The Institute for Ethnic Studies welcomes Tiffany Midge, author of the memoir Bury my Heart at Chuck E Cheese’s, to give a lecture on Native Humor. In her lecture “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Native Humor but Were Afraid to Ask,” Midge will explore the continuum of Native humor and its connections to mainstream humor and popular culture. Her lecture will take place Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at 5:00 pm in the Nebraska Union Auditorium.
What characterizes Native Humor? What makes Natives Laugh? What are the benefits of Native humor? Midge will explore each of these questions individually and look at their relations within the confines of modern political activism and social justice. She will discuss her own use of humor in writing as well as the influences of other Native humorists such as Tim Fontaine, Jana Schmieding and more.
Midge is a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and was raised by wolves in the pacific Northwest. In order to raise awareness of social justice in respect to race, feminism, politics, and identity; she uses humor writing across many genres.
“One of the best ways to understand a people is to know what makes them laugh. Laughter encompasses the limits of the soul. In humor life is redefined and accepted. Irony and satire provide much keener insights into a group’s collective psyche and values than do years of research.” —Vine Deloria Jr., in Custer Died for Your Sins
Bio:
Tiffany Midge is a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and was raised by wolves in the Pacific Northwest. She is the recipient of a 2019 Pushcart Prize, the Kenyon Review Earthworks Indigenous Poetry Prize, a Western Heritage Award, the Diane Decorah Memorial Poetry Award, and was awarded a 2019-20 Simons Public Humanities fellowship. Tiffany is a former humor columnist for Indian Country Today and the author of Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s.
