Released Oct. 11, 2007

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Larry Gross and Matt Herman have joined the faculty at the Montana State University Department of Native American Studies.

Gross comes to MSU from Bemidji, Minn., where he spent a year researching the Anishinaabeg, or Chippewa Indians. Gross has a master's degree from Harvard and a doctorate from Stanford. A member of the Minnesota Chippewa tribe, his current research examines the role of storytelling in relation to the survival of Anishinaabe culture in the modern era. He has also written on the use of Native American ceremonies in helping Native American veterans cope with post traumatic stress disorder and is interested in working with local groups, both religious and secular, to develop their own ceremonies to welcome veterans back and reintegrate them into society. Gross is seeking any group or individual interested in working with Gross to develop veterans' ceremonies to contact him at lgross@montana.edu

Matt Herman comes to MSU from Stone Child College in Rocky Boy where he taught in the Liberal Arts Program and coordinated the Rocky Boy Tribal History Project. Herman holds a doctorate in English and a graduate certificate in cultural studies from SUNY Stony Brook. His research interests involve Native American literature, tribal history, and American cultural studies. Herman is currently working on a book about aesthetics and politics in contemporary Native American writing.

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http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=5230

Contact: Walter Fleming, (406) 994-5260, wfleming@montana.edu