The first sound of thunder

is a song of things coming to life.

Last week we experienced the first very warm days of the year, with the thermometer soaring near 80º and the sun, unfettered by clouds or angle, sent down his beams and warmth. I hiked relentlessly because I knew things would change. Late Sunday night I heard the first thunder of the year, which served as vanguard for much colder temperatures and a blast of snow on Wednesday. But that is ever spring in Montana, April being the month of teasing warmth, dramatic cloud performances, and wind.

A honeybee tends to a shooting star on Waterworks Hill in Missoula, April 11.

This spring brings the culmination of a massive project I started several months ago. Last fall I was teaching a grad course at the University of Montana wherein I assigned a lesson plan that incorporated Indian Education for All, our state’s multicultural mandate. A wide array of materials to support teachers exists, but what I found in some cases was that the teachers in my course were unfamiliar not only with the materials available but also with basic concepts of resource evaluation related to American Indian topics and authors. And the teachers in this course are not exceptional. In the many workshops I’ve led over the years, the story is the same: many teachers in Montana lack the background knowledge they need to do this work well, despite their very good intentions.

I decided to offer a solution and develop a course for this summer that might help remedy this critical shortcoming.¹ The design integrates contemporary issues in Indian country such as LandBack, language revitalization, and NAGPRA, and presents them through the lenses of culture, history, and policy so that people can understand how we got here today.

“Lightning Horses” by John Isaiah Pepion, which he’s allowing me to use as the banner for the course. By all means go to his site and find some cool art to buy!

The very best part of this project has been the interviews that tribal individuals have consented to do with me. You can see the whole list of names in the syllabus (page 3) but it is so awesome to talk to these folks and learn from them. Then I get to edit the recordings and hear it all again!

Highlights so far:

• Bill Swaney (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes) drops some hardcore knowledge about CSKT vs. Namen which determined control and management of Flathead Lake bed/banks.²

• Lark Real Bird (Crow) talks about the role of language in culture and how she teaches long Crow words so they are not just pronounceable to students but also make sense in relation to cultural information.

• Mike Geboe (Chippewa Cree) explains the connection of culture to prevention in tribal wellness programs.

• Jordann Lankford (Aaniiih & Anishinaabe) shares some helpful analogies so we can understand why Indian Education for All is so crucial.

• Kevin Kicking Woman (Amskapi Pikuni)³ sings Blackfeet songs and explains their significance.

And I have several more to record! The role of traditional plants in wellness, contemporary Indigenous music and its relationship to youth in our classrooms, to name a couple, and you also need to know that Mike Jetty (Spirit Lake Dakota) is going to drop some wicked dad jokes.

Then there are the live guest speakers:

• Denise Juneau (Citizen of the Mandan Hidatsa Tribes and Blackfeet Tribe)

• Chris La Tray (Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Métis)

• Michelle Mitchell (Salish and Chippewa Cree)

• Dr. Shane Doyle (Apsáalooke)

• Julie Cajune (Salish)

• Lea Whitford (Blackfeet)⁴

I know this looks like a giant advertisement for the course. And sure, go ahead and sign up⁵ even if you’re not a teacher.⁶ But that’s not really my point.⁷

My poor miniature daffodil with its snow beanie falling over its eyes…

When I interviewed Kevin Kicking Woman for the course, he talked of the importance of song in his culture. “Song and language bring things to life,” he told me. An example he provided was the sound of the first thunder of the year. “When it sounds,” he said, “the Amskapi Pikuni start calling each other. It’s our new year. Things are coming to life.”

We bring each other knowledge. I’m no Indigenous expert, but I am an expert educator, which means I am also a continual learner. I pay attention to stuff. It is then my responsibility to help others learn too.

During this spring season of renewal, of snow and wind, of thunder and wildflowers, I look forward to fresh beginnings. And I welcome the chance to bring this course to life, to carry to others the knowledge that Indigenous partners have shared.

1. The course is offered through the non-profit organization I direct, called Chickadee Community Services. I am the instructor and I will earn an instructor’s fee, but the course is not a money-maker for me personally. I feel this is important to point out before I launch into the total fucking awesomeness of this course.

2. Sorry Bill, I know I oversimplified that summary.

3. and 2024 Montana Teacher of the Year!

4. If you are wondering why the wording of tribal affiliation differs from person to person even for the same tribe, it’s because I asked each individual how they wanted their tribal affiliations represented and that’s what I wrote here and in the syllabus.

5. It’s offered remotely so you can take it from Morocco if you feel like it.

6. You can audit it and skip the final week (the teacher part) if you want!

7. Because I already have over 100 people registered. And though there’s no cap, I’m not out here trying to drum up business.