News

From June 17-20, the Myers Center welcomed 18 tribal museum professionals and volunteers from across the country for its annual Native American Museum Studies Institute (NAMSI).  Participants received four days of training in museum and cultural center development, repatriation, conservation, youth outreach, and more.  Many thanks to our co-sponsors, the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center and the Pheobe A. Hearst Museum, and to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which provided generous funding used to provide travel stipends to many of our participants. Read more about the Institute's goals and workshops here.

The language immersion summer camp organized by Sara Chase (UCB PhD candidate and former Myers Center mini-grant awardee) and members of the Hoopa Tribal Education Association, was recently featured in the New York Times. "For decades, native speakers of Hupa, also known as na:tinixwe mixine:whe, have dwindled. Only about 20 people are fluent enough today to teach the language and pass it on, tribe members estimate. The camp is a bet that immersion at a young age can help change that. 'That’s always the goal,' said Sara Chase, a member of the tribe who organized the camp with the Hoopa Tribal Education Association. 'How do you create new speakers?'”  Read more! 

The Myers Center is now accepting applications for its 2019 Native American Museum Studies Institute, which will be held at ISSI from June 17-20. Offered annually, this four-day intensive training helps to increase the capacity of tribal community members to repatriate, conserve, and revitalize tribal cultural heritage, foster tribal representations and partnerships, and educate tribal and non-tribal communities through museum development exhibits. Participants come from tribes in varying stages of developing their museums/cultural centers. Read more information and download an application here.

In June, the Joseph A. Myers Center at UC Berkeley provided four days of intensive training to 20 Native museum professionals and volunteers from more than a dozen tribal museums and cultural centers in various stages of development. This free training helps to increase the capacity of tribal community members to conserve and revitalize their cultural heritage. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians provided 10 participants with travel stipends, making it possible for them to attend. Thank you San Manuel!