The trip brought four students in the Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) program to the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of the Mohican Nation, where they served as volunteers and assistants for a Munsee and Mohican Language and Culture Camp. Led by professors and , the experience gave students the opportunity to engage directly with a living language community. This experience deepened a three-year collaboration with Nikole Pecore, a language keeper whose ancestral languages are rooted in the homelands of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and who has been a core collaborator with NAIS since its inception.

The trip was part of a broader effort to expand Montclair鈥檚 NAIS program and further the development of the New Jersey Center for Indigenous Justice through a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.聽 It also reflects the program鈥檚 commitment to immersive, community-engaged learning that connects academic study with real-world experience.

鈥淥ur Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) program is not interested in hollow gestures or performative statements,鈥� says Clatterbuck.聽 鈥淩ather, we鈥檙e committed to the work of Indigenous justice that鈥檚 grounded in relationship building and reciprocity with tribal communities.鈥�

Throughout the trip, students were welcomed into intergenerational community spaces where learning unfolded through shared meals, conversations and participation in daily cultural practices.聽 The group camped on powwow grounds while supporting the language camp, helping to serve traditional meals and participating in activities ranging from block printmaking and dreamcatcher-making to Lenape football and lacrosse.聽 Evenings were spent around the campfire sharing stories, while mornings began with a sunrise water ceremony.

At the language camp, rather than encountering language as something abstract, students experienced it as part of a living system, connected to the medicinal plants growing on site, and woven into song, storytelling, and family connections.

鈥淟anguage isn鈥檛 something you study on its own,鈥� Taha explains.聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 connected to ceremony, to history, to social interaction鈥攊t lives within the community.鈥�

Learning in an intergenerational environment, surrounded by elders, families, and young people, highlighted how language is sustained through relationships and shared experience.聽 The Stockbridge-Munsee Community is a two-language community, preserving both Munsee and Mohican languages with deep historical and cultural ties, including connections to Indigenous communities in New Jersey.

Ellie Paschalis 鈥�25, who will build on her NAIS minor and community-engaged experiences during graduate studies at U Mass Boston in the fall, found the trip inspiring. “It’s really a beautiful thing to see people reclaim their heritage, and to see that the language persists, and people are actively learning it,” she says. “It’s a direct act of resistance, and a huge step towards rebuilding a piece of culture that was diminished due to colonial pressures.”

Beyond the camp, students expanded their understanding of Indigenous history and life through visits to neighboring nations, including museums and historic preservation spaces on the Menominee Nation and Oneida Nation reservations, and hiking along the Wolf River.

Taha emphasizes the importance of carrying these experiences back to campus.聽 鈥淭his work shows up in our teaching, in our programming, and in how we think about community,鈥� she says, noting the value of centering identity, heritage, and lived experience in the learning process.

Paschalis noted that the camp was different from any other language learning method that she had encountered before. “The strategy behind the method was one of kindness, with teachers and fellow students providing a space for students to learn without shame for making mistakes,” she says. “Teachers applauded each student for their efforts regardless of the answer, reassuring them that they would progress with time and consistency.”

The trip also builds on coursework developed at Montclair, like the course, which has been offered since 2022.聽 Experiences like this extend that learning beyond the classroom, reinforcing the program鈥檚 focus on language, culture, and community as interconnected systems.

Plans are already underway for the next iteration of the trip, with a return visit to Wisconsin anticipated in Summer 2026.聽 For students considering the experience, this program offers an opportunity to engage deeply with communities, challenge assumptions, and expand their understanding of Indigenous knowledge and justice.

鈥淭his is about learning through relationships,鈥� Clatterbuck adds, underscoring the program鈥檚 foundation in listening, respect, and reciprocity.

Registration for the summer 2026 trip will open soon, with opportunities for students across disciplines to participate. Additional details, including program dates and application information, will be shared in the coming weeks. In the meantime, interested students are encouraged to contact Maisa Taha (taham@montclair.edu) or Mark Clatterbuck (clatterbuckm@montclair.edu) for more information.

Photo Gallery

On October 8, the University will host a Welcoming Ceremony to celebrate the new Center, featuring a traditional prayer, reflections from tribal leaders, and a performance by the Red Blanket Singers, a drum and dance group from the Nanticoke Tribe. The celebration will bring together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners who helped bring the NJCIJ to life.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to welcome the NJCIJ to 精品成人福利在线 University alongside our friends, partners, and longtime advocates. After years of hard work, it is inspiring to see this vision come to life. This is not only a meaningful milestone for Montclair but also for the wider New Jersey community,” says Precious Benally, Director of the New Jersey Center for Indigenous Justice.

