Staff voice: Meeting Kehli Henry

My dad, Gordon Henry Jr., is a Citizen of the White Earth Nation, and my mom, Mary Anne Henry, is of Czech and European ancestry. Both of my parents got degrees from MSU. My dad worked here for over 30 years as an English professor and in other roles, including director of the Native American Institute, or NAI. I studied anthropology with a focus in Native American and Indigenous Studies during my bachelor’s at Central Michigan University (2011) and my master’s and doctorate from MSU (2019), where I recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship.

I was lucky to work for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan for quite a few years, primarily in education and youth programs, where I learned a lot about Tribal government, sovereignty and data sovereignty from colleagues, and also have experience working with Tribes through other work and scholarship. I connected with NAI in 2023 by volunteering for a couple of events and was excited when they had an opening that fit my experience and priorities.

NAI was established in the early 1980s, and its first director was George Cornell. NAI focuses on scholarship and programming that benefit Native Nations, communities and organizations and supports campus and community events. NAI and similar organizations are needed because, historically, university relationships with Tribal Nations have been extractive and not equitable or mutually beneficial. While this has improved somewhat, many in university communities still don’t have a good understanding of Tribal Nations.

Tribal Nations are sovereign governments, and Tribal membership is not a racial or ethnic category, but a political status, which comes with rights and responsibilities. While NAI has undergone changes over the years, during his time as director, Kevin Leonard has been working to grow NAI, build relationships with Tribal Nations and collaborate with others on campus to support our students and campus community.

As the new Tribal engagement and research coordinator, I am categorized as a research specialist, but to do research with and for Tribal communities, we need to build relationships in a good way. In Anishinaabe communities, “Bimaadiziwin,” in the Ojibwe language, means living the good life or living in a good way. This goes beyond doing a good job at something. It is also about making sure we are honoring our responsibilities, gifts and relationships and doing things the right way in relation to those things.

To do this at MSU, we need to think beyond research. We need to consider the ways we are accountable to Tribal Nations as a land-grant institution. This means thinking deeply about how we are supporting community-driven events and initiatives and how we are engaging and supporting citizens of Tribal Nations at MSU. This includes engaging with the community at MSU, including the American Indian and Indigenous Studies program, Indigenous Law and Policy Center and Educating, Anishinaabe: Giving, Learning and Empowering, or EAGLE, faculty and staff group. Collectively, these groups hold an abundance of experience in working, living and building relationships in a good way. So—part of my role is to support existing and new collaborations.

Native American Heritage Month is important because it is a time when people seek out opportunities to learn about our communities. There are so many great sources out there, but you would be surprised at how many people aren’t even aware that there are Tribal Nations in Michigan. One amazing source is the Anishinaabe-Made Learning Resources available at www.ieimi.org, created by the Michigan Department of Education Indigenous Education Initiative and the Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments. This is a great starting point for anyone who doesn’t know much about Anishinaabe communities.

Native American Heritage Month brings visibility to a community relative to other groups. Because MSU is a land-grant institution with a Land Acknowledgement, we all have some responsibility. All Spartans should have at least some knowledge about Anishinaabe Nations whose land we are living and learning on.

My greatest hope for our MSU Native community is that we continue to grow, not only in numbers, but also in shared ideas and efforts. As a NAI team member, AIIS-affiliated faculty and EAGLE member, I know there has been so much work done on many fronts, especially in the last several years, and I am excited to contribute to those efforts.

My favorite part of my new role is engaging with communities. I am committed to community-driven work and Indigenous data sovereignty, and I am excited to continue to work in these areas. Indigenous data sovereignty is an inherent right exercised by Tribal Nations, but can MSU better align our research and initiatives with the principles of Indigenous data sovereignty and data governance to ensure we are approaching partnerships in a good way?

If people aren’t familiar with these concepts, I recommend they learn more at the Global Indigenous Data Alliance and the University of Arizona Native Nations Institute.

November marks Native American Heritage Month — a time to honor and celebrate the history, culture and ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples across North America. At Michigan State University, this month and beyond, consider giving to MSU's North American Indigenous programs.