MISSOULA Mont.
The University of Montana’s new Native American Center will inspire a new era in leadership, vitalize American Indian studies and become a cornerstone of tribal community, said author and educator Gregory Cajete.
“The commemoration of the Indian studies center here at the University of Montana is so important to the overall development and evolution of Native studies, nationally, as well as internationally,” he said.
Cajete, the Native American Studies director at the University of New Mexico, provided the keynote speech Saturday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the center, which will be the first of its kind in the nation.
Community is the foundation of identity, he said, and UM’s new Native American Center will provide a “new expression of indigenous community.”
The 19,900-square-foot building will house the Native American Studies Department, Native student services and related campus programs.
Construction on the nearly $10 million building is expected to begin this summer. About $2 million is still needed to complete the project by fall 2009.
