Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
From Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It (1976) to the popular series Yellowstone, stories loom large in Montana, and their use goes beyond entertainment. Stories about the state are informative in understanding Montana culture and heritage because the myths, perspectives, and truths revealed through literature, art, and television are closely intertwined with the memories and values of its people; in an ongoing feedback, stories simultaneously originate in lived experience and actively shape experiences. Grounded in this cultural significance, I use media as an ethnographic lens through which to study social change in rural Montana, which has faced economic uncertainty, undergone volatile population shifts, and struggled with mental health crises. This approach, coupled with ethnographic vignettes as a historic preservation intern and interviews of Montana writers and heritage professionals, serves as the foundation for my thesis on rural Montana. Ultimately, this understanding will contribute to better understanding of why Montana experiences such high suicide rates. Suicide is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon that requires close cultural study to properly prevent.
I first encountered Montana literature as an AmeriCorps; Kittredge and Smith’s (1990) anthology, The Last Best Place, seemed near-ubiquitous as out-of-staters sought to understand the new communities they were serving in. At the yearly conference, Red Ants Pants founder Sarah Calhoun cited Doig’s 1978 This House of Sky as the reason for her moving to Montana. These stories—and their prominence—lingered in my mind, and when I read ethnographies as a graduate student that wove literature into arguments, I knew that the richness and depth of work produced by Montana writers would be—appropriate for Montana—a gold mine. So, in this paper, I draw upon Montana novelists (fiction and non-fiction) and poets in all their geographic, ethnic, and gender diversity to produce a portrait of rural life and values; I compare this literature to broader media like lifestyle magazines and the show Yellowstone to illustrate the varied and often contradictory claims about authenticity and realities of life in Montana. To deepen understanding, I interviewed prominent writers and heritage professionals around the state about their views on rural life, cultural conflicts, and the future of heritage in Montana. Finally, this mosaic of sources is supplemented by personal experience performing historic restoration in rural areas around Helena and my interactions with people who were concerned about legacy and the representation of their stories in the built environment.
Though Montana media receives much attention, Montana, especially rural Montana, is often forgotten by researchers. My thesis constitutes one of the first anthropological studies of the state, and my attempt to define a rural Montana heritage is novel—as is my combination of methods, which is interdisciplinary and combines ethnography and literary analysis.
Ultimately, this paper will serve as the foundation of my thesis, which asks if heritage and social change might impact the wellbeing of communities and individuals within them. So, in addition to providing Montana anthropologists with a baseline of understanding of prominent cultural traits of the state and thus inform future research, it is hoped that my research will contribute to public health’s efforts to treat mental health crises throughout rural Montana.
Mentor Name
GG Weix
Personal Statement
This project's value is twofold. First, it explores the richness of Montana literature and celebrates its beauty. In this time of volatility and uncertainty, the power of words that are grounded in place and attuned to the unique challenges of life in our state is worth study. These stories can guide and effectively enrich our lives and our ability to understand our communities--and each other. Second, this project contributes to my current and future research on heritage and wellbeing. Once rural Montana heritage has been defined (loosely), we can begin to study whether heritage--and its ability to be enacted--might play a role in the struggles of rural Montanans as they face an economy that shifts from traditional industries, aging populations, and fragmented communities. Indigenous public health initiatives throughout the state and country have realized the importance of heritage in health; though the histories are radically different, why couldn't the 'loss' of heritage in rural Montana also contribute to negative health outcomes? Rural Montana, which lacks mental health funding and providers and is pervaded with stigma, could benefit greatly from supplementary understandings that incorporate heritage into treatment. Though such research is further down the line, this paper is essential to providing a baseline of study.
Health, Land, and Heritage: Understanding Montana Suicide through Culture
UC 331
From Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It (1976) to the popular series Yellowstone, stories loom large in Montana, and their use goes beyond entertainment. Stories about the state are informative in understanding Montana culture and heritage because the myths, perspectives, and truths revealed through literature, art, and television are closely intertwined with the memories and values of its people; in an ongoing feedback, stories simultaneously originate in lived experience and actively shape experiences. Grounded in this cultural significance, I use media as an ethnographic lens through which to study social change in rural Montana, which has faced economic uncertainty, undergone volatile population shifts, and struggled with mental health crises. This approach, coupled with ethnographic vignettes as a historic preservation intern and interviews of Montana writers and heritage professionals, serves as the foundation for my thesis on rural Montana. Ultimately, this understanding will contribute to better understanding of why Montana experiences such high suicide rates. Suicide is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon that requires close cultural study to properly prevent.
I first encountered Montana literature as an AmeriCorps; Kittredge and Smith’s (1990) anthology, The Last Best Place, seemed near-ubiquitous as out-of-staters sought to understand the new communities they were serving in. At the yearly conference, Red Ants Pants founder Sarah Calhoun cited Doig’s 1978 This House of Sky as the reason for her moving to Montana. These stories—and their prominence—lingered in my mind, and when I read ethnographies as a graduate student that wove literature into arguments, I knew that the richness and depth of work produced by Montana writers would be—appropriate for Montana—a gold mine. So, in this paper, I draw upon Montana novelists (fiction and non-fiction) and poets in all their geographic, ethnic, and gender diversity to produce a portrait of rural life and values; I compare this literature to broader media like lifestyle magazines and the show Yellowstone to illustrate the varied and often contradictory claims about authenticity and realities of life in Montana. To deepen understanding, I interviewed prominent writers and heritage professionals around the state about their views on rural life, cultural conflicts, and the future of heritage in Montana. Finally, this mosaic of sources is supplemented by personal experience performing historic restoration in rural areas around Helena and my interactions with people who were concerned about legacy and the representation of their stories in the built environment.
Though Montana media receives much attention, Montana, especially rural Montana, is often forgotten by researchers. My thesis constitutes one of the first anthropological studies of the state, and my attempt to define a rural Montana heritage is novel—as is my combination of methods, which is interdisciplinary and combines ethnography and literary analysis.
Ultimately, this paper will serve as the foundation of my thesis, which asks if heritage and social change might impact the wellbeing of communities and individuals within them. So, in addition to providing Montana anthropologists with a baseline of understanding of prominent cultural traits of the state and thus inform future research, it is hoped that my research will contribute to public health’s efforts to treat mental health crises throughout rural Montana.