Indigenous Internships

Indigenous Internship Program.

We are now Hiring Interns!

Learn more below.

Preferred Applicants.

  • Indigenous heritage preferred but not required

  • Demonstrated record of service to Indigenous or other marginalized communities

  • Be a person of intellectual and spiritual humility

  • Able to take direction and follow it

  • Detail-oriented, responsive, and organized

  • Interested in supporting Indigenous communities in their efforts to preserve their ancestral lands and cultural heritage

  • 18 years of age or older

  • U.S. citizen with a valid Social Security #

  • Have access to a computer and internet

Internship Requirements.

How it works.

  • You fill out the application

  • We invite you to an interview

  • We hire you

  • We send you a Task Agreement for a specific project, which includes:

    • What we need you to complete for the project

    • The due date

    • Details on how to complete the task

    • How much we are paying you; both hourly and in total

    • The estimated hours it will take for you to complete the task; note, there are no required daily or weekly hour commitments except for fieldwork; if we give you a task that takes 10 hours to complete, it is up to you to complete those 10 hours in any way you want as long as you meet the due date

  • You choose whether you want to complete the task by signing the agreement and sending it back to us. In this way, you can choose whether you have the time, skills, and capacity to perform particular tasks.

Compensation.

Interns will be paid a minimum of $18/hour before taxes. Actual pay rate will depend on the project you are asked to work on, the specific task agreement, and the state in which you live (i.e., taxes you have to pay).

All travel expenses for field work will be covered by us, with per diem provided. There is no holiday work, paid vacations, retirement plans, insurance, or other benefits/compensation as part of the internship.

Tasks.

Interns may be asked to perform any of the following; remember that you choose what you get involved in:

  • Conduct library and online research

  • Participate in ethnographic/ecological fieldwork

  • Record, transcribe, and code interviews

  • Assist in writing technical reports

  • Develop educational outreach materials and classroom curriculum

  • Present research findings at regional conferences and/or community meetings

  • Learn about career opportunities, resumes, financial planning, retirement planning, etc.

Helpful Skills & Abilities.

  • Undergraduate or graduate coursework in American Indian studies, anthropology, archaeology, education, museum studies, ecology, or a related field

  • Ability to work as part of a diverse research team

  • Ability to hear, see, and understand other people’s perspectives, especially when they are very different from your own

  • Ability to adapt to a dynamic work environment and quick changes in environmental conditions

About the Internship.

The intention of the Indigenous Internship Program is to offer students and early career professionals an opportunity to receive training in working with Indigenous communities and government agencies. Interns may engage in fieldwork with Indigenous elders and cultural experts at heritage sites. Many of our interns work directly with representatives from their own communities. While doing so, interns will also have ample opportunity to network with archaeologists, anthropologists, ecologists, environmental scientists, education/communication experts, and other professional staff from our international, academic, federal, state, and/or city partners. This allows interns to explore potential career opportunities. To accommodate those who cannot be in the field with us, we offer plenty of remote work as well.

Location & Duration.

This position is remote; you will only have to travel for fieldwork if you want to be involved in that. The length of your internship is ultimately based on the availability of funds, availability of project tasks, your skill sets, the quality of your work and attention to detail, and your ability to follow directions. Many of our interns have continued to work with us for many years on various projects. In other words, it could be as short or as long as you want it to be.

Course Credit.

HLC does not offer course credit for internships, but we will certify any work/study performed.

Reality Check.

  • Our youth are passionate and we love that, but passion without experiential wisdom only causes destruction and suffering, especially in relational contexts

  • We value your passion, classroom education, and personal experience as an Indigenous person, but we do not allow anyone near Tribal Elders who approaches with arrogance; we prioritize those who approach this experience with humility, knowing that this type of work is messy and difficult, and often takes place under conditions that are far from ideal

  • If you cannot overlook differences in culture, language, word usage, appropriateness, etc. and must have an ideal and comfortable world around you, this is not the experience for you

Expectations & Accommodations.

  • Complete Task Agreements to the end or notify us immediately if you are unable to

  • Perform all duties with guidance from HLC staff

  • Respect all informed consent and nondisclosure standards when working with community partners and HLC staff

  • Accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities, and those with other extenuating circumstances including family responsibilities, to gain as much out of their internship experience as possible

  • Field work:

    • Field work days may require up to 14 hours of work per day

    • Abide by all HLC field safety training and guidance

    • Work in adverse weather conditions, including heat, rain, and snow

    • Walk over uneven terrain, up/down hills, and through vegetation

    • Walk for distances up to a mile

    • Comply with all health and safety protocols including CDC Covid-19 Guidelines

Meet Our Interns

  • 2024 Intern

    Kjimi sha, nasa kuu ni (Hello, how are you)? My name is Jeamilett and I am Mazahua from San José del Rincón and Mixtec from Santiago Yosondúa. Currently, I am an incoming student at Brown University, where I plan to study environmental science and Native studies. In the future, I hope to attend law school to defend Indigenous land rights.

  • 2023 Intern

    Mark Wing is from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in southwest Colorado, where he grew up on the reservation, raised in Towaoc by Grandparents Mr. Albert Wing and Mrs. Jean Miller Ketchum-Wing. “Growing up with my Grandparents was [the] greatest part of my life, they had a summer camp up on the Ute Mountain then a winter camp…13 miles west of the Ute Mountain place…where they raise livestock, cattle, horses, sheep.” Mark’s mother Miss Dorinda Wing lived near his grandparents’ home in Towaoc. She attended San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico, graduating with a degree in special needs and early childhood education. “Growing up in elementary school I remember her working at the Head Start here in Towaoc…Then later…in the Re-1 School district as a childcare special needs aid…She and I attended Church services, where she participated in a training to be a preacher and running her own church in the future.”

