On September 11, 2024, History of Art & Architecture Department students from Professor Vickery’s Nature and Built Environment class (AH 330/690E) visited the traditional Indigenous teaching lodge on campus with Anthropology PhD student Kay Mattena. The lodge was built by the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS), a research center directed by Professor Sonya Atalay (Department of Anthropology).
Here the class is pictured in front of the structure with a sign that reads: “This is an Indigenous teaching lodge. Please respect. Do not touch the frame or enter the structure. –CBIKS.” Professor Vickery (left) and Kay Mattena (right) are in the foreground on either side of the sign.
UMass Amherst partnered with CBIKS in 2023 with the support of a five-year, $30 million grant from the National Science Foundation. To read more about CBIKS’ community-based research, international reach, and transdisciplinary methods, see the CBIKS website.