Conference Description

 

The Archives will be hosting a conference on September 5 and 6, 2006 entitled “Abraham Maslow and the Blackfoot Experience.” This multi-cultural, community-focused conference will, in part, examine the influential role of the Blackfoot Indian culture on the work of prominent psychologist Abraham Maslow. In addition to examining this role, the conference will also explore the broader elements of cross-cultural comparisons between researchers and the cultures they study.

Beginning on the afternoon of September 5, an informal afternoon public lecture in ASCPL auditorium regarding general Blackfoot philosophies with Ryan Heavy Head and his research team will take place.  On September 6, Dr. Joseph Trimble, Director of the Center for Cross-Cultural Research, Department of Psychology at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA will present a short colloquium examining responsible conduct of research with ethnocultural populations. Mr. Ryan Heavy Head, director of Kanai Studies at Red Crow Community College in Alberta, Canada and members of his research team, Narcisse Blood and Marvin Calf Robe, will discuss general Blackfoot philosophies. Mr. Heavy Head and his research team will then begin individual break-out sessions discussing their roles and findings regarding influences of Blackfoot culture on Maslow’s work, ending with a formal conference discussing aspects of the team’s research.

Conference Outline

Events will take place at the ASCPL auditorium and The University of Akron’s new Student Center reception area and conference rooms.   

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Informal, afternoon public lecture in ASCPL auditorium regarding general Blackfoot philosophies with Ryan Heavy Head and research team. A small reception in an ASCPL meeting room will follow discussion.

Wednesday, September 6, 2006

12:00 – Dr. Joseph Trimble will be luncheon speaker and will discuss cross-cultural comparisons between American Indian peoples and American psychology and anthropology researchers. The University of Akron’s Student Center will host.

1:00 – Break-out sessions with each member of Mr. Heavy Head’s research team discussing their roles and findings. Sessions will take place in The University of Akron’s Student Center conference rooms.

5:00 – Formal lecture discussing Mr. Heavy Head’s findings regarding influences of Blackfoot culture on Maslow’s work. A formal banquet, in which Blackfoot traditions will be observed, will follow lecture. Both will be held in The University of Akron’s Student Center.

Disciplines relevant to the project and topics to be addressed include:

▪ Cultural Analysis - analysis of the Blackfoot social institution and its societal segments in relation to other prevalent societal institutions.  Specific social elements such as Maslow’s notion of synergy and the Blackfoot concept of “kimmapiiyipitssin” will be evaluated.

▪ Philosophy – investigation and critical analysis of the nature, causes and principles of Blackfoot beliefs and Maslow’s cultural understanding of those beliefs.

▪ Anthropology – study of historically prevalent customs and cultural developments within ethnic minority communities and discussion of how psychological interventions must change to reflect those customs and developments.  Specific points of discussion will include analysis of historical interpretations of the work of anthropologists working with various American Indian groups.

▪ Art – consideration of Maslow’s interpretations of Blackfoot tipi design elements  and how these elements influenced his hierarchy of needs approach, including ways in which Maslow’s work and Blackfoot tipi designs have influenced theories of visual perception. Images of typical hierarchical Blackfoot tipi designs and their representations will be examined and similarity in theories shown between these and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

▪ Language/Linguistics – interpretations of language through cultural differences, including Maslow’s interpretation of Niitsi’powahsin (the Blackfoot language) and Blackfoot storytelling practices, and how this influenced Maslow’s research findings.

Rationale:

A conference focusing on the impact of typically under-represented groups in psychology will support education and outreach through opportunities for public lectures and scholarly exchange with academic researchers, scholars, students, and the public. The conference will help generate awareness of the contributions of American Indians to the social sciences through philosophy, research, and interaction with the past and present. Specifically, the impact of Blackfoot contributions to Western social science will be examined, which is itself part of AHAP’s current strategy to generate support for a wider integration of contributions, concepts, theories, and models of traditionally under-represented groups in psychology.

This conference will also play an important role in assisting with efforts to decolonize education both locally and globally. The study of narrative styles and research techniques made available for discussion through the conference will illuminate both common grounds and divergences in the practice and knowledge production between Blackfoot and western scholarly disciplines, and to inform curriculum development, research, and partnership policies for students, faculty, and community organizations.