Buffalo Nations: History and Revitalization of the American Bison
Workshop Schedule
Schedule is not finalized or fully confirmed and some presenters may be available during only 1 of the workshop weeks; expect the final program to vary somewhat.
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Arrive by 5pm to Lodge
5-6:30 Orientation (workshop overview, expectations, safety, YNP as learning site, basic cultural literacy including land acknowledgements) and Self-Location Introductions (Stanton/Ramaker)
6:30 Supper and Before There Were Parks (film)
7:30-8:30 First impressions from pre-workshop homework in learning circles; Goal setting
8:30 Bed! -
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
8:30 Team building & Supper prep assignments
9:30 Orientation to GYE from Indigenous perspective (Ramaker, Smith, Atkinson)
11:00 Place-conscious and place-relational (vs. place-based) learning; introduction to historical treaties and InterTribal Buffalo Treaty (Ramaker, Stanton)
12:00 Lunch and Overview of YNP history (Desmarais)
1:00 Exploratory walk/easy hike to journal & connect to GYE (Desmarais)
2:00 Overview of history of Indigenous education; culturally sustaining and revitalizing pedagogy, culturally relevant curriculum (Stanton/Smith)
3:00 Snacks
3:15 Role of Indian Education for All in every classroom and using a Buffalo Nations curriculum (Jetty)
4:00 Indigenous partner-led learning circles – relationships within Indigenous communities (people, places, animal relatives); reIndigenizing understandings of relationships, responsibilities, citizenship, and “interspecies justice”
5:30 Supper prep - learning about Indigenous foods/preparation/ lifeways (Miller & helpers)
6:30 Supper –Ramaker & Ferguson re Indigenous Food Systems
7:30 Introduction to Buffalo Nations curricular materials
8:00 Small groups – reflections on the day’s learnings; discuss classroom use of materials (Project Team members facilitating)
8:30 Bed! -
7:00-8:00 Breakfast
8:15 Depart for the park
9:30 Arrive at Specimen Ridge/Yellowstone Picnic Area: Discussion of Indigenous vs. Western teaching/research methods (Stanton, Stockton)
10:30 Intro to TEK, implications for STEM literacy (Carlson, Stockton)
11:30 Depart for Lamar Valley
12:00 Lunch in the Lamar
12:30 TEK and ecological literacy (Ramaker/Atkinson)
1:30 Western Science methodologies of field research. Data collection for the YNP Bison Ecology Management Team’s Home on the Range project. (Desmarais & Geremia). Field work will consist of using radio telemetry and gps data to locate collared animals, conducting observational demographic counts of the herds we encounter, and collecting fecal samples. Field work will be largely road-based, with some short (under a mile) hikes possible. Total active data collection time of 1-1.5 hours expected.**
3:00 Drive back to lodge; Discussion on-site and en route - developing ecological literacy
4:30 At lodge; Indigenous partner-led learning circles – foundations for Buffalo Nations lessons
5:30 Supper prep - learning about Indigenous foods/preparation/ lifeways (Miller & helpers)
6:30 Supper - View and Discuss Video (29 minutes): In the Spirit of Atatice
7:30 Draft Buffalo Nations curriculum maps for grade levels/content areas
8:30 Bed! -
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
8:30 Buffalo Nations lifeways & stories; classroom connections (Smith, Ramaker)
10:00 contemporary buffalo context—Intertribal Buffalo Council; YNP buffalo restoration to Indigenous nations (Baldes, Jorgensen)
12:00 Lunch and Curriculum Group Discussions
1:00 YNP Interagency Bison Management Plan; Tour to Beady Gulch, Stephens Creek (Geremia, Desmarais, Jorgensen); Snacks
5:30 Supper preparation - learning about Indigenous foods/preparation (Miller & helpers)
6:30 Supper – Talk on sovereignty and leadership structures, Bob McAnally
7:30 Structured Academic Controversy activity (Buffalo Management Planning - Stanton)
9:00 Bed! -
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
9:00 Revisit cultural literacy; Identity work (Ramaker, Doyle)
9:30 Tour to Obsidian Cliff (Doyle)
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Community Wellness and Restorative Justice in schools (Smith, Stanton) (how schools have historically minoritized Indigenous students)
2:00 Meet in grade-band groups to discuss interdisciplinary connections & Buffalo Nations curricular content
3:00 Snacks
3:15 Meet in curricular subject groups to discuss prior knowledge, experience with content standards, and IEFA essential understandings.
5:30 Supper prep - learning about Indigenous foods/preparation/ lifeways (Miller & helpers)
6:30 Supper
7:30 Curriculum map revisions
8:30 Bed! -
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
9:00 Discuss importance of reciprocity, avoiding romanticism and stereotypes, involving community partners in curriculum development, etc. (Stanton; Ramaker; Smith)
10:00 Explore and critique digital and media resources surrounding Buffalo Nations topics (Ramaker)
11:00 Brainstorm and critique ideas for service learning and other methods for reciprocity (Stanton)
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Meet in Grade-band or geographic teacher groups to discuss these teaching strategies.
2:45 Snacks
3:00 Geographic or subject-matter cohort groups to develop/refine learning sequences.
4:00 Finish adapting curriculum maps
5:00 Supper prep - learning about Indigenous foods/preparation/ lifeways
6:00 Supper
7:00 Visit to Yellowstone Hot Springs for a soak and overall workshop debrief.
9:30 Bed! -
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
9:00 Commitments to Action
10:30 Final goodbyes and travel home
Transportation for workshop field trips will be provided in EPI-owned 9-passenger Chevy Suburbans (with support from an additional vehicle with a wheelchair-lift if required.
Breakfasts, lunches, and first-night supper will be provided by EPI for each workshop. Suppers will be catered by Local Faire, LLC which specializes in Indigenous foods. KayAnn Miller, proprietor, will provide 5 weekday suppers with a team of workshop participants collaborating in the final hour of prep; during this collaboration she will teach them about the Indigenous foods being used and their preparation. All meals incorporate fresh vegetables and whole foods; a wide variety of dietary needs and restrictions can be accommodated.
Primary lodging and workshop activities will be at the North Yellowstone Lodge & Hostel, about 10 miles north of the Gardiner, MT entrance to the Park. The lodge consists of two buildings, both ADA accessible. The main lodge includes a kitchen for meal prep, a small bathroom, and a dining room. The second building includes dorm-style rooms with a variety of sleeping configurations—altogether, there are beds for 35 participants—communal bathrooms with showers, and a group “recreation room.” Finally, a central courtyard, a small balcony with picnic tables and a fire pit area offer small group meeting spaces. A large lawn and other sites along the path to the river could serve as camping sites.
Program activities will include optional short hikes—either in Yellowstone National Park or in surrounding areas and curated by EPI. The available hikes will vary in intensity, with alternatives for participants who may use a wheelchair or have other limitations. In addition to Forest Service trails, a short trail leads to the river from the lodge and participants may walk along the railroad-grade Old Yellowstone Trail which follows the west bank of the Yellowstone River. In the park, there will also be varied opportunities for hiking while visiting cultural and ecologically important sites. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs, which provide for varying levels of difficulty, and we will also visit the Obsidian Cliff (an important archaeological site), which requires a short, easy hike. While conducting research activities in the Lamar Valley, some participants may hike up to a mile across uneven terrain, while research activities and objectives can be adjusted to accommodate others’ more limited physical ability levels.
