
Julie Cajune watches a class Wednesday morning at Nkwusm, the Salish language school in Arlee where she is director of development. Photo by KURT WILSON/Missoulian)
Here’s a lovely story by Vince Devlin of the Missoulian about Julie Cajune and the terrific work she’s doing:
ARLEE – Julie Cajune isn’t sure which is more remarkable – how she came to be awarded a grant from the foundation of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg, or what she’ll be able to do with it.
The grant, worth $1.4 million, will cover three years, and Cajune will use it to develop some ambitious tribal history materials in a variety of media, including film.
Cajune, currently director of development at Nkwusm, the Salish language school in Arlee, loves to talk about that.
But the fortuitous series of events that led to the grant is almost a story in itself. Much had already happened before Cajune’s phone rang last summer and, out of the blue, and a Kellogg Foundation official urged her to develop a project and apply for a grant:
Howard Zinn had written a book.
Huilan Krenn had moved to the United States. From China.
Joan Melcher had written an article, about Cajune and a Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal history she had worked on, for Miller-McCune magazine.
Krenn is the key. A relatively new U.S. citizen, she works for the Kellogg Foundation. When she read Melcher’s article about Cajune, a light clicked on.








