Bonnie Combes HeavyRunner (died November 24, 1997) founded the Native American Studies program at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

. She was the director of the Native American Studies department and pioneered the creation of The Payne Family Native American Center on the University of Montana campus. She was a member of the

Blackfeet Nation The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

and worked to create a support system for Native American students on the University of Montana campus until her death of ovarian cancer on November 24, 1997. __TOC__

History

Bonnie "Sim-sin" HeavyRunner grew up on the

Blackfeet Indian Reservation The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

Browning, Montana Browning is a town in Glacier County, Montana, United States. It is the headquarters for the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the only incorporated town on the Reservation. The population was 1,018 at the 2020 census. The town was named in 188 ...

. She grew up with her parents, Gene and Gertie HeavyRunner, and 12 brothers and sisters. Both of her parents were taken from their tribes in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

and educated in boarding schools in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

before returning to Montana. She received her law degree from the University of Montana before becoming the director of the Native American Studies department. She battled ovarian cancer for over five years before she died in 1997, a year after Native American Studies became available as a major on the University of Montana campus.

Accomplishments

Bonnie HeavyRunner is perhaps best known for her work with the Native American Studies Program that she launched at the University of Montana. She sought scholarships and mentoring for the close to 300 Native American students on campus at the time. She also had the idea to give Native American students a place to call their own, which led to The Payne Family Native American Center. She was credited with educating people on the importance and necessity of such a facility. For this reason, the Native American Center's main lobby was dedicated in her memory as "The Bonnie "Sim-Sin" HeavyRunner Gathering Place." She helped organize the first Kyi-Yo Academic Conferences on the University of Montana campus that bring together Native American scholars. The Kyi-Yo Native American Student Association also hosts an annual Kyi-Yo

Pow Wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

that includes a "Bonnie HeavyRunner Memorial Tipi Race" where students compete to erect a tipi the fastest in her honor.The University of Montana, Kyi-Yo Native American Student Association. (n.d.) Retrieved Nov. 26, 2010 from http://www.umt.edu/kyiyo/default.htm

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heavyrunner, Bonnie 1997 deaths Native American academics Native American women academics American women academics University of Montana faculty Year of birth missing University of Montana alumni Blackfoot people People from Browning, Montana 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans