Storytelling and living traditions take center stage at Museum of the Rockies in January

BOZEMAN - Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies will present a series of public programs in January exploring the cultural, historical and artistic stories of the American West, including an academic lecture, Indigenous storytelling performances and a hands-on beadwork workshop.

The series opens Thursday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. with a lecture, "A Vertical History of the West: Devils Tower, Bear Lodge, Empire and the Rise of American Climbing." The event is part of the Rosenberry-Donohue Lectures on the American West and will be presented by Michael Reidy, a professor in MSU's Department of History and Philosophy. Reidy will examine Devils Tower National Monument as a site shaped by geology, recreation, nationalism and Indigenous dispossession. The lecture will be held in the museum's Hager Auditorium. Admission is included with museum membership or is $5 for nonmembers.

Then, on Friday, Jan. 23, at 5:30 p.m., the museum will host "Stories of Coyote, the Trickster," a free public storytelling performance by Kellen Trenal, a Niimiipuu (Nez Perce) storyteller and visual artist. The event will take place in the Hager Auditorium. Trenal will also present a family-friendly storytelling session for school-aged children at 4 p.m. in the Redstart Classroom. Both events are free and open to the public.

The month concludes with the "Beading Our Stories" workshop on Friday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. in the Redstart Classroom. Participants age 16 and older will learn beading techniques rooted in long-standing cultural traditions and will create a pair of

beaded earrings to take home. Registration is required and costs $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers.

More information and registration details are available at museumoftherockies.org.