by Deb
Pryor, Video Producer/Director, Kansas State University
ACE Grant Project 2013
Kansas
was named after the people who were here first, the Kansa or Kaw Nation. In
1873, the Kaw Nation was moved to Oklahoma. Through disease and starvation,
their numbers dwindled to 200 and their language nearly became extinct. Today,
the Kaw Nation has more than 3,000 members and they’re working to preserve
their heritage.
Deb Pryor, a video producer with Kansas State University, used the ACE Development Fund grant to begin work on a sabbatical project. Her goal was to create an interactive e-magazine featuring color portraits of Kaws in their powwow regalia, stories about how the Kaw are connecting to their roots, and embedded video clips to help readers get to know them better. Of the experience she said, “I learned how others are helping to preserve the proud heritage of the Kaw Nation, and the process and pitfalls of creating an interactive e-magazine. The sabbatical project would not have been possible without the help of an ACE Development Fund Grant.”