Native American Studies
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The Department of Native American Studies was established to provide and advance quality education for and about American Indians of Montana, the region, and the nation. In fulfilling this mission, the Department is committed to meet the changing needs of Montana's Indian tribes and all Montana citizens through excellence in teaching, research, and service. In its academic program, the department provides concentrated study through an undergraduate minor, the first online graduate certificate in Native American Studies offered, and a Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies. Students in any major can also gain a multicultural perspective through NAS offerings in the University's core curriculum. The Department, through its research and other creative efforts, actively pursues interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of Native American Studies.
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Item Contribution of wild foods to diet, food security, and cultural values amidst climate change(2019-11) Smith, Erin; Ahmed, Selena; Running Crane, MaryAnn; Eggers, Margaret J.; Pierre, Mike; Flagg, Kenneth A.; Byker Shanks, CarmenWild foods are recognized to contribute to diet and food security through enhancing the availability of local, diverse, and nonmarket food sources. We investigated the contribution of wild foods to diet, food security, and cultural identity in a Native American[1] community in the context of climate change. Structured interviews were conducted with low-income residents of the Flathead Indian Reservation[2] in Northwestern Montana who participate in the federal Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, also known by participants as ‘Commodities.’ Responses to structured questions were analyzed for frequency, and open-ended responses were coded and analyzed to identify prevalent themes. Our analysis indicated that half of participants were food insecure. Approximately 28% of participants engaged in at least one wild food procurement activity, including hunting, fishing, and harvesting. On average, participants who engaged in one or more wild food procurement activities were more food secure than those who did not. Results highlight the multidimensional valuation of wild foods by participants including taste, freshness, nutritional quality, being a traditional community practice, and providing a sense of self-sufficiency. Climate change is perceived by participants to be adversely impacting wild food systems due to increased variability in seasonality and precipitation and increased incidences of wild fire. Findings point to the need for community-based strategies to strengthen wild food knowledge toward enhancing food sovereignty in Native American communities, in the context of climate change. [1] The term ‘Native American’ was determined to be the preferred term for referencing the Native American community in this study, based on consultation from our community advisory board. [2] The term ‘Flathead Indian Reservation’ was determined to be the preferred term for referencing the location in which this study was held, based on consultation from our community advisory board.Item Metagenomic Profiling of Microbial Pathogens in the Little Bighorn River, Montana(2019-03) Hamner, Steve; Brown, Bonnie L.; Hasan, Nur A.; Franklin, Michael J.; Doyle, John T.; Eggers, Margaret J.; Colwell, Rita R.; Ford, Tim E.The Little Bighorn River is the primary source of water for water treatment plants serving the local Crow Agency population, and has special significance in the spiritual and ceremonial life of the Crow tribe. Unfortunately, the watershed suffers from impaired water quality, with high counts of fecal coliform bacteria routinely measured during run-off events. A metagenomic analysis was carried out to identify potential pathogens in the river water. The Oxford Nanopore MinION platform was used to sequence DNA in near real time to identify both uncultured and a coliform-enriched culture of microbes collected from a popular summer swimming area of the Little Bighorn River. Sequences were analyzed using CosmosID bioinformatics and, in agreement with previous studies, enterohemorrhagic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and other E. coli pathotypes were identified. Noteworthy was detection and identification of enteroaggregative E. coli O104:H4 and Vibrio cholerae serotype O1 El Tor, however, cholera toxin genes were not identified. Other pathogenic microbes, as well as virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance markers, were also identified and characterized by metagenomic analyses. It is concluded that metagenomics provides a useful and potentially routine tool for identifying in an in-depth manner microbial contamination of waterways and, thereby, protecting public health.Item Detection of Pathogenic and Non-pathogenic Bacteria in Drinking Water and Associated Biofilms on the Crow Reservation, Montana, USA(2018-07) Richards, Crystal L.; Broadaway, Susan C.; Eggers, Margaret J.; Doyle, John T.; Pyle, Barry H.; Camper, Anne K.; Ford, Tim E.Private residences in rural areas with water systems that are not adequately regulated, monitored, and updated could have drinking water that poses a health risk. To investigate water quality on the Crow Reservation in Montana, water and biofilm samples were collected from 57 public buildings and private residences served by either treated municipal or individual groundwater well systems. Bacteriological quality was assessed including detection of fecal coliform bacteria and heterotrophic plate count (HPC) as well as three potentially pathogenic bacterial genera, Mycobacterium, Legionella, and Helicobacter. All three target genera were detected in drinking water systems on the Crow Reservation. Species detected included the opportunistic and frank pathogens Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium gordonae, Mycobacterium flavescens, Legionella pneumophila, and Helicobacter pylori. Additionally, there was an association between HPC bacteria and the presence of Mycobacterium and Legionella but not the presence of Helicobacter. This research has shown that groundwater and municipal drinking water systems on the Crow Reservation can harbor potential bacterial pathogens.Item Challenges and Opportunities for