Visiting American Indian students watched as history was resurrected Thursday at Kansas University.

“Each of these lines represents different mountains,” Ruben Little Head said as he pointed to a pattern decorating a cradle. “I was told this by a Kiowa elder.”

The item is just one of about 20 in an exhibit that four KU graduate students dug out of storage and cleaned up for display at the Big 12 American Indian Student Leadership Conference. The student curators said they hoped the conference — at which they expect about 300 people –would help them identify the tribal origin of all of the pieces.

“We have a lot of visiting nations that come from Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado. They bring in their own personal knowledge and their own stories,” Little Head said. “So when they come on these tours they can see the pieces and can maybe identify the pieces.”

The KU graduate students also hope the conference will help raise money to hire a tribal consultant to help identify the objects. A vendor booth at the conference’s powwow this weekend will sell items donated by local businesses and native communities. The students will be selling items ranging from a star quilt to restaurant gift certificates.

Bobbi Rahder, a KU lecturer who oversees the student curators, said the Big 12 conference was a valuable for her students, and she hoped there would be money for a consultant.

“They (tribal consultants) know what these items are and what tribe they came from. We don’t know at the museum because they didn’t keep that information back then,” Rahder said.

The conference’s theme is “Retraditionalizing Indigenous Leadership: Student Voices of Fire.” Students will explore issues that American Indian student organizations face on predominately white campuses.

From left, Princella Parker, a Creighton University sophomore, Gertude Lee, a Creighton junior, Teri Dameron of Creighton's Multicultural Affairs staff, and Georgiana Lee, a Creighton junior, listen to keynote speaker Jim Gray, founder of the Native American Times newspaper and chief of the Osage Nation. Gray's speech was part of the Big 12 American Indian Student Leadership Conference that began Thursday and runs through Saturday at Kansas University.

The conference will conclude with the powwow Saturday in Robinson Gymnasium. Gourd dancing will begin at 2 p.m., and the grand entry will be at 7 p.m. The powwow, hosted by KU’s First Nations Student Assn. is free and open to the public.

6News video: Indian artifacts displayed during conference (04-14-05) American Indian conference coming to KU Conference to stress positive role models (04-05-05) KU.edu: KU First Nations students to host Big 12 Native American conference, April 14-16