance to United States government policy and military actions and how Christian groups (Mennonites included) participated in forced acculturation practices, including boarding schools. Through readings, videos, field trips, art and literary expressions, we will explore how Indigenous traditions and ceremonies, religious beliefs and creation stories inform contemporary expressions of honor, community, identity, wealth distribution and reciprocity.

This course satisfies credits in History and the Gender Studies minor. Students participating in the optional one-week intercultural tour, May 22-29, 2024 may use this course to satisfy intercultural experience*.

Kimberly Schmidt has worked with Cheyenne & Arapaho peoples since 2003. She is an Indigenous rights activist and active scholar having published numerous articles and a book, Magpie’s Blanket (University of New Mexico Press, 2016). Her current research interests focus on Cheyennes and Mennonite missionary women’s history.

Intercultural Tour to Oklahoma is scheduled in late May to take advantage of the start of pow-wow season and honor dances. Only students who take HIST 341 may register for the tour, including:

• Honor dances, pow-wows, cultural centers, & the Black Prairie Bison project.
• Learning from elders and heritage interpreters
• *HIST 341 and Tour fulfills Intercultural Experience/credit with additional 1SH
  Intercultural Learning & Integration class following the tour.