Category: Hopi education

A True Friend of the Indian

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn AIS at University of Arizona, American Indian Studies, HEEF, Hopi education, John Troutman, MusicLeave a comment

[On April 28, 2026, historian John Troutman of the National Museum of American History delivered a talk at the University of Arizona titled “B.B. King Called it ‘That Sound!’: Finding the Indigenous Roots of Popular Music.” The Department of American Indian Studies hosted the event. I was honored to introduce him at the gathering. My comments are below.]

Good evening, everyone,

My name is Matt Sakiestewa Gilbert, and I have the honor of introducing our speaker, Dr. John Troutman. 

Dr. Troutman currently serves as the Curator of Music and Musical Instruments and Chair of the Division of Culture & the Arts at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, a post he has held since 2016.

Before this, Dr. Troutman was a professor of History and Geography at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

In addition to his administrative and academic posts, he is perhaps best known for his scholarship, having published two outstanding books entitled Indian Blues: American Indians and the Politics of Music, 1879-1934, and Kika Kila: How the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Changed the Sound of Modern Music, both of which have won multiple awards.

On a personal note, I first met Dr. Troutman several years ago, as he and I presented at the same conferences, including those early meetings of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association conference in Norman, Oklahoma, and Athens, Georgia. When we met, we talked about the state of the field, Native history, and the Indian boarding school experience. But mostly we talked about music. 

I still remember in the summer of 2008, when Dr. Troutman reached out to me about my dissertation. He had read it and wanted to cite it in his book, Indian Blues. That made me feel pretty good, and it started a conversation between him and me about Hopi musicians, including one named Clarence Taptooka from my village of Munqapi. A year later, Dr. Troutman’s book came out. How honored I was to read his discussion of my work in his monograph. 

You can learn a lot about a person when you read the Preface and Acknowledgments to their books: what they value, cherish, what motivates them, etc. Here’s a brief excerpt from Dr. Troutman’s Preface to Indian Blues: 

I would like to recognize the extraordinary talents, tenacity, and courage of Native people featured in this book who challenged the federal government’s policies of assimilation and allotment in such profoundly important and creative ways. As a small tribute to them, and in memory of Hartman Lomawaima, the proceeds from this book will benefit the Hopi Education Endowment Fund.

Dr. Troutman does more than write about Indian people; he helps make opportunities for them, including Hopi students pursuing a college education beyond the mesas. 

Finally, I think it is important to mention that Dr. Troutman is not just a terrific scholar, former professor, and a highly esteemed administrator. He is also one of our own. In the mid 1990s, Dr. Troutman navigated this campus as an M.A. student in American Indian Studies. It was here that he studied with AIS faculty Nancy Parezo, K. Tsianina Lomawaima, David Wilkins, and Tom Holm, among others, ultimately completing a thesis entitled “The Overlord of the Savage World: Anthropology, the Media, and the American Indian Experience at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.” 

It’s great to have you back, John.

Without further ado, please join me in welcoming a true friend of the Indian, Dr. John Troutman.

BEYOND THE MESAS film now available online (free)

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn American Indian Studies, Beyond the Mesas, Hopi education, Hopi films, Hopi history, Indian boarding schools, Sherman InstituteLeave a comment
Click here or image above to access the film.

Beyond the Mesas – A Conversation with Michael Adams (Hopi/Tewa)

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Beyond the Mesas, COVID-19, Hopi art, Hopi artists, Hopi authors, Hopi education, Hopi Runners, Hopi students, Hopi videos, Indian boarding schools, Indian running2 Comments

Earlier this month I had an opportunity to interview counselor, jeweler, and author Michael Adams (Hopi/Tewa) from the village of Tewa on the Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona. The interview covers a range of topics, including the role of family in one’s education and career paths, the process of overcoming challenges, schooling beyond the Hopi mesas, and the importance of positive thinking. The interview was conducted on June 10, 2020 via Zoom. To learn more about Michael Adams and his counseling resources and art, please visit:

www.nextwavewarrior.com (Next Wave Warrior)

www.gourdjewels.com (GourdJewels)

