Myaamia Center

The Myaamia Center will operate on limited hours from June 15-26, 2026, while our staff travels to participate in Miami Tribe of Oklahoma cultural programming. Please reach out to schedule an appointment. We will return to our regular hours on Monday, June 29.

Wiiciwiiyaakiteeheemaataawi ‘Let’s celebrate’ Jacque Rioja Velarde as she prepares for her retirement from Miami University at the end of the month!

Throughout her 23-year career at Miami, Jacque has worked with the Department of Geography, the Latin American Studies Program, Miami’s Center for American and World Cultures, and, most recently, the Myaamia Center. It’s been a pleasure to work with Jacque, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors!

Join us for an open house this Friday, June 12, at the Myaamia Center! Drop in any time between 1 and 4 p.m. to learn more about the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and its relationship with Miami University.
You can find the Myaamia Center at 351 E. Spring St., less than a block from the Armstrong Student Center.

We’d like to say mihši neewe ‘thank you so much’ to Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizen Dr. Nichole Prescott and her spouse, Sarah Looper Prescott, for their generous $25,000 contribution to the renovation and expansion of the historic Bonham House, home to the Myaamia Center.
The gift will fund the construction and naming of a Language Research Office, a dedicated workspace for the Myaamia Center’s linguistic team. The family has chosen to name the new office in honor of Nichole’s late mother, Sharon Elliott Prescott, a respected Miami Tribe Elder. Read more about this gift and our ongoing fundraising efforts: https://miamioh.edu/centers-institutes/myaamia-center/news-media/2026/04/prescott-family-generous-gift.html

Last week, “Neepwaantiinki: Learning from Each Other – Part 1: Tending the Fire”, the first episode of the Myaamia Center’s docuseries, earned three awards at the 47th Annual Telly Awards, the world's largest honor for video and television content across all screens. Read more about the awards here:

miamioh.edu/centers-institutes/myaamia-center/news-media/2026/05/neepwaantiinki-telly-award

Myaamia Center Docuseries Wins Three Telly Awards A docuseries about the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and its relationship with Miami University earned three Telly Awards, the world's largest honor for video and television content across all screens.

Last week, our 5th cohort of Indigenizing the Curriculum participants completed the program by presenting their work to our staff in the Myaamia classroom. The program, led by Andrew Sawyer and Dr. Sandra Garner, explores and identifies ways Indigenous, Native American, and Myaamia subject matter can be incorporated into courses across Miami University. It’s always exciting to hear how faculty are including these topics in their courses. We look forward to working with a new cohort from the Farmer School of Business in August!

The 2025/26 school year has come to an end for the Myaamia Heritage students at Miami University! Before Myaamia Center staff turn their attention toward the Eemamwicki Summer Programs, they wanted to share some highlights from the year on Aacimotaatiiyankwi: aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2026/05/19/heritage-program-2025-26-wrap-up/

toopeeliyiikwi, ‘you accomplished it’! Over the weekend, we celebrated 10 Myaamia students as they graduated from Miami University.

While graduation marks the end of their time in the Myaamia Heritage Program, we know this isn’t goodbye and look forward to seeing our alumni at community events throughout the year.
To mark this accomplishment, each student received a Myaamia stole with hand-sewn ribbonwork and metal buttons to wear during commencement, made by Karen Baldwin, Kara Strass, and Megan Sekulich. Students were also gifted a t-shirt designed by Julie Olds, which is only available to Myaamia graduates of Miami University, and a wooden lacrosse stick made by Doug Peconge.

nkoti wiihkoowia kiilhswa noonki kaahkiihkwe! ‘Today is the first day of the Whippoorwill Moon’ on the Myaamia lunar calendar!’
Wiihkoowia Kiilhswa is named for the Eastern Whippoorwill bird, which typically returns to Myaamionki ‘Myaamia places’ during this time of year. Learn more about Wiihkoowia Kiilhswa here: https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/ecology/lunar-months/wiihkoowia-kiilhswa