Close up of a Native American language textbook

Native American Studies

Understanding that there is no single “Native American” perspective, this program explores Native American histories and cultures through varied Native community experiences and points of view. This multi-disciplinary curriculum, which is open to all undergraduate students, is aimed to lead you to:

  • An informed comprehension of Native American histories and distinct Native American colonial experiences;
  • Insightful consideration of varied Native American social, cultural, and political perspectives, including contemporary community priorities;
  • Scholarly appreciation for Native American arts and literature as tools for cultural interpretation; and
  • A deeper understanding of ancestral and contemporary Native American communities on the Columbia Plateau and 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s intellectual and spiritual connection to this homeland.
 
Laurie Arnold Deans Forum

New Publication

Historians Laurie Arnold (Sinixt Band, Colville Confederated Tribes) and Katrine Barber (Portland State University) co-authored “Far Afield: A Conversation about Doing History in the Pacific Northwest” in the Oregon Historical Quarterly (March 2025).

Built from the joint keynote the two delivered at the 2024 Pacific Northwest History Conference, the historians discuss moments that have shaped their careers, how listening has shaped their work, their connections to and separations from traditional academic processes, and how their identities and experiences are present in the history they create and teach. The article, like the keynote, concludes with suggestions about the effects of climate change on the region and themselves and with optimism for a future shaped by the Indigenous people of this place.


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Spokane, WA 99258
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