Youtube: (Michael Adams)

Revisiting the Hopi Boarding School Experience at Sherman Institute and the Process of Making Research Meaningful to Community

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn AIS at Illinois, American Indian Studies, Hopi, Hopi authors, Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, Hopi education, Hopi history, Hopi scholarship, Indian boarding schools, Indigenous Education, NAU Applied Indigenous Studies, Sherman Institute, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Screenshot 2018-10-27 11.11.31

“A Second Wave of Hopi Migration” (History of Education Quarterly, August 2014)

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi authors, Hopi education, Hopi history, Hopi migration, Hopi scholarship4 Comments

A short response essay I wrote entitled “A Second Wave of Hopi Migration” was recently published in the History of Education Quarterly (Volume 54, No. 3, August 2014), the flagship journal of the History of Education Society.

The article is part of a special edition on Indian education histories that was edited by Adrea Lawrence,  Donald R. Warren, and KuuNUx TeeRit Kroupa. In addition to the editors, various scholars contributed to this collection, including K. Tsianina Lomawaima, David Wallace Adams, Milton Gaither, Yesenia Lucia Cervera, and Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy (click here for the Table of Contents).

In my essay I note that historians have primarily interpreted the American Indian boarding school experience through a frame of Indian education policies and discussions of assimilation and acculturation. But I argue that there is perhaps a more nuanced way of understanding the education history of Indigenous people.

By using my grandfather Lloyd (Quache) Gilbert as an example, who attended the Phoenix Indian School in the 1940s and early 1950s, I instead highlight the value and importance of utilizing Native ways of understanding to interpret Hopi and other American Indian education histories.

I also discuss and critique the U.S. government’s name changing policy, and explain how school officials required my grandfather (and his siblings) to change his surname from “Quache” (“friend” in the Hopi language) to the English surname “Gilbert.”

The complete essay can be downloaded by clicking the image below.

Screen shot 2014-08-01 at 10.54.52 AM

Job shadowing my father, and my path to tenure

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi education, Hopi faculty, Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert7 Comments

Earlier this summer the University of Illinois granted me promotion to associate professor with indefinite tenure in American Indian Studies & history. Since then, I’ve been thinking a lot about my path to tenure, and the road I took to get where I am now.

Thirty years ago I wanted to grow up to be an astronaut, a veterinarian, or a professional musician. I did not imagine that I would become a university professor or a “scholar.” But when I was a senior in high school, my perspective and desire changed.

At this time, I had a rare opportunity to “job shadow” my father* who was (and still is) a professor of education at Northern Arizona University (NAU).Picture 8

I clearly remember sitting in the back of the classroom as he taught his students from the front.

I had never seen my father in this type of setting, and I was amazed at his ability to communicate to his students, present his topic with much enthusiasm, and provide his students with a safe place to learn, disagree with each other, and to think analytically.

But there was more. My father also exemplified for me how powerful a skilled Native American instructor could be, both as someone who could offer unique insights into course material, and as someone who could be a model for others.

When he lectured on the integration of western science and Navajo and Hopi cultures, he did so with authority and confidence. His teaching was grounded in who he was as an indigenous person. His students understood this, and they benefited from the unique and personal perspective he brought to his lecture.

Although the class period lasted for only an hour, my experience observing my father had a major influence on my life.

In this brief moment, my father demonstrated to me the characteristics of a successful teacher. And he showed me how to excel as an American Indian faculty in a classroom of Native and non-Native students.

My observation job shadowing my father in the College of Education at NAU set in motion my eventual career as an academic.

It launched me on a path toward college and graduate school, and a tenure track faculty position at the University of Illinois.

As an assistant professor, I worked hard to fulfill my obligations  and responsibilities to the academy and my Hopi community. But I did not do it alone.

I had the support of my wife and children, my parents and other extended family members, colleagues and friends at Illinois and beyond, and many people back home.

Now on sabbatical, and on the other side of tenure, I find myself thinking a lot about the past seven years at Illinois.

