The first program of Cultural Perspectives of Land Use in the Gardiner Area is set for Monday, October 13.  Leo Ariwite, Language and Culture Preservation Liaison and Researcher for the Shoshone-Bannock tribe on the Fort Hall Reservation, presents “”at the Gardiner School multi-purpose room, 7:00 PM. The public is invited to the free program and is encouraged to attend.

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. Leo was the former Chief Judge and Chief of Police for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe before becoming the Tribal Liaison about eight years ago. He gives programs to students and communities throughout the traditional homelands of the Shoshone and Bannock, raising awareness about the tribe and their lifeways.

During the day, Leo is leading the Gardiner 7^th grade history class on a field trip to part of the Great Bannock Trail between Mammoth, Wyoming and Tower Junction in Yellowstone National Park. He also gives classes on Tuesday, October 14 to 5^th graders at the East Side School in Livingston.

The overall program, Cultural Perspectives of Land Use in the Gardiner Area, features expert speakers who will cover land use from multiple perspectives, including Indian Education for All topics. The presentations are given during the 2014-2015 school year. 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.

A recent Humanities Montana grant partially funds the project. The school, YGM, and the Friends of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum have also committed funds to the project’s completion. Please visit the museum’s website, www.yellowstonegatewaymuseum.org  or call 406-222-4184, for more information.