The first program of Cultural Perspectives of Land Use in the Gardiner Area is set for Monday, October 6.  Mike Jetty, Indian Education Specialist, presents “Dispelling Modern Stereotypes” at the Gardiner School multi-purpose room, 7:00 PM. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

The program features expert speakers who will cover land use from multiple perspectives, including Indian Education for All topics. After speakers engage students either in the classroom or on field trips to local cultural and natural sites, they will present evening programs for the Gardiner and other nearby communities.

Mike will discuss his work with implementing Montana’s law referred to as Indian Education for All.  He will share examples of accurate and tribal-specific information about the MT Tribal Nations.  He will also debunk some commonly held stereotypes and misconceptions about American Indians.

Mike is an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation and a Turtle Mountain Chippewa descendant. Mike is currently working at the Montana Office of Public Instruction as an Indian Education Specialist. He has been working with Indian Education issues for the past 23 years and has teaching experience at both the K-12 and University level. He has a B.S. in History Education, a Master’s in School Administration and an Education Specialist Degree. In 2008, Mike was honored to be chosen as the Indian Educator of the Year by the Montana Indian Education Association. In the last 10 years, he has provided over 200 Indian Education workshops for over 4,000 educators.

Leo Ariwite, Language and Culture Preservation Liaison and Researcher for the Shoshone-Bannock tribe, gives the next program on Monday, October 13, at the Gardiner School, 7:00 PM. His program is entitled, “Shoshone and Bannock in Southwest Montana and Yellowstone National Park.”    Leo grew up in Salmon, Idaho but also traveled with his grandmother during her annual subsistence forays to Dillon, Twin Bridges, Butte, Ennis, and Bozeman. He moved to Fort Hall in 1972 as a teenager.