Tribal Waters: Addressing Disparities in Safe Public Drinking Water on the Crow Reservation in Montana, US(2018-03) Doyle, John T.; Kindness, L.; Real Bird, James; Eggers, Margaret J.; Camper, Anne K.Disparities in access to safe public drinking water are increasingly being recognized as contributing to health disparities and environmental injustice for vulnerable communities in the United States. As the Co-Directors of the Apsaálooke Water and Wastewater Authority (AWWWA) for the Crow Tribe, with our academic partners, we present here the multiple and complex challenges we have addressed in improving and maintaining tribal water and wastewater infrastructure, including the identification of diverse funding sources for infrastructure construction, the need for many kinds of specialized expertise and long-term stability of project personnel, ratepayer difficulty in paying for services, an ongoing legacy of inadequate infrastructure planning, and lack of water quality research capacity. As a tribal entity, the AWWWA faces additional challenges, including the complex jurisdictional issues affecting all phases of our work, lack of authority to create water districts, and additional legal and regulatory gaps—especially with regards to environmental protection. Despite these obstacles, the AWWWA and Crow Tribe have successfully upgraded much of the local water and wastewater infrastructure. We find that ensuring safe public drinking water for tribal and other disadvantaged U.S. communities will require comprehensive, community-engaged approaches across a broad range of stakeholders to successfully address these complex legal, regulatory, policy, community capacity, and financial challenges.Item Community-based participatory research in Indian country: Improving health through water quality research and awareness(2010-07) Cummins, C.; Doyle, John T.; Kindness, L.; Lefthand, M. J.; Bear Don't Walk, U. J.; Bends, Ada L.; Broadaway, Susan C.; Camper, Anne K.; Fitch, R.; Ford, Tim E.; Hamner, Steve; Morrison, A. R.; Richards, Crystal L.; Young, Sara L.; Eggers, Margaret J.Water has always been held in high respect by the Apsaalooke (Crow) people of Montana. Tribal members questioned the health of the rivers and well water because of visible water quality deterioration and potential connections to illnesses in the community. Community members initiated collaboration among local organizations, the tribe, and academic partners, resulting in genuine community-based participatory research. The article shares what we have learned as tribal members and researchers about working together to examine surface and groundwater contaminants, assess routes of exposure, and use our data to bring about improved health of our people and our waters.Item Applying indigenous CBPR principles to partnership development in health disparities research(2011-07) Christopher, S.; Saha, R.; Lachapelle, Paul; Jennings, D.; Colclough, Y.; Cooper, C.; Cummins, C.; Eggers, Margaret J.; FourStar, Kris; Harris, K.; Kuntz, Sandra W.; LaFromboise, V.; LaVeaux, Deb; McDonald, T.; Real Bird, James; Rink, Elizabeth; Webster, C.This case study of community and university research partnerships utilizes previously developed principles for conducting research in the context of Native American communities to consider how partners understand and apply the principles in developing community-based participatory research partnerships to reduce health disparities. The 7 partnership projects are coordinated through a National Institutes of Health–funded center and involve a variety of tribal members, including both health care professionals and lay persons and native and nonnative university researchers. This article provides detailed examples of how these principles are applied to the projects and discusses the overarching and interrelated emergent themes of sharing power and building trust.Item Detection and source tracking of Escherichia coli, harboring intimin and Shiga toxin genes, isolated from the Little Bighorn River, Montana(2014-09) Hamner, Steve; Broadaway, Susan C.; Berg, Ethan; Stettner, Sean; Pyle, Barry H.; Big Man, N.; Old Elk, J.; Eggers, Margaret J.; Doyle, John T.; Kindness, L.; Good Luck, B.; Ford, Tim E.; Camper, Anne K.The Little Bighorn River flows through the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. In 2008, Escherichia coli concentrations as high as 7,179 MPN/100 ml were detected in the river at the Crow Agency Water Treatment Plant intake site. During 2008, 2009, and 2012, 10 different serotypes of E. coli, including O157:H7, harboring both intimin and Shiga toxin genes were isolated from a popular swim site of the Little Bighorn River in Crow Agency. As part of a microbial source tracking study, E. coli strains were isolated from river samples as well as from manure collected from a large cattle feeding operation in the upper Little Bighorn River watershed; 23% of 167 isolates of E. coli obtained from the manure tested positive for the intimin gene. Among these manure isolates, 19 were identified as O156:H8, matching the serotype of an isolate collected from a river sampling site close to the cattle feeding area.Item Potential health risks from uranium in home well water: An investigation by the Apsaalooke (Crow) tribal research group(2015-03) Eggers, Margaret J.; Moore-Nall, Anita L.; Doyle, John T.; Lefthand, M. J.; Young, Sara L.; Bends, Ada L.; Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee; Camper, Anne K.Exposure to uranium can damage kidneys, increase long term risks of various cancers, and cause developmental and reproductive effects. Historically, home well water in Montana has not been tested for uranium. Data for the Crow Reservation from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) database showed that water from 34 of 189 wells tested had uranium over the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 30 μg/L for drinking water. Therefore the Crow Water Quality Project included uranium in its tests of home well water. Volunteers had their well water tested and completed a survey about their well water use. More than 2/3 of the 97 wells sampled had detectable uranium; 6.3% exceeded the MCL of 30 μg/L. Wells downgradient from the uranium-bearing formations in the mountains were at highest risk. About half of all Crow families rely on home wells; 80% of these families consume their well water. An explanation