Aacimohtaatiiyankwi

At the end of this month, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University are coming together for the annual Celebrating Miami: Tribe and University Week, a five-day event of on-campus activities, education, and cultural sharing. This year’s celebration is extra special as we continue to celebrate the Myaamia Center’s 25th anniversary at the University.

As many may know, a formal relationship between the Tribe and University began in 1972, when Miami Chief Forest Olds visited Miami University. This evolving partnership has resulted in incredible milestones, such as the creation of the Myaamia Center, where tribal citizens research language and culture, and the graduation of over 140 Myaamiaki ‘Myaamia people’ from the University. While the relationship has grown and changed over the past 54 years, it has always been rooted in the shared goal of education.

In 2017, artists from both the Tribe and University were tasked with jointly designing a logo to represent this unique relationship. The result was the Myaamia Heritage Logo, a design that references Myaamia ribbonwork and includes elements representing the partnership’s core values.

The black diamond on the left represents the Miami Tribe. It stands for depth of time, earned respect, accumulated cultural wisdom, and the deep ties to the historical homelands. The red diamond on the right represents Miami University. It stands for responsibility, sacrifice, and a commitment to gain and share knowledge.

The white diamond is the area of connection and collaboration. It represents a shared vision, cooperation, and respectful learning from each other. Finally, the red circle at the center of the shared space represents koteewi ‘fire’, a symbol of the warmth of the partnership and a recognition of the shared responsibility needed to “tend the fire” for future growth.

Later, the Miami University Athletics Department asked to incorporate this logo onto players’ uniforms to represent their part in the unique relationship. Often called a university’s “front porch,” working with Athletics offers the opportunity to share information about the Myaamia community with Miami University students, staff, and alumni, as well as folks beyond Miami’s campus.

Since 2019, student-athletes pay tribute to the partnership by wearing uniforms that incorporate the Myaamia Heritage Logo during athletic events throughout Celebrating Miami Week. Attendees at the events can engage with Myaamia language and culture through in-game activities, shoutouts, and displays. Fans can purchase merchandise from the Myaamia Heritage Collection, a line of clothing featuring the Myaamia Heritage Logo, where a portion of the purchase supports Myaamia students. The week is also a great opportunity for tribal leadership and Myaamia citizens to visit campus and spend time in Myaamionki ‘the Myaamia homelands.’

While the athletic events are great educational opportunities, the educational initiatives often begin long before the week of events starts. Prior to a team wearing a uniform with the Myaamia Heritage Logo, the entire team, including its coaching staff, learns about the logo, the relationship they are representing when they wear it, and basic information about the Miami Tribe’s culture and history. 

After the success of the initial collaboration with Athletics, Celebrating Miami Week has expanded to include additional events across campus departments. This year, the week will include a Myaamia Storytelling event at King Library and a campus dining hall event featuring Myaamia foods for students to try. The week will also kick off with a Stomp Dance and recognition of the Myaamia Center’s 25th anniversary on campus. See the full schedule of events.

Myaamia Center staff, Myaamia students, and Miami University staff have been working hard to plan for the week and are excited to connect with everyone! If you have any questions about how to get involved, don’t hesitate to send us an email at myaamiacenter@miamioh.edu.