The Utah Division of Arts & Museums (UA&M) has facilitated efforts to develop and implement curriculum modules that educate Utah students and teachers about the state’s tribes through the arts. Relying on their well-established relationship with Brigham Young University (BYU), UA&M advocated for and financially supported the BYU ARTS Partnership as they launched the Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI), to bridge this service between students statewide and Native communities in Utah. This initiative, which centers collaborating with each of the eight federally recognized tribes, addresses a fundamental issue in previously devised curriculums on Native arts; there had never been a Native arts curriculum written in consultation with, and seeking approval from, tribal leaders.

This need to build better Native curriculum material was further informed through BYU and UA&M’s work to provide professional development for teachers—including a two-day arts conference, ARTS Express. During this work, teachers expressed anxiety and fear of being culturally incompetent, misinformed and inadvertently offensive when teaching and discussing Native art forms.

To address this concern and the lack of Native representation in educational materials, curriculum designers worked with tribal representatives and Native education and cultural specialists to develop arts-centered lesson plans for each of the tribes. The NACI team chose to approach each of the eight tribes with the question, What do you want Utah students to know about your tribe, traditions and art forms? Initial contacts were made by a retired Navajo teacher, cultural standard bearer and longtime recipient of UA&M arts education grants.

This partnership in curriculum development is guided by seven principles:

1. Know your own culture.
2. Assume goodwill and learn from mistakes.
3. Ask with genuine intent and listen attentively.
4. Accept “no” gracefully.
5. Use accurate and original sources from the past and present.
6. Embrace partnership and reciprocity.
7. Allow the time needed for authentic growth.

Tribal members often observe proposed lesson plans being taught in a classroom as part of the approval process. Participants have expressed a sense of satisfaction with seeing the lessons in action, and the opportunity for observation allows final suggestions and clarifications to be made. Upon approval by the tribes, lesson plans are posted on the website and are circulated showing the respective tribal seal of approval, giving teachers confidence in what they are teaching.

The work has resulted in 33 lesson plans that amplify Native perspectives and voices through arts education. Topics include history, ecology and mathematics as well as a wide array of oral, culinary, music and dance traditions. Each lesson plan features a suggested grade level, appropriate subjects, recommended duration and authors of the lesson. As of early 2024, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and Navajo Nation have endorsed lesson plans. The program is continuing to work with the remaining four tribes to develop approved learning modules. Additional intertribal and “Native American” general lesson plans were designed in collaboration with Native individuals.

Students participate in a round dance, part of the intertribal Native American Round Dance lesson. Photo courtesy Utah Division of Arts & Museums

To assist schools in the teaching of Native arts and culture, the initiative offers multiple other resources. UA&M maintains a Native American Curriculum Initiative Teaching Artist Roster. Applicants to the roster are reviewed for artistic and educational merit and are recommended by their tribe’s cultural standard bearers. For each artist the roster includes a short bio, their artistic discipline, contact info and a photo. The NACI website offers a curated assortment of book recommendations, maps, blogs and articles, and podcasts as resources vetted by tribal advisors.

The initiative furthers the commitment to teachers through free professional development that assists in incorporating the Native American Curriculum Initiative into their lessons. The one-credit, online professional development course, Amplify Native Voices in the Classroom, equips teachers with in-depth knowledge of Utah’s eight tribes, a Native perspective on U.S.-tribal relations, and culturally responsible content and principles. Additional videos cover selecting and evaluating authentic and accurate classroom resources.

UA&M continues to financially support NACI and strives to assist Native teaching artists in visiting schools as part of this program. In fiscal year 2024, UA&M funded eight Native teaching artists in multiple schools and communities, and is hosting an exhibition and performances by NACI teaching artists at the UA&M Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts in June 2024. There, one performing group will receive the Governor’s Art Award and a broadcasting partnership with PBS Utah in September. For more information, contact BYU ARTS Partnership founding director Cally Flox or Utah Division of Arts & Museums Arts Education Manager Jean Tokuda Irwin.