While there were many aspects to Professor Thomas’s lecture that were out of my realm of familiarity, the approach to her research was also done in a way I had not encountered before. The auto ethnographical approach that Professor Thomas brought towards her research not only helped contextualize the happenings in her home state of Montana and her Indian heritage, but this approach also helped to bring greater general understanding to a subject that many in the room were likely unfamiliar with. While the research that Professor Thomas is conducting is relatively specific (and a bit out of the realm of what most on this campus are familiar with), I found her personal approach to be incredibly useful in bringing light on the Indian presence within native American populations in the American west.
Although the interviews she has conducted with not only priests, but those in the community and native populations, I continue to wonder the accuracy of these interactions given her close relationship to the topic and the subject matter. While I would imagine that she gain obtain answers with an extreme amount of honesty, I found myself questioning the use of an auto ethnographical approach in a situation such as this. I am sure however, that this will lead to an incredibly interesting piece of literature once these interviews are bolstered with more historical context and an ongoing narrative of the events in eastern Montana.
I am incredibly interested to see what further research and information Professor Thomas will look to acquire when preparing to link the chapters of her book that she laid out for us in the presentation. While it was quite easy to understand the ongoing cultural issues and challenges of priests coming to the united states, it was still a bit confusing to understand the backstory of their departure from India. I am interested to see how the strengthening of this linkage will inevitably establish a more concrete and linear relationship between the reason the priests are leaving their homeland, and then the struggles they encounter once they reach the American west.
After attending this lecture, it really made me consider the lack of knowledge we have as Americans about some of the communities and people that inhabit our towns and cities. While this rural, eastern Montana town is far off the beaten path for most, it begs me to question how many more of these circumstances exist that we have no knowledge of. Being at a place such as Colby, we learn to broaden our cultural horizons and consider more issues and communities than before, yet this served as a reminder that there are always people and communities that need attention and to be more highlighted in the national and international sphere.