Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrated At Montana State

Around 250 people gathered at Montana State University’s American Indian Hall on Monday, Oct. 13, to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day and dedicate a new arbor that completes the vision of the facility.

The event, hosted by the Department of Native American Studies in the College of Letters and Science, featured remarks from MSU and tribal leaders and an honor song from musician Chontay Standing Rock, with refreshments provided for attendees and art on display by artist Winold Reiss.

The arbor is dedicated to the late Blackfeet tribal elder and activist Elouise Cobell, who was educated at MSU and received an honorary doctorate in 2002. Cobell’s son, Turk, and daughter-inlaw, Bobbie, attended the event in her honor.

Walter Fleming, former head of the Native American Studies department who retired this past summer, called the arbor the “final puzzle piece” that completed the $20 million American Indian Hall facility, which opened in 2021 after years of planning and fundraising. Previous groundbreaking and grand opening ceremonies for the hall were also held on Indigenous Peoples Day.

“I can sleep tonight knowing that that puzzle is done,” Fleming said. “I’d like to thank all of our donors, many of them who are here today, who gave us the final puzzle piece to make this building complete.”

The arbor was always a part of the building’s design, but the necessary funds to include it were not available when construction began. The daughter of donor Elise R. Donohue, who died in 2015, donated the money to complete the arbor. Following indoor remarks, crowds of people gathered around heat lamps to view the Elouise Cobell Garden Arbor, which is located outside between the Drum Room in American Indian Hall and the Native learning garden. Tribal elders delivered a blessing of the ground and the building and performed ceremonial songs. “As we bless this place today and hear reflections from our Native students and educators, I invite you to consider the power of place, the importance of community and the enduring strength of the Indigenous knowledge systems,” said Meredith Hecker, head of the Native American Studies department. “This garden is a place for learning, for gathering and for healing, and it belongs to all of us.”

The arbor complements the circular design of American Indian Hall and was structured to be an outdoor educational area that softens the space between the built and natural environments. Large boulders provide a natural seating area around a fire pit, which completes the building design’s inclusion of the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire.

The arbor will be a gathering space for meetings and special events, and faculty who wish to use the space for a class can reach out to the Native American Studies department, Hecker said. She thanked the designers, architects and builders of the space for centering Indigenous voices and values throughout the process.

Elizabeth Pritchard of MSU Planning, Design and Construction spoke highly of the collaboration involved in building the arbor.

“The kindness and willingness to communicate about the important pieces of the site and the building truly just changed my life,” Pritchard said. “Communication with the Buffalo Nation fellows and their willingness to teach was an incredible gift and one that I’ll take forward with me forever.”

MSU President Brock Tessman also highlighted the significance of the garden arbor and its namesake to himself, faculty and the more than 800 Native American students currently attending MSU. “It is absolutely an honor for Montana State University, and certainly for me, to be connected in any way to Elouise (Cobell) and her legacy,” Tessman said. “To have the garden arbor named for such a landmark person in Native American history is very significant to me and to this university.”

Cobell’s work exemplifies the mission of MSU, said Robert Rides At The Door, a tribal elder performing blessings and prayers, and demonstrates that education is the best way to resist oppression. Cobell was the lead plaintiff in the largest class action lawsuit in the history of the United States, which contested the U.S. government’s mismanagement of trust funds held by more than 500,000 Native Americans and resulted in a settlement of $3.4 billion. She was posthumously awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for her impacts in 2016 by former President Barack Obama.

Highlighting the dedication to Cobell, Hecker said the arbor is more than just a structure. “It’s a living symbol of growth, resilience and reflection,” she said. “It stands as a tribute to Indigenous voices, both past and present.”

More information about the Native American Studies department, American Indian Hall and Indigenous Peoples Day is available at www. montana.edu/nativeamerican/.