(For expedience’s sake, The SandHill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians will be referred to as The SandHill. The Federation of Aboriginal Nations of the Americas will be referred to as FANA)
I am very excited about this update regarding a member of the SandHill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians (SHBI). I posted three articles regarding the need to preserve Indigenous languages and their sovereignty between 2022 to 2024. For everyone’s convenience, I have provided the links to the articles below.
The first article was posted on June 13, 2022, “Language, Places, and Spaces. The second article was posted on Nov. 16, 2022, “The Importance of Preserving of Indigenous Languages”, The third article was posted on Jan. 16, 2024 “ Empowering Indigenous People of the USA to Re-establish their Sovereignty.”
All three articles were written from the input provided to me by Kevin Inglesby. These articles address the importance of preserving the different languages of the Indigenous people, addressing the need for the Indigenous people to re-establish their sovereignty. However, it was also the journey of a young man’s self-discovery that was in the shadows of the article.
Kevin had no idea what he was going to do once he had graduated high school. He didn’t even think about college because no one was encouraging him to do so. That all changed once Principal Chief Holloway of the SandHill and his wife, Lorena became involved with him.
They recognized the brilliance that was lying dormant within Kevin, and they came up with the idea of having Kevin assist them in different scenarios and eventually become an intern at FANA and that he would be working closely with the Chief. Through their gentle prodding, Kevin was able to figure out what he wanted to be and how he would achieve that goal.
He began his journey by attending the West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He received his BA in Linguistic Anthropology. He then found himself applying to Montana University as that school was the only one aligned with his research interests and was offering a Master’s Degree and a PhD program in Applied Anthropology and Cultural Heritage. The other universities expanded their programs in the direction of archaeology rather than in linguistics and cultural anthropology.
Once he received his Master’s degree, he was able to apply for his PhD in that field. He only recently passed his Thesis Defense which now opens the door for him to be able to do the formal Thesis work.
He has been offered and has accepted a teaching position in the Anthropology Department at the University of Montana as an Adjunct professor. He will be teaching Anthropology 406 – Contemporary Issues of Indigenous Peoples.
He has also accepted the position as the Coordinator of Linguistics Operations for the SandHill and FANA.
Kevin has traveled very far from his hometown in Pennsylvania to the “Big Sky Country” known as Montana. A state rich in its natural beauty, a variety of wildlife, and minerals. His life’s journey has taken him from a young man with a high school education uncertain as to what job he was qualified for at that time, to a young man pursuing a goal that was only able to be achieved in the State of Montana- far away from Principal Chief Holloway, Lorena, the SandHill and FANA.
I am looking forward to reading his thesis and hopefully, I will be able to post it on Daily Kos for everyone to read. I am also eager to watch Kevin’s journey in his quest for knowledge in the field of Applied Anthropology and the Cultural Heritage of the Indigenous Peoples.
Here are the links as promised
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/6/13/2103886/-Language-Places-and-Spaces.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/16/2217317/-Empowering-Indigenous-People-of-the-USA-to-Re-establish-their-Sovereignty
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/16/2136611/-The-Importance-of-Preserving-of-Indigenous-Languages