“The Center brings together Montclair, community partners, and Native Nations to uphold Tribal sovereignty, amplify Indigenous voices, and create opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to learn and work alongside one another and with our Tribal partners with humility, creativity, and reciprocity.”

A Center Years in the Making

The Center grows out of Montclair鈥檚 Native American and Indigenous Studies program, which has steadily expanded since its creation to meet the priorities of New Jersey鈥檚 state-recognized Native nations 鈥� the Ramapough Lunaape, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, and Powhatan Renape. Those priorities include environmental justice, political recognition, language revitalization and the protection of cultural heritage.

鈥淭he NJCIJ will be the first and only university-based project in New Jersey that aims to transform public understanding of Native people and to do so in partnership with Indigenous communities across the state,鈥� says , chair of Anthropology, co-director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) program and co鈥損rincipal investigator of the grant.

The University鈥檚 adoption of a Land Acknowledgement Statement in 2022, recognizing its location on Lenapehoking, marked a visible milestone in this work. Annual events such as Indigenous Peoples Day, NAIS lectures and panels, and the Summer Field School have deepened student engagement and public understanding.

Members of the Red Blanket Singers of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribe perform a traditional dance at Montclair鈥檚 2022 celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day. (Photo by Mike Peters)

Mellon Foundation Support

The NJCIJ has been made possible by a prestigious three-year, $1 Million grant from the Mellon Foundation, awarded to the NAIS program to establish the Center and expand its programming. The funding will deepen interdisciplinary research, support student initiatives, and create a digital repository of tribal knowledge using Mukurtu software to preserve oral histories, environmental justice archives and language materials for use by tribal members, faculty and students.

鈥淭he Mellon Foundation grant will significantly increase Montclair鈥檚 ability to fulfill our commitment to addressing the historical legacies of Indigenous dispossession and dismantling practices of erasure that persist today,鈥� says NAIS co-director Mark Clatterbuck. 鈥淭he new Center, in tandem with our NAIS program, is focused on Indigenizing New Jersey while decolonizing educational, social and political legacies that continue to overlook Native people and exploit Native lands.

Leading with Experience

At the helm of the NJCIJ is Precious Benally, an Indigenous (Din茅) professional with more than a decade of experience in tribal law, policy and community engagement. She has worked with tribal governments, justice system practitioners, and federal agencies to design innovative solutions addressing governance, economic development, juvenile justice and social services.

Benally brings a leadership style grounded in listening and partnership. As Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Commerce鈥檚 Office of Native Affairs and Economic Development, she advised on tribal consultations and policy matters aimed at creating pathways for sustainable economic growth and self-determination. She also teaches Native American Law at Columbia and Brooklyn Law Schools, cultivating culturally competent classroom communities that engage deeply with Indigenous narratives and policies.

Her proven fundraising success 鈥� including securing over $2 million in federal grants 鈥� and extensive conference planning experience will strengthen the Center鈥檚 programming, community engagement, and resource development.

鈥淚鈥檓 truly honored to step into this role as the Center鈥檚 first director and to carry forward the strong foundation built by my colleagues and our partners. My lived experience as an indigenous woman and my work supporting Native nation-building efforts have shown me the transformative power of community鈥攁nd that鈥檚 exactly what drives the Center鈥檚 work. Our mission is simple but profound: to walk in partnership with Tribal communities to re-Indigenize New Jersey, while giving students meaningful, holistic learning experiences and transforming how the University lives up to its responsibility to society.鈥�

Building Partnerships and Advancing Justice

Working closely with NAIS faculty and tribal leaders, the NJCIJ will serve as a center for communication, fundraising, events and gatherings that highlight the unique questions facing Montclair鈥檚 Indigenous students and New Jersey鈥檚 tribal communities. The Center embraces cultural traditions, community-led research and environmental stewardship, combating Indigenous erasure by ensuring that Indigenous leaders guide teaching, learning and public understanding.
Among its priorities:

• Community collaboration on language revitalization, sacred site protection and cultural preservation.
• Student engagement through field-based courses, mentorship and direct learning from Indigenous knowledge keepers.
• Digital preservation of oral histories and resources to ensure accessibility for tribal members and scholars alike.

The NJCIJ envisions a future where Indigenous histories and futures are honored and celebrated, where Native students thrive, and where public understanding of New Jersey鈥檚 Indigenous communities deepens through education, dialogue and justice-centered action.

Welcoming Ceremony – October 8 at 2:00 p.m.

In addition to the Red Blanket Singers and Dancers, the event will include a Land Acknowledgement reading, a traditional welcoming prayer, remarks from Dean Fatma Mili, NJCIJ Director Precious Benally, and tribal leaders Chief Mann and Chief Ridgeway. A reception will follow for conversation and community building. All are welcome to join in celebrating this significant accomplishment and the partnerships that made it possible.

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