Northern Oklahoma College and Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) is hosting a Choctaw Nation Pottery Revitalization virtual presentation Thursday, Nov. 19.
Ian Thompson of the Choctaw Nation will conduct the presentation virtually via Zoom at 11 a.m. Thompson is of Choctaw and Euro-American heritage.
“Revitalization efforts for tribes and nations are a very important part of our work toward recognizing NOC students’ cultural identities,” explained NASNTI Grant Director Anna Roland. The shift to virtual presentations has presented challenges for some college programs around the nation, but Roland and the grant staff at NOC have met this challenge head-on. “NASNTI is committed to maintaining a high level of support for our students during the ever-changing landscape of higher education,” Roland confidently states. “It is a pleasure to bring the expertise of Dr. Thompson to the Northern campus, albeit virtual.”
Dr. Thompson began experimenting with traditional pottery at 9-years old and learned traditional hide-work, flintknapping, shellwork, and making traditional archery tackle as a youth.
Balancing this cultural education with western education, Thompson studied at the University of Missouri (BA in anthropology, 2002) and the University of New Mexico (MA and PhD in anthropology, 2005 and 2008, respectively).
Dissertation research was designed to recover and help revitalize currently sleeping aspects of Choctaw traditional knowledge. He is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and has been
He is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and has been certified by the Choctaw Nation Tribal Council as a Community Language and Culture Instructor. He has spear-headed 10 years of efforts to revitalize traditional pottery in the Choctaw Nation, personally teaching hundreds of classes.
In 2019, He authored and donated the book “Choctaw Food: Remembering the Land, Rekindling Ancient Knowledge”, an indepth presentation of the Indigenous Choctaw foodway.
Currently, He serves as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
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