of test results; associated health risks and water treatment options were provided to participating homeowners. The project is a community-based participatory research initiative of Little Big Horn College; the Crow Tribe; the Apsaalooke Water and Wastewater Authority; the local Indian Health Service Hospital and other local stakeholders; with support from academic partners at Montana State University (MSU) Bozeman.Item Detection of cryptosporidium and E. coli using fluorescent in situ hybridization and solid phase laser cytometry(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2013) Broadaway, Susan Cameron; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Barry H. PyleCryptosporidium parvum is a protozoal pathogen transmitted through water by the fecal-oral route as oocysts. Because the oocysts are more resistant to environmental stresses than the bacteria conventionally used as indicators of fecal contamination, they can be present in water when indicator organisms, such as E. coli, are not found. In addition, because they are resistant to chlorine, they can pass from source water through water treatment into drinking water systems. The EPA method for detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts consists of identifying oocysts with fluorescently labeled antibodies, staining with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and examining slides with epifluorescent microscopy and differential interference contrast microscopy. This protocol is labor intensive and subject to technician error. A new method was developed for the rapid detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and the ScanRDI, a solid phase laser cytometer. Optimization of the FISH protocol for use with the ScanRDI was done with E. coli cells and known Cryptosporidium oocysts as a model. Source water and treated drinking water from the water treatment plant at Crow Agency on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana was collected over the course of a year and concentrated using the EPA protocol for collection of oocysts. The samples were then examined for Cryptosporidium oocysts using both the ScanRDI method and the standard US EPA method. The combination of FISH for labeling Cryptosporidium and the ScanRDI for examination results in significantly higher numbers of Cryptosporidium detected as well as greater ease in identification. A statistical comparison was done that determined there was no correlation between the number of E. coli cells found in the water samples and the number of Cryptosporidium oocysts present. Additionally, although not tested on environmental samples, the FISH/ScanRDI method allowed for simultaneous detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and E. coli cells on the same membrane filter. Membranes were incubated before hybridization, hybridized concurrently with a Cryptosporidium specific probe and a probe specific for E. coli, followed by detection for both organisms with the ScanRDI.Item The detection, characterization, and cultivation of nonculturable Helicobacter pylori(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2010) Richards, Crystal Lynette; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Anne Camper; Susan C. Broadaway, Margaret J. Eggers, Emily Colgate, John Doyle, Barry H. Pyle, Anne K. Camper, and Timothy E. Ford were co-authors of the article, 'Detection of Mycobacteria, Legionella, and Helicobacter in drinking water and associated biofilms on the Crow Reservation, Montana, USA' in the journal 'Applied and environmental microbiology' which is contained within this thesis.; Kerry Williamson, Timothy E. Ford, and Anne K. Camper were co-authors of the article, 'Multiple processes govern switch to nonculturable state in H. pylori' in the journal 'Journal of bacteriology' which is contained within this thesis.; Brittany J. Buchholz, Timothy E. Ford, Susan C. Broadaway, Barry H. Pyle, and Anne K. Camper were co-authors of the article, 'Optimizing the growth of stressed Helicobacter pylori' in the journal 'Journal of microbiological methods' which is contained within this thesis.Transmission of a bacterial pathogen from host to host is a complex process that may involve survival of the pathogen outside the host for considerable lengths of time. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori causes severe gastritis and gastric ulcers, and infection can increase the risk of stomach cancer. The main mode of transmission is believed to be the oral-oral route, however other routes of transmission such as drinking water have been implicated but have not been proven due to difficulty in culturing this organism. In this dissertation, the environmental transmission of H. pylori was investigated using several approaches. A primary objective of this study was to determine if H. pylori could be detected in an environmental reservoir readily consumed by humans, such as drinking water. H. pylori was detected by PCR but not culture in drinking water and biofilms that were obtained from groundwater and municipal systems. H. pylori contamination was sporadic and not associated with measured environmental factors, such as pH or temperature. Growth curve analysis of laboratory grown H. pylori showed that the cells exhibited a switch from a spiral to coccoid morphology as they aged or were exposed to stressful culture conditions. However, results showed that cell morphology was not indicative of culturability, with spiral forms dominant in early nonculturable samples. Microarray analysis of the transition to a nonculturable state showed that cells under oxygen stress quickly modified their transcriptional activity while the cells exposed to nutrient deprivation had nearly undetectable changes in transcriptional activities. Resuscitation of the stressed cells showed that type of stress and length of exposure affected regrowth of H. pylori. The oxygen stressed cells increased virulence factor transcription while nutrient deprived cells decreased transcription of the same factors. This observation led to the conclusion that oxygen stressed and nutrient deprived cells are metabolically active but react differently to in vitro culture conditions with starved cells likely undergoing nutrient shock. Collectively these data suggest that H. pylori can persist and are metabolically active under stressful conditions posed by the environmental mode of transmission.