    “I grew up following my mother’s footstep as well as my Grandpa’s footsteps in my career.” After high school, Mark worked for the Ute Mountain Tribe as a custodian and seasonal land survey assistant, and as a cowboy taking care of Tribal cattle, as well as in security at the Ute tribal casino and as a truck driver. His studies in early childhood education led to a position as a Native American Student Advocate and as a youth advisor coordinator. He serves on the Boards of the Ute Mountain TERO Commission, Ute Mountain Housing Board and a youth coalition in Montezuma County. He is also a Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Bear Dance Chief and a Sun Dance Chief for the Fort Hall Indian Tribe in Idaho.

  • 2021 Intern

    Joanie is a cultural anthropology student at the University of Northern Colorado. She focuses her studies on cultural conservation for indigenous people. Joanie is Hopi (Sun Clan), Meskwaki (Bear Clan), Ojibwe, and Cherokee, but culturally identifies as Hopi. Her interests include decolonization in academia, language preservation, indigenous sustainability, food, music, art, fashion, and movies. She has done cultural conservation work with the World Learning program, helping create Ayore.org, and working for Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute.

  • 2023 Intern

    Mak'we Nune'y Niya (Hello my name) Vansan Rose Vicenti, I am Ute/Jicarilla Apache from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. In 2019 I started my Internship with the Heritage Lands Collective. It has been great working with the HLC crew and the BLM. As an Intern there are great projects to work on with Ute Elders where you go on trips to go see the historic sites, see the petroglyphs, and to have the Ute Elders tell there side of their story of what might happen there and to collect the data to use for the projects.

    Being part of the trips and working as an Intern has been a great experience. As we share these projects with the community, hopefully they take away something they learn about the Ute historic Land. It's great that people are so interested in the history of the Utes.

    If there are any interns interested to apply for the HLC internship, Please Do! It's a great experience and a very great team who will help you along the way and you will learn a lot of skills as an intern, also great Trips and Projects.

  • 2021 Intern

    My name is Ritchie Sahneyah, I am Tobacco Clan from the Village of Tewa on the Hopi Reservation. I am a summer intern at Living Heritage Research Council, providing support to the Browns Canyon National Monument Ethnographic Study. I am currently pursuing a degree in Anthropology at Pima Community College. I enjoy being outdoors, ranching, farming, hunting, and exploring new places. My aspiration is to have a career in the Anthropology/Archaeology field and to educate people about the importance of preserving and understanding the history of ancestral people.

  • 2020 Intern

    I highly recommend this internship with HLC, you will be working with some of the most understanding people who are truly passionate about ethnography and cultural preservation. HLC definitely takes into account the community’s’ belief and value when conducting research especially Indigenous and Native groups.

  • 2024 Intern

    Hau em Pboyiohm dau Travis Mammedaty Ah Kaun, MamAhnTe, Ah Kgaui Kaun gaw KgauiK'yahin A daw. Hello, my name is Travis Mammedaty my Kiowa name is Mamante and is translated as “Standing High”, and I am a member of the Kiowa tribe. I am 41 years old and I am currently a student at Dine College pursuing my AA in Social and Behavior Science. The fall of 2024 I will be dual enrolled at Dine College where I will finish my AA and I will also be attending the University of Oklahoma where I am pursuing a BA in Cultural Anthropology. I have maintained a 4.0 GPA for the majority of my time in school and have made the President’s list.

    A little about my background is that I am from Oklahoma and was born and raised there. Aside from Kiowa I am Seneca-Cayuga on my mother’s side and I was raised in our Longhouse ceremonies in NE Oklahoma at the Basset Grove ceremonial grounds. I am also immersed in my Kiowa culture as well. I have been a Kiowa language instructor on different levels. I have taught Kiowa language for community classes and also at the University level. I have been an adjunct instructor for Bacone College in Muskogee Oklahoma, East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and the Fall of 2024 I will begin teaching Kiowa language at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Oklahoma.

    Furthermore, I have also been a traditional singer for most of my life, I started singing when I was 17 years old and have been doing that ever since. I have learned countless songs from many mentors of various tribes in Oklahoma. I owe credit to the late Jim Anquoe (KIowa) and the late Sonny Waters(Ponca) for being my mentors and teaching me the various songs and their meanings. I have helped youth in the Tulsa Oklahoma community with learning songs and also anyone else who may feel the urge to come to the drum and sing. I am also a working artist and have been painting for seven years. I have had solo shows and groups shows throughout the United States and I have had the opportunity to share my culture in that capacity.

    My main passion is learning our songs, language revitalization, and culture. I currently hold the position as the Language and Research Tech for the Kiowa Language Department in Anadarko, Oklahoma.

  • 2022 Intern

    When Joseph first joined us he was a new PhD student with a lot of experience in agriculture and land management. He had also worked with Tribal communities in the U.S. and internationally for many years in various capacities and as a researcher. He joined HLC to learn how to conduct ethnographic research and because working with Elders is his dream job. Today Joseph has become HLC’s Executive Director where he is working to expand the scope of our work with his diverse skill sets.