Irritable Events

Chris La Tray

Aug 6, 2023

A comprehensive list of upcoming events I’m involved with, both in person and online, you might be interested in….

2023

August 23, 6:30pm – 7:30pm; We’re Out Here: Intersectional Voices from the West (HCN Speaker Series); Missoula, MT, IN PERSON

Free admission, at Imagine Nation Brewing Company, 151 W Broadway St

A “thoughtful discussion on the work of BIPOC and LGBTQ work in the Montana outdoors” hosted by High Country News

Details and RSVP HERE

September 01, 3:00pm; Calvary Cemetery; Lewistown, MT, IN PERSON

I’ll be one of four guest speakers speaking to commemorate this historic event.

In 1894 the Métis people, who settled along Spring Creek, were exhumed from their original burial site and placed in Calvary Cemetery. The Métis have been in unmarked graves for over 120 years. You are invited to celebrate the placement of this memorial dedicated to the founders of Lewistown, Montana.

This is probably the most important thing I’ll do all year. These graves are just a few steps from the graves of my great great grandparents, Mose and Susie La Tray. They were among the original founders of Lewistown, as were members of my grandmother’s family, the Doneys, who ultimately settled (and are largely buried) in Roy. This is a big deal.

September 29 – October 01; Flathead River Writers Conference; Kalispell, MT, IN PERSON

at Red Lion Hotel, 20 Main Street

I’ll be part of a group of writers talking about various this and thats; I’m leading two discussions related to all the stuff I’m usually bloviating about.

Details and registration info HERE

October 03, 6:30pm – 7:30pm; Stolen: If They Haven't Come For Yours, They Will; Missoula, MT, IN PERSON

Free admission, at the Missoula Public Library, Cooper Space A

This presentation is related to the 2023 NEA Big Read, which this year in Missoula will be The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Per the library’s request, here’s the lowdown on the talk I will be giving:

While many people believe that “what happened to the Indians” is old news, the careful observer will understand that this is far from the truth. History is a living, breathing thing, and the darker aspects of our society continue to cycle through Indian Country and beyond. Told through the lens of the experience of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the 574th, and most recently federally recognized tribe in the United States, Métis storyteller Chris La Tray will draw parallels between the Little Shell – known for more than 150 years as the “Landless” Indians – and events unfolding with a broader reach every day in communities across the country.

October 04, 7:00pm; Métis Buffalo Hunters of the Northern Plains; Lincoln, MT, IN PERSON

Free Admission, at the Lincoln School Library

My usual rambling story about the Little Shell, Bizhiki, and whatever else comes to mind in the heat of the moment. In this case, I’ll also be speaking to students during the day leading up to the event, which I always enjoy doing. Here are the details:

The Montana-based Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians became the 574th Indian tribe to be recognized by the United States government in December, 2019, after over 150 years of trying. The tribe’s origins, and its future, are deeply connected to the Métis people. The Métis are one of the three Indigenous peoples recognized by Canada as “original inhabitants” of their nation, while in the United States Métis contributions to its history have been largely erased. It is past time that was changed.
No discussion of the buffalo and the animal’s significance to Indigenous people on the Northern Plains is complete without also talking about the Métis people. But who are the Métis, how are they related to the Little Shell, and what do they have to do with Montana? This program will answer these questions and discuss how the entire Métis economy and culture was built on their unique relationship with the buffalo from the days when the herds were so large that, “the whole country was one robe.”

October 09, 7:00pm; Elk River Arts & Lectures Presents: The Métis Buffalo Hunters of the Northern Plains with Chris La Tray; Livingston, MT, IN PERSON

Free Admission, at Elk River Books, 122 S. 2nd St.

My usual rambling story about the Little Shell, Bizhiki, and whatever else comes to mind in the heat of the moment.

The Montana-based Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians became the 574th Indian tribe to be recognized by the United States government in December, 2019, after over 150 years of trying. The tribe’s origins, and its future, are deeply connected to the Métis people. The Métis are one of the three Indigenous peoples recognized by Canada as “original inhabitants” of their nation, while in the United States Métis contributions to its history have been largely erased. It is past time that was changed.
No discussion of the buffalo and the animal’s significance to Indigenous people on the Northern Plains is complete without also talking about the Métis people. But who are the Métis, how are they related to the Little Shell, and what do they have to do with Montana? This program will answer these questions and discuss how the entire Métis economy and culture was built on their unique relationship with the buffalo from the days when the herds were so large that, “the whole country was one robe.”

December 17 – December 22; Good Ancestors Workshop; Lamar Buffalo Ranch, YNP, IN PERSON

Back to one of my favorite places on the planet, the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park to facilitate another workshop. This will be beautiful. Here is a taste of what it’s about:

“In every moment, whether we like it or not and whether we know it or not, we are advancing values and influencing systems that will continue long past our lifetimes,” write the editors in the introduction to What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be? (2021, University of Chicago Press). “These values and systems shape communities and lives that we will never see. The ways we live create and reinforce the foundation of life for future generations. We are responsible for how we write our values, what storylines we further and set forth—the world we choose to cultivate for the lives that follow ours. So how are we to live?”