But I also keep recalling the time when I job shadowed my father, and the significance this experience had, and continues to have, on my career and life.

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*My father, Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert, is professor of Bilingual and Multicultural Education at Northern Arizona University (NAU). He grew up on the Hopi and Navajo Indian reservations in Arizona, and he received his Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) at the University of New Mexico. He has published a number of articles and book chapters, and once served as President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA).

Countdown to end of HEEF Alumni Challenge

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn HEEF, Hopi educationLeave a comment

Are you a Hopi alum? If so, please consider donating to this year’s Hopi Education Endowment Fund Alumni Challenge. This is a great opportunity to give back to HEEF and further opportunities for other Hopi students. As a non-gaming nation, we have to depend on other ways to raise funds for our students. The Alumni Challenge is one of those ways. As of today, HEEF has received $2, 218 of its $6,000 goal. There is still time to donate. Click here for more information. The Alumni Challenge ends this Friday November 18. Let’s do what we can to ensure educational opportunities for our people!

Kwakwha,

Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert

Hopi Education Endowment Fund Board Member

Beyond the Mesas to air tonight on KVCR Channel 24.2 – San Bernardino/Riverside

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Announcements, Hopi education, Sherman InstituteLeave a comment

For those who live in the San Bernardino/Riverside area, Beyond the Mesas will air tonight at 9PM PST on KVCR, Digital Channel 24.2, First Nations Experience, a new Native American channel. See below for additional information.

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Indian Boarding Schools: Keeping the Culture Alive: Beyond the Mesas #101

Wednesday, September 28, 09:00 pm PST on FNX (First Nations Experience) Digital 24.2

Broadcast In: English

Description: Produced with the full participation of The Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, Beyond The Mesas tells the stories of the federal government’s efforts to assimilate and acculturate Hopis, the visit by four Hopi chiefs to Washington, the subsequent Oraibi split, and the forced removal and experiences of Hopi children in off-reservation boarding schools such as the Sherman Institute and the Phoenix and Stewart Indian Schools. Faced with the enforced loss of their language in their children, vastly outnumbered by a technologically advanced military that had the power to annihilate them, enlightened Hopi leadership sought a peaceful middle ground that would preserve the best of Hopi culture and combine it with the best of the white man’s culture. Both federal policies and pressure to resist from within the Hopi community challenged this strategy.

Run Time: 0:26:45
Captions: 608 Captions

Education beyond the Mesas temporarily available for FREE download

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Announcements, Hopi authors, Hopi education, Hopi history, Hopi scholarship, Sherman InstituteLeave a comment

I am pleased to announce that Education beyond the Mesas: Hopi Students at Sherman Institute, 1902-1929 (University of Nebraska Press, 2010) is temporarily available for free download through Project MUSE.

It has always been my desire that people on and off the Hopi Reservation will have access to my research, and the University of Nebraska Press’s decision to allow my book to be featured on Project MUSE, is a major step in that direction.

However, free access to Education beyond the Mesas via Project MUSE will only last until January 2012. See the Project MUSE website for more details.

To download Education beyond the Mesas, please click on the above image or visit the following link: http://beta.muse.jhu.edu/books/9780803234444

Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert

Opportunity for Hopi and other Native students to learn about Indiana University’s Ph.D. programs

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Announcements, Hopi educationLeave a comment

On October 9-12, the Indiana University Graduate Program will host a fall recruitment event titled “Getting You Into IU.” The purpose of the event is to attract minority students who are underrepresented in IU’s Ph.D. programs.

This is a great opportunity for Hopi and other Native students who are thinking about pursuing a Ph.D. in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics. “Getting You Into IU” is especially geared for students who want to pursue the professoriate or a career in academic research.

Students must be nominated by an adviser, faculty member, or mentor to participate. Those who have been nominated and accepted to attend the event will receive full funding for travel, lodging, and food.

For additional information, click on the above image or visit the following website: http://graduate.indiana.edu/agep/campusvisit.php

Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert