Rance Weryackwe’s research interests are Race, Rhetoric, and Representation; American Indian rhetorics and composition; and Cultural Rhetorics. He is a tribal member of the Comanche Nation. Having begun his post-secondary education at Haskell Indian Nations University, Mr. Weryackwe received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Native American Studies (NAS) at the University of Oklahoma and worked as a teaching assistant and an instructor for NAS's Introduction to Native American Studies while pursuing his graduate degree. He is actively involved in ceremonial, social, cultural, and political matters that affect Comanche tribal members and other communities throughout Oklahoma and Indian Country. His thesis research focused on recovering Indigenous aspects of OU through a place-based study, examining the Native history of the land as well the effects of race relations on Indians’ higher educational experiences in this space.
Since then, Mr. Weryackwe worked both as an adjunct instructor for OU’s English Department and as a Media Production Assistant for the First Americans Museum of Oklahoma (FAM) in downtown Oklahoma City prior to joining OU’s FYC team as an Assistant Teaching Professor. His writing appears throughout the museum, having been a part of the curatorial team which included working on numerous media projects and exhibits, including directing short-films and media interactive games, building maps, databases, timelines, and educational programs and tools, along with interior designs and the overall aesthetics within the museum. This work involved doing both primary (field) and secondary research as well as organizing data for projects across a range of media, creating structure and visual design for interactive games, and extensive writing of exhibit labels and extended labels as well as media content/storylines. While working on these projects, he was personally responsible for consulting with tribal nations, tribal members, and tribal historians to mediate between them and production crews and media design firms while coordinating and directing the productions.
Mr. Weryackwe has also produced a couple short-films as a co-founder of NDN Image Productions and worked as a featured background actor playing a Comanche on the AMC television series The Son.
Article in Native Max Magazine and on Native News Network, “Savages, Settlers, and Slaves: Red, White, and Black: Symbolism of Oklahoma Sooner Football and the University of Oklahoma”
