Aacimotaatiiyankwi

On April 18, 2026, the Myaamia Center hosted its 11th biennial Myaamiaki Conference at Miami University’s Shriver Center. The event celebrated 25 years of language revitalization and cultural research, bringing together Tribal members, students, and the general public to celebrate the ongoing work by the Myaamia community. 

Conference Kickoff 

The festivities kicked off with several pre-conference events throughout the week. The campus community was invited to a lunch at Western Dining Commons featuring Myaamia ingredients and recipes. This event encourages Miami University students and staff to participate in Myaamia culture and learn more about the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. 

On Friday, President Crawford hosted a celebratory reception where he welcomed leadership from various tribal nations to campus and presented a gift to the Myaamia Center in honor of the 25th anniversary. 

To support the ongoing fundraising efforts to renovate and expand the Myaamia Center’s building, the President’s office gifted the Myaamia Center funding and designs for a gathering space within the future building. 

After the reception, Myaamiaki, their guests, and partners from across the university were invited to a stomp dance on the university’s practice football field.

Myaamiaki Conference Presentations 

The conference day was filled with presentations that showcased how technology, history, education, and community engagement are shaping the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma’s programming through the Myaamia Center. 

The morning began with a welcoming atmosphere, featuring introductory remarks from Daryl Baldwin, Executive Director of the Myaamia Center, and an opening song performed by several Myaamiaki ‘Myaamia people.’ 

Tribal-University Relationships

Dr. Cameron Shriver led a thought-provoking session on the future of tribal-university relationships. Using the Myaamia Center as a case study, he explored the complexities of collaborative work. Rather than viewing research as an academic endpoint, Shriver emphasized how higher education can work with Native American communities to create mutually beneficial outcomes.

Community Engaged Scholarship at the Myaamia Center 

The theme of academic collaboration was expanded upon by Dr. Madison Bastress, who shared how participating in visiting scholarship at the Myaamia Center shifted her approach to her Ph.D. research, highlighting the importance of community-connected knowledge.

National Breath of Life: The Apprentice Experience

A major highlight of the morning was the National Breath of Life (NBoL) Apprentice Panel, moderated by Daryl Baldwin. Since the Myaamia Center became the institutional home for NBoL in 2014, it has become a national leader in archive-based language revitalization. 

The panel featured apprentices from Indigenous communities across the United States, including the Shawnee, Karuk/Tututni, ŘeNaPeWīhSoWākan, Gabrielno/Tongva, and Wandat, who shared how they are using the Indigenous Languages Digital Archive (ILDA) to breathe life into their own community records. Their stories underscored that while every tribe’s journey is unique, the tools and mentorship provided by NBoL are empowering communities to use their languages. 

Digital Innovation: Šaapohkaayoni

An exciting reveal at the conference was the update to Šaapohkaayoni, the Myaamia Education Portal. Kayla Becker and Kristina Fox introduced the portal’s new look, which features a custom ribbonwork-inspired design and draws on Myaamia aesthetics.

The presentation explained how to access the various resources on the portal, like Myaamia crafting instructions, language lessons, and the interactive Myaamia lunar calendar. They also previewed the progressive web app that is currently in development to bring these resources to mobile devices.

Living Well: Proper Foods, Proper Diet

In the afternoon. Dr. Haley Shea and Gretchen Spenn introduced an exciting resource recently added to Šaapohkaayoni called: nahi miiciona nahi weehsininki ‘Proper Foods, Proper Diet.’ 

Informed by the nahi meehtohseeniwinki ‘living well’ framework, this is a new online recipe collection featuring Myaamia ingredients like hominy and persimmons, designed to support the health of tribal citizens and connect them to Myaamia culture. 

Myaamia Heritage Program Experience 

The conference concluded with the Myaamia Heritage Award Program Student Experience Panel. Current Myaamia students attending Miami University shared stories and insights about how the program helps them connect with their Myaamia identity. For many Myaamiaki, attending Miami University is part of their journey toward understanding their heritage and place within the Tribal community.

Looking Ahead

The 2026 Myaamiaki Conference was a celebration and testament to 25 years of persistence and growth. As Daryl Baldwin noted in his closing comments, the work of the Myaamia Center continues to serve as a bridge between the university and the Tribe, ensuring that Myaamia language and culture remain a living, breathing part of the future.