Kirkham hired as assistant professor & director of ISU American Indian Studies
Elizabeth Kirkham, assistant professor and director of American Indian
Studies.
By DANA HERNANDEZ
Sho-Ban News
POCATELLO — Idaho State University has a new professor, Elizabeth Kickham who is the Assistant Professor and Director of American Indian Studies.
She was hired on August 10 and so far enjoys working with her co-worker Lethaniel Loley who is the Director of the Native American Student Services. Elizabeth has also enjoyed working with the Tribal community members who she says she collaborated with to plan the upcoming Indigenous People’s day event.
Elizabeth received a B.A. in Linguistics, M.S. in Library and Information Sciences, M.A. in Applied Linguistic Anthropology, Ph.D. in Anthropology, with a focus in Native American Language Revitalization, and also a Certificate in College Teaching. She says her background is a mix of cultures and heritages. She was adopted and raised for the first decade of her life in England, her family comes from Oklahoma and before that the American Southeast, specifically Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.
She said, “We are mixed heritage mostly Scottish and Choctaw with some Dutch, Chickasaw, and Cherokee. My father taught me to love and respect the land, plants, and animals, which we need to survive, and also to see beauty in nature. My mother taught me about health and our heritage. My grandmothers taught me to remember where we came from and to keep our values alive. My Chahta language teachers have taught me to value and use the language daily. These values have been passed down to my four children, three of whom are grown and working, all of them in service to others. I hope to continue in this light, supporting the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in whatever the community sees as appropriate.”
Elizabeth is responsible for teaching courses in Anthropology and American Indian Studies. She works on research topics related to language revitalization, language learning motivations and language education. She is also a mentor and advisor for students.
A typical day for Elizabeth includes a lot of meetings and teaching. She has been meeting with students to plan the Indigenous People’s Day event. She meets with faculty and touches base with her research partners in other states. She also has been meeting with some Shoshone-Bannock community members. Her days are busy, but productive and enjoyable.
In respect to the Tribes, Elizabeth hopes to learn the Shoshoni and Bannock language. Her position entails several big picture goals that will likely take many years and the support of the university and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to accomplish. She wants to strengthen the American Indian Studies program while identifying and supporting the Tribe’s language goals.
Elizabeth enjoys being out in nature and doing things such as camping and hiking. She also likes to spend her time reading, learning the Chahta language, singing, being with family, and attending local community events.
She says, “It is an exciting time to be joining ISU, as the new Memorandum of Agreement with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes is a meaningful opportunity to renew relationships and create opportunities for success. It is important to view this position of Director of American Indian Studies as just one opportunity to acknowledge and heal past harms and to build strong future relationships with the community. This begins, but does not end, with acknowledgement that Idaho State is located on traditional Tribal lands. It continues with listening, being respectful, and actively learning about the history and current needs of the Tribes. Hopefully, we can create collaborative relationships that move everyone toward success.”
