Post Hole Digger (Ph.D.)

It has only been a few months since I turned in my edited dissertation, and according to the Chair of Examiners, the thesis was recommended for acceptance!

Now, I am finally able to graduate. However, I won’t be attending graduation, and not because I normally avoid all graduations, but because the ceremony is in Australia. The Ph.D. program I enrolled in back in 2019 is at the University of Divinity in Melbourne.

This PH.D. is also the beginning of a partnership between UoD and NAIITS (naiits.com). The unique part of this program was that I got to be part of a Ph.D. cohort. The conventional road to a Ph.D. is for the candidate to spend years in a library, alone, reading and doing research. My cohort was made up mostly of indigenous Ph.D. students, and we would meet at least once a week.

The cohort meetings consisted of sharing how little we wrote during the week when we promised to write more. Next, we would calm each other down and remind ourselves we will never finish. Lastly, we close by saying how much we are going to write next week.

My cohort and I were the very first class to enter the NAIITS Ph.D. cohort. We began meeting in 2019. I was the first to pass the candidacy exam. My primary supervisor, Rev Dr. Terry Leblanc, called me the lead hamster. Then, I was the first to finish my dissertation and submit it.  

I had a LOT of revisions to make, but NAIITS decided to let me walk as the first graduate of their Ph.D. program at the 2024 NAIITS Symposium. Below is the speech I gave at the ceremony:

Good evening. I hope this graduation ceremony is good, because I am missing game one of the 2024 NBA finals.

Welcome, friends, family, relatives, fellow scholars, colleagues, and those who have nowhere else to be tonight.

I feel very scholarly wearing this academic regalia. As you might have heard Lily Gladstone, star of the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, and Golden Globe winner, was honored with a headdress by the Blackfeet Nation, and all I get is this rented graduation gown. I don’t even get to keep this gown; I have to give it back at the end of the night. Therefore, since I am done with this PhD program, I shall now pursue an acting career in hopes someone will give me one of those headdresses.

Also, the day Lily Gladstone was given her headdress that day is designated as “Lily Gladstone Day,” while today as I stand before you all as the first NAIITS PhD graduate, it simply just another Thursday.

Most graduation speeches are given by a person representing an entire graduating class. It is also suggested that the graduation speaker inspire their peers to go on and do great things. Believe in yourself. Congrats on your well-deserved success. You did it, now it’s time to celebrate, other platitudes.

Yet, I realized that if I am the only person from my graduating PhD class, does that mean I am merely up here talking to myself? If so, thank you all for listening as I share stories and inspire my whole class, me!

The first PhD class I took was on methods and methodology. Our instructor, my favorite teacher, Dr. Andrea Smith, or “Andy,” who only her true friends, like me, can call her, had us read plenty of books on research from an Indigenous perspective. Many of the books we read asked researchers why are you doing this research?

Before I attempt to answer that I would like to first share HOW I was able to do get through the rigors of research. I had plenty of support. I had my wife, Renee, who always stood behind me, often literally, because she too was interested in what I was learning in class. She was the one who brough me food during our weekly class and cohort meetings.

I’ve always had support from my parents and my family back home, whom many are watching online, thank you. Uncle Dr. Terry LeBlanc and Dr. Kelsey Dayle John were phenomenal supporters and supervisors. Damian and Chris were ok.

I also had plenty of support and help from the original NAIITS Ph.D. cohort made up of Sherelle, Dave, Paul, Shari, Kim, Andy, and our fearless leader Mike Hogeterp. Having others around who felt hopeless and discouraged about writing a dissertation was pleasant.

So, why did I do this research? I read once that research is adding a very thin slice of knowledge to everything we know, all the knowledge attained so far in human history. But I like to think of my research as adding my frybread recipe to all the frybread recipes ever created.

And, I am not here to talk about which frybread recipe is best, because we all know its Navajo, right? I added this frybread recipe so that other Nations, scholars, educators, well intentioned gazers, can taste and enjoy this frybread recipe.

I did this research, sharing my frybread recipe, so that future generations will know it. They can take from it, they change it, add to it, subtract from it, to make their own. By doing this research and writing this paper, I believe I am merely carrying on the tradition of helping the next generation answer the fundamental questions of life.

Who am I, where do I come from, who are my relations, where do I belong, and where do I fit into this world and others. This has been modeled to me by many mentors and elders.

One notable mentor and elder was Richard Twiss. I met Richard Twiss in 2006 in Bismarck, SD. Richard was able to articulate so much of what I felt and knew intrinsically as an Indigenous person, but couldn’t explain.

After the meetings concluded, Richard wanted to meet with me and Renee. He sat us down and asked us a lot of questions. Mostly about our work, which at that time we were fully vested in campus ministry and going out to save the souls of lost Indians. Shameful, I know, but that was a long time ago.

I believe Richard wanted to share so much with us about the path we had chosen, but he was wise enough to know we were not ready to hear what he wanted to say. Instead, he graciously invited us to join Wiconi if we ever wanted to leave the staff.

I did this research to carry on the tradition of asking important questions and passing down knowledges and stories to the next generation. I am merely carrying on the tradition and legacy of people like Richard, Uncle Terry, Wendy Peterson, Auntie Patricia, Uncle Ray Minnicon, Ray Aldred, Jackie Ottman, Jay & Stephanie Goins, Randy Woodley, Andrea Smith, Justine Smith, Casey Church, Adrian Jacobs, and even Cheryl Bear.

Thank you!