This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Professor Jamie Folsom’s title has been updated and additional capitalization has been added.
BROOKINGS, SD (KELO) – November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the diverse cultures, histories and traditions of more than 500 indigenous communities across North America.
According to Jamie Folsom, assistant professor of American Indian and Indigenous studies at the School of American and Global Studies at South Dakota State University, the month is often accompanied by movie screenings, reading books, listening to prominent Native leaders talk and hopefully gain a better understanding of indigenous people.
“This is an opportunity where we are in the spotlight, where we have more platforms in the media to correct stereotypes, showcase who we are today and the issues we face and celebrate the joy of being Indigenous said Folsom. “It gives us an opportunity to celebrate our cultures. It gives us the opportunity to present our issues in our own voice and tell our own stories.
Folsom is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and this is her first year teaching at SDSU.
When Folsom talks about Native American Heritage Month with her students, she asks them to think critically about the content and representation of Native Americans they see in the media. She hopes people will question who is telling the story and whether the depiction of Indigenous people they see is positive or stereotypical.
She talked about Martin Scorsese’s recent film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which details how members of the Osage Nation were murdered by white men because rich oil deposits were discovered on their land.
“There’s a lot more of an actual Osage presence in the film than in the book and yet it’s still a non-Native person directing it,” she said. “I’m not saying don’t go see it because there isn’t an Indigenous director, but I’m saying ask some important questions before going to see if there are other authors who have told this story. story from a true Osage perspective.
In addition to teaching introductory Native American studies courses in the School of American and Global Studies, Folsom also collaborates with SDSU’s School of Communication to teach media literacy courses, particularly on how of which indigenous peoples are represented in the media.
“I just want people to have a really good grounding in the realities of history because overall, none of us, myself included, have gotten the education that I think we deserve about Native American peoples,” she said.
Folsom also hopes to create a graduate-level course in the future focused on contemporary indigenous issues. Knowing the struggles of Native Americans today is just as important as understanding their history.
“We’re really going to lean into the areas of food sovereignty, heritage and history with boarding schools, innovation and entrepreneurs from the Indigenous community bringing new programs, new perspectives and new initiatives to solve these problems,” Folsom said.
Before joining SDSU, Folsom worked as an assistant professor at Colorado State while defending his dissertation. Her dissertation focused on how Native artists use social media and their artwork to raise awareness about violence against Native Americans.
Along with Native Studies, Folsom taught science education, English language, and intercultural communication. She was also a journalist for several years, covering Indigenous issues and worked in the public health and environmental justice sector. In all of his roles, Folsom has been careful to center Native American stories and voices.
“It’s a joy to come together to dance, sing, bead, and even see each other on the big screen,” she said. “It’s a very joyful thing and we do this all year round.”
