Dr. Gretchen Ronnow was featured in the Arts and Humanities Department’s second fall colloquium Wednesday afternoon. She presented her work on American Indians to students, faculty and staff.

 
Ronnow spoke to a nicely filled room of guests waiting to soak up her knowledge. She spoke about how American Indians today can have a difficult time deciding their identity.

 
While many people think of a regal-looking Indian with a giant head dress on, feathers in his hair looking off in to the horizon, this can be a stereotypical image. She spoke about Indians not feeling “Indian enough,” because of this televised version of an Indian.

 
Ronnow acknowledged that it can be difficult for any culture to identify themselves as a certain race or ethnicity.

 
“Americans often define themselves by what they were not,” Ronnow said when speaking of all Americans, Indian or not.

 
Ronnow explained that Indians of different tribes will often ask what language the other speaks, rather than what tribe they were a part of.

 
She spoke about a couple different books that she spent a lot of time studying. One was called “A Dance Called America” by James Hunter. Another was “The Heartsong of Charging Elk” by James Welch. Welch’s book spoke of an Indians life journey, and why he considered himself an American Indian.

 
American Indian literature has been a passion of Ronnow since she was in college. Her master’s thesis was on American Indian literature.

 
Ronnow now teaches at Wayne State College as an American Literature and Composition professor. She earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Utah State University and a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona.