Native Griz

Transcript

Okay, let’s head over to the Payne Family Native American Center to meet Zachariah. Zachariah has a passion for native language and culture, and he helps organize UM student run powwow, take it away, Zachariah.

Thank you, Alex. Hello, my name is Sammy Sepastu, I’m Blackfeet, I’m from Browning, Montana and I reside here in Missoula. I’m a fourth year student here at the University of Montana, double majoring in native American studies and anthropology. I’m also the Vice-President as a Kyiyo Clip here on campus. I came to the University of Montana to find something I love doing and something I could bring back to help the people in my community. It started out very fair. The place where campus clubs come out to recruit new students for their organizations. And that’s where I found the American Indian Student Services or AISS. I met people who showed me around the AISS office and the Payne Family Native American Center to help me connect with resources and people around campus. I wanted to get more involved and that’s when I started a work study in the AISS office. Helping others, if they had questions and doing my best to create a safe and home-like feeling for new native bridge students. My classes and native American studies have helped me learn more about indigenous histories, cultures, and languages, not only my own, but of other cultures too. In addition to helping me learn and understand myself, it also I’m one of it to be to help others who don’t have access to these things that connect us to family and the history that wasn’t taught in most classes, languages is a gift has to be spoken and protected, so that it lasts, for the next generations to come. Thank you and see all later back to you, Alex.

– Thanks, Zachariah. It’s really special to hear your native language spoken. What a beautiful dialect it’s clear that UM strives to provide a supportive community for native students. They could not do it without the student leaders like you, UM is very lucky to have you, take care.