91

Where stories begin

For Antoinette Cavanaugh, storytelling preserves language, identity and belonging.

May 13, 2026
Curtis Vickers '07 M.A.
Watercolor illustration of two silhouetted figures stand on a sandy landscape, gazing at a vibrant, starry night sky with blue and purple hues.

From “Tammi’ tetevini, ‘Ne Hakannai Kimmakkante?’” by Antoinette Cavanaugh ’89 M.Ed., ’25 M.S., this watercolor illustration by Katelyn A. Gonzales evokes the Milky Way — Tosanazipokante — as a place of story, origin and intergenerational connection.

Where stories begin

For Antoinette Cavanaugh, storytelling preserves language, identity and belonging.

May 13, 2026
Curtis Vickers '07 M.A.

From “Tammi’ tetevini, ‘Ne Hakannai Kimmakkante?’” by Antoinette Cavanaugh ’89 M.Ed., ’25 M.S., this watercolor illustration by Katelyn A. Gonzales evokes the Milky Way — Tosanazipokante — as a place of story, origin and intergenerational connection.

Watercolor illustration of two silhouetted figures stand on a sandy landscape, gazing at a vibrant, starry night sky with blue and purple hues.

From “Tammi’ tetevini, ‘Ne Hakannai Kimmakkante?’” by Antoinette Cavanaugh ’89 M.Ed., ’25 M.S., this watercolor illustration by Katelyn A. Gonzales evokes the Milky Way — Tosanazipokante — as a place of story, origin and intergenerational connection.

For doctoral student Antoinette Cavanaugh ’89 M.Ed., ’25 M.S. (human development and family science), story is not simply a way to share knowledge — it carries identity, belonging and responsibility across generations. A member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation and of the Watta Tekka Newe and Akai Tekka Newe of the Western Shoshone, Cavanaugh understands storytelling as both inheritance and obligation.

“That is the way we pass on knowledge and understand our place in the universe,” Cavanaugh said. That belief sits at the heart of “Tammi’ tetevini, ‘Ne Hakannai Kimmakkante?’” (Little Brother Asks, “Where Did I Come From?”), a children’s book written by Cavanaugh in both Western Shoshoni and English. The book follows Tammi’, a young Shoshone boy, as he learns traditional Ways of Knowing within his family, community and the Tosanazipokante — the Milky Way.

For Cavanaugh, the book is deeply personal. The watercolor illustrations are by her niece, Katelyn A. Gonzales, and her husband, Norm Cavanaugh, served as the primary language consultant. Because Shoshoni has traditionally been an oral language, each word choice required care. Some terms carried cultural meaning that could not be directly translated. Others required deliberate creation.

Associate Professor Sarah Mitchell, whose course assignment sparked the project, says the book reflects the power of student-centered learning. “I told the students, ‘We can change the world’ will sound idealistic, but one book that you publish can change the world,” Mitchell said.

Daphne Emm Hooper, director of the Office of Indigenous Relations, placed the book within a broader historical context. “History has not been kind to Indigenous languages,” Hooper said. “There was a lot of shame and trauma that went along with the loss of our languages and how our languages were lost. (This book) is evidence of us moving forward in a way that people can be proud of.” “I hope this book inspires others to keep our language and storytelling going,” Cavanaugh said.

May 13, 2026
Curtis Vickers '07 M.A.