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| Leanna Begay studies the sand dunes and native plant species of her homeland - the Navajo Nation in Arizona. |
When Purdue University started the Tecumseh Project in 2005 to provide graduate opportunities for Native Americans, one of the cornerstones of the initiative was to encourage research that involved Native American communities on Native lands. Another was to enrich the university’s multicultural community.
“The Tecumseh Project brings together Native Americans from all over the country and develops areas of study that address their interests and goals,” says Kevin Gibson, professor of botany and plant pathology and a member of the Purdue team that established the project. “We encourage Tecumseh students to take what they learn back to their communities.”
Leanna Begay and Nils “Buster” Landin are among the inaugural group of students involved with the Tecumseh Project. Both have lived at least part of their lives on reservations—Begay on the Navajo Nation in Arizona and Landin on the Lac Du Flambeau Chippewa reservation in Wisconsin. And both were drawn to the Purdue project through their interest in science and the land.
Southwest sand dunes
Begay researches sand dunes, an area of study that reflects her interest in biology and ecology. Her Navajo heritage is another reason that she picked dune and plant life for her master’s degree research. Her lab is the high desert county within the Navajo Reservation near Tuba City, Ariz.
“I’m learning about sand dune movement and about the native plant species and invasive plants.” Begay says, “I’m learning how the plants are distributed, how they have adapted to their changing environment, how they tolerate wind.”
Wind is one of the factors that make sand dunes constantly moving landforms. For the Navajo and other residents of the Southwest, the dunes are important to the economy, the culture and the landscape. Begay’s family, like many in the West, raises cattle and depends on native plants and trucked-in hay for forage. It’s essential to their livelihood that the dunes and native plants are protected from overgrazing and invasive plants, which can be introduced by visitors or by imported hay.
Begay says that sand dunes in Arizona are different from those surrounding Lake Michigan in northern Indiana. “People forget that Arizona, like most places, has varied topography. The farther north you go in the state, the higher the elevation,” she says. “My dunes are located at about 5,000 feet above sea level. They act as a sponge in regenerating groundwater in this region.”
The first person in her family to graduate from college, Begay earned a bachelor’s degree in applied indigenous studies from Northern Arizona University. After completing her master’s degree, she hopes to return to her home state and become a leader for both her family and community.
In the aftermath of glaciers
Giving back is high on Landin’s list, too. His goal is a career in academic teaching and research, and he’s already using his experience to spark an interest in science among Native American middle- and high-schoolers. He mentors youth in earth science at a summer program, co-sponsored by Purdue’s Sharing the Land project, at the University of California at San Diego “It’s dealing with the whole person,” he says of the program that also teaches healthy eating and exercise. “It benefits students’ tribes and their culture.”
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