News

Recent news from the Department of American Indian Studies.

Law enforcement officers in tactical gear outside a Dollar Tree store on a snowy day.

How CLA Experts are Helping to Make Sense of this Moment

CLA scholars break down Minnesota’s recent ICE-involved shootings.

30 Years of Recognizing Outstanding Alumni

Alumni of Notable Achievement: Peggy Flanagan

Learn more about Alumni of Notable Achievement honoree Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

Demonstrators with American flags facing the Whipple Federal Building

C̣aƞtemaza Neil McKay: What’s the history of the Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory and the Whipple Building?

C̣aƞtemaza Neil McKay, a senior teaching specialist in the College of Liberal Arts, is quoted in Star Tribune article.

The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary Featured in The Guardian

The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary was recently featured in a Guardian book review of Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies (University of Minnesota…

CBS News | Unlocking 'Minne': C̣aƞtemaza Reveals the Dakota Origins of Minnesota Place Names

The senior teaching specialist was interviewed for the "Good Question" segment.

A group of four people standing in front of a black backdrop, all smiling. The person standing second to the far left is holding a gold plaque of achievement.

Dr. Brenda Child Wins the 2025 Indigenous History Achievement Award from the Western History Association

Congratulations to Dr. Brenda Child for winning the 2025 Indigenous History Achievement Award from the Western History Association!

Elevating American Indian & Indigenous Education

Our new PhD in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS) is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental program that’s the only one of its kind in the Midwest and the Big Ten.

The text "Indigenous Peoples' Day" along with four photographs of AIIS PhD candidates

Indigenous Peoples' Day 2025

Honoring our Indigenous students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners.

Leonard Peltier, wearing a floral medallion and tying a bandana around his head, at his home on the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa Reservation.

Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier on adjusting to life at home after decades in prison

Dr. Nick Estes, Associate Professor of American Studies, is interviewed by PBS News to discuss Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier adjusting to life at home after decades in…

In full tribal regalia, Dewey Beard, left, and James Pipe-on-Head, survivors of the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890

The real story behind the Wounded Knee massacre

Dr. Nick Estes, Associate Professor of American Indian Studies, journalist and author, discusses what actually happened at Wounded Knee.