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Summer 2007                                                                  Back to Spotlight home page

WOW! The sensation of discovery: faculty research and creativity

By Brice Obermeyer

As a cultural anthropologist specializing in American Indian ethnography, my current research is focused on the Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma and their experience as a mis-acknowledged Indian Tribe.  A forthcoming book will document the Delaware struggle to achieve federal recognition that will reveal important insights about the federal acknowledgment process.  

Members of the Delaware Tribe are currently incorporated as members of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma yet have never assimilated into Cherokee society nor have the Delaware given up their tribal sovereignty and thus seek independent self-governance.  The existing literature is concentrated on the acknowledgment efforts of

unacknowledged Indians or more clearly defined as indigenous peoples that are not considered members of a federally recognized Indian Tribe and thus lack an acknowledged Indian status.  The situation of mis-acknowledged Indians is unique as such groups consist of indigenous peoples that hold an acknowledged Indian status but are only able to do so through another federally recognized Indian Tribe.  My work seeks highlight the central issues of race and economic dependency in the federal acknowledgement process that have not been significantly explored as they pertain to the case of mis-acknowledged Indians.

I have found that my research with the Delaware and other Oklahoma Indian Tribes has proven useful when teaching students about the cultural diversity present among American Indians.  Beyond courses such as Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Native Peoples of North America, and Race and Identity; the course with the most relevance to my research is a summer Ethnographic Field School designed to introduce students to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma.  The field school provides students with the opportunity to learn about Oklahoma Indians through first hand interaction; an experience that often challenges a student’s preconceived notions about American Indian culture.  As one previous field school student remarked, “On our field study I learned so much … I was amazed at how vibrant Indian culture and American Indian life still is … The warm hospitality that we received at the Delaware Powwow was nothing short of amazing and I feel honored and privileged to have been a part of it.”

Read an additional article by Obermeyer, titled "Salvaging the Delaware Big House Ceremony: The history and legacy of Frank Speck's collaboration with the Oklahoma Delaware"

Last Updated April 17, 2008