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About Me

Freshly peeled tipi poles. These poles are made from lodgepole pine (pinus contorta) and western larch (larix occidentalis). We peel them and dry them to use as the base for our tipis.
Freshly peeled tipi poles. These poles are made from lodgepole pine (pinus contorta) and western larch (larix occidentalis). We peel them and dry them to use as the base for our tipis.

Hi there! My name is Elena DuMontier. I am a descendent of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, a mom, student, and Chief of Programs for a non-profit called Snqweylmistn. I grew up in a very small town on my tribe's reservation. 

I am an extremely passionate student and a dedicated learner. One of my long-term goals is to move forward into graduate school, with hopes of earning a PhD in psychology. I’ve worked with professors in the InPsych Program who are passionate, Indigenous scholars, leading the way for Indigenous students to bring their specific cultural and tribal knowledge to the field of psychology; Dr. Desiree Fox and Dr. Gyda Swaney are two examples of Séliš-Ql̓ispé PhD holders whom I look up to with tremendous respect. Somewhere in between my love for psychology, social justice, my community, and my love for my tribal culture, lies some kind of doctoral dissertation and an abundance of research–which I hope will come to fruition during my journey.

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