Teaching Tribal Tradition
<p>Tim Ryan works on a fish trap made from native hemp and stalks from Dogbane, at his studio in Polson. Ryan recreates authentic tools made by his ancestors.</p>
POLSON — Tim Ryan recreates history.
Ryan spends hours carving and cutting away at stone, bone and wood, so that others may know about his ancestors and their way of life.
A cultural expert and CSKT tribal member, Ryan reconstructs Native American tools from his studio and office in Polson. His re-creations range from the very small to the very large.
All are exact replications - down to the most minute detail.
Ryan reconstructs his traditional tools based on his tribal experiences and studies, which have taken him all over the Northwest and beyond. His research stems from the tribal seasonal rounds, as well as the tribe's lifestyle and economic conditions.
Those tools that Ryan recreates are items that were commonly used for hunting and gathering or for carrying food. One such tool was used for digging bitterroot and was made from the horn of the Bighorn sheep. Other items include bags consisting of parfleche, or rawhide, which were commonly used to carry meat, nuts and berries.
Ryan is also heritage education manager for EthnoTech, a cultural resource management firm based in northwestern Mont. He shares his knowledge by educating others through a “hands-on” curriculum, and the tools he recreates are a large part of that hands-on environment.
For the last 9 years, Ryan has been sharing his experience by teaching in public schools, colleges and universities. He also teaches outside of the classroom by offering survival camps and workshops. Some of the other classes he offers include making rawhide, and creating stone and bone tools.
“Bridging the Divide,” a natural and cultural resource summer program for tribal high school students, will take place June 22–28 in Dillon. Ryan hopes this program, as well as the other workshops and classes he provides, will allow students to reconnect with the environment and the world around them.
“From tools to clothing to other material items - I want to use these to help students engage more with sciences and the arts, and to bring out a higher value to all that is around us,” said Ryan.
“The program is intended to build self-esteem, and to bring the kids’ mindset back to their indigenous roots,” he added.