Maker Truck
Kwul. ’I’tkin. To Make.
The Kwul 'I'tkin Maker Truck is a mobile, cultural makerspace co-created by spectrUM, CSK Tribal Education, SciNation, and tribal elders on the Flathead Reservation. Equipped with both high- and low-tech tools and supplies, the maker truck travels to schools and community events across the reservation to engage K-12 students with hands-on STEM activities that weave together cultural and conventional forms of making.
In August of 2016, spectrUM and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes were awarded an NSF EAGER award to inspire the Flathead Indian Reservation's next-generation workforce through mobile, cultural making. The SciNation team purchased a Ford Transit Van and began to re-imagine the van into a mobile makerspace, equipped with a laser cutter and 3D printer.
The name of the Maker Truck comes from the Salish and Kootenai words for "to make". With support and input from both culture committees, the Kwul (Salish) 'I'tkin (Kootenai) Maker Truck was born.
The SciNation team met with both the Salish Pend d'Orielle and Kootenai Culture Committees to determine appropriate activities to develop for use with the Kwul 'I'tkin Maker Truck. Beading, drum making, and basket making activities are available for download.
Download the Kwul 'I'tkin Maker Truck Curriculum Booklet.
Role Models
All SciNation programs are rich with local and native role models. Many role models were involved in the development, planning, and implementation of the Maker Truck programming.
Eva Boyd
Myrna Dumontier
Jordan Stasso
Stephanie Gillin
Whisper Camel-Means
Media and Publications
Contact
To learn more, email spectrUM's associate director nicholos.wethington@umontana.edu or Stephanie Gillin with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
The Kwul 'I'tkin Maker Truck was developed with an EAGER grant from the National Science Foundation (award #1623554).