Tim Ryan is an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. Through the seasonal rounds and material culture of the Salish, he will tell the story of his tribe’s relationship to the landscapes of Montana, how they thrived beyond survival, and the success of his tribe in contemporary times. His work embodies the material culture and traditional, place-based ecological knowledge preserved by his ancestors for thousands of years. His research of tribal seasonal rounds, lifeways, and economy has led him to reconstruct the traditional tools and material goods used by his ancestors.
Tim grew up exploring the mountains and valleys in and around the Flathead Reservation and the extended homelands of his tribe. He is currently employed at Salish Kootenai College as a faculty member of Culture and Language Studies and as an Indigenous STEM instructor for the Native American Studies Division. He provides experiential learning on subjects of culture and science, in addition to teaching traditional skills and outdoor habitation.
He is also a consultant and educator for the Indian Education for All programming administered by the State of Montana. He creates authentic, museum-quality goods constructed with traditional methods and materials, which are used in museum displays and educational trunks. The University of Montana, Montana State University, and public schools, museums, and interpretive centers in Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Canada have requested his presentations, coursework on American Indian culture, and knowledge of the Northwest.
In addition, he is a Project Supervisor for the summer youth program Mission Mountain Youth Crew, which performs forest restoration with career-track exposure in natural resource fields. Previously, Tim was a business partner and field supervisor in the archaeological firm EthnoTech. Before launching his firm, he worked with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Historic Preservation Department as supervisor of archaeological field survey and GIS/GPS mapping. He also founded Ancestral Skills & Technologies Northwest, a program dedicated to teaching and preserving his tribe’s ancestral ways of life.
Tim’s experiences with his elders’ teachings, his decades-long study of traditional ecological knowledge, ethnobotany, and Indigenous sciences, and his extensive work in field archaeology bring a unique quality and perspective to his teachings and outdoor experiential opportunities.
Tim will be giving several educational workshops and presentations throughout this exhibit at the University of Montana Western. The university is proud to host this cross-disciplinary educational opportunity.
“The Indigenous Salish of Central and Western Montana Lifeways and Perspectives” will be on display in Montana Western’s Fine Arts Gallery from September 5 to October 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The September 5 gallery reception is open to all and will feature light refreshments. We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information, please contact Montana Western Fine Arts Gallery Coordinator Jennifer Boysen at jennifer.boysen@umwestern.edu.
