Professor and Author Dr. Anton Treuer Presents in Native Authors Series

Dr. Anton Treuer (right) signs a book for Perpich student, Rhonda Hoagland (Visual Arts 2024)

May 2, 2024

Perpich welcomed Dr. Anton Treuer, professor and author, as the third presenter in the new Native Authors & Artists Series hosted by Perpich’s Professional Development and Resource Programs (PDR). Dr. Treuer’s presentation was on April 30, 2024. The series of guest speakers is specifically designed to introduce K-12 educators and librarians to books by Dakota and Ojibwe authors and illustrators. Each gathering features an interview and Q&A with a guest presenter, resource lists, and includes time in the Perpich Library to peruse our extensive collection of books by Native authors.

Treuer was interviewed by Dr. Michael Buck, Music Education Specialist at Perpich Center. At the end of the event, a teacher from St. Louis Park Schools reflected, “Tonight’s presentation by Anton Treuer was exactly what I needed. I could have listened and learned from him for hours. And, to receive a signed book—what a wonderful surprise. Thank you.”

Dr. Wendy Barden, Director of PDR, said, “Listening to Anton’s interview, I was reminded of the power of storytelling and making information so much more meaningful by giving it heart. I also thought about how his conversation previews one of the themes of our upcoming conference [August 13, 2024]—to be committed to growing and changing in my understanding of arts and culture of Dakota and Ojibwe people, and not waiting until I’m an ‘expert’ to help students do the same. I look forward to when Anton returns in a virtual session with us on July 16!”

Dr. Anton Treuer (right) speaks with Dr. Michael Buck, Perpich’s Music Education Specialist, before an audience at Perpich Center

Dr. Treuer (Leech Lake Ojibwe) is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of many books. He has a B.A. from Princeton University and a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Treuer is a member of the governing boards for the Minnesota State Historical Society and Waadookodaading Objiwe Language Institute and has received many prestigious awards and fellowships, including ones from the American Philosophical Society, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bush Foundation, the First Nations Development Institute, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. In 2018, he was named Guardian of Culture and Lifeways and recipient of the Pathfinder Award by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. His equity, education, and cultural work has put him on a path of service around the nation and the world.

Treuer’s published works include:

• Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask
• The Language Warrior’s Manifesto: How to Keep Our Languages Alive No Matter the Odds
• The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
• Warrior Nation: A History of Red Lake Ojibwe (Winner of Caroline Bancroft History Prize and the American Association of State and Local History Award of Merit)
• Ojibwe in Minnesota (“Minnesota’s Best Read for 2010” by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress)
• The Assassination of Hole in the Day (Award of Merit Winner from the American Association for State and Local History)
• Where Wolves Don’t Die

View Dr. Treuer’s interview on our Native Authors & Artists Series webpage.