Published on Oct. 4, 2017
Dr. Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote, Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named the inaugural Andrew and Peggy Cherng Distinguished Visiting Scholar for the MU Honors College.
Tone-Pah-Hote, who is a specialist in Native American Studies, will visit campus Nov. 1-3, 2017. She will deliver a public talk, to be followed by a reception, entitled We’ll Show You Boys How to Dance: Kiowa Dance and Painting, 1928-1940. Her talk will be take place at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 in Tate Hall, Room 22. The event is free and open to the public.
Tone-Pah-Hote’s academic work centers upon American Indian history through studies of both material and expressive cultures. Her current project—a book manuscript— “argues that expressive culture (beadwork, metalwork, painting and dance) is a vital location through which the Kiowa, a tribe in Oklahoma have created, maintained and reformulated the boundaries and bonds of their nation,” providing a glimpse into an oft-overlooked facet of North American history and society.
“My work highlights the role of Kiowa artists and cultural producers as historical actors,” notes Dr. Tone-Pah-Hote, in discussing the significance of bringing these distinctive elements to light. “I also see art and representation as important sites for discussing Native identities, politics and history.”
Her visit to MU and the Honors College is especially poignant because she is an MU honors graduate, with a B.A. in History awarded in 2002. Her visit also coincides with the launch of one of MU’s newest minors, Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS). Tone-Pah-Hote visited campus earlier this semester as a part of the Honors College’s One Read program, which featured Louise Erdrich’s best-selling novel, The Round House, about the consequences of a rape of a Native American woman.
“It is important to hear Native voices,” says Dennis Kelley, the coordinator of the NAIS minor. “We are thrilled she will be visiting our campus and focusing on issues central to our program and sharing them within the scholarly conversations.”
Her trip to Mizzou will include visits to several classes, brown bag talks with faculty, meals in the Honors Learning Community residence—Mark Twain Hall—with students, and planned visits to campus museums and the State Historical Archives.
The Andrew and Peggy Cherng Distinguished Visiting Scholar program was established with the support of the Cherngs and stems from their vision for developing and enhancing leadership as a skill among undergraduates at MU. It is part of the larger Cherng Program in Honors, which began in 2016 and now incorporates seven different types of academic, global and leadership programs.
“Just as Andrew and Peggy Cherng seek to grow and nurture leadership skills within their company, they are helping us to do the same among our students,” J.D. Bowers, Director of the Honors College, says. “Dr. Tone-Pah-Hote is the epitome of modern leadership—knowledgeable, engaging and seeking to ensure that the history of Kiowa and other Native Americans remains central to the story. And, as an MU graduate, she sets an example for our current students, who can see themselves in her place later on in life. We are thrilled to have her join us.”
For more information about Dr. Tone-Pah-Hote’s visit to campus, contact the Honors College at mizzouhonors@missouri.edu or 573-882-3893.