Lynette St. Clair | Shoshone linguist & cultural preservationist

Women in Wyoming Podcast

Lynette St. Clair grew up in Ft. Washakie, Wyoming on the Wind River Reservation. A linguist, cultural preservationist, former educator and education consultant, Lynette is passionate about preserving and sharing the Shoshone language with the next generation and with the world. Lynette was awarded the National Johnson O'Malley Teacher of the Year distinction in 2015 for her implementation of technology to enhance language instruction to the children of the Wind River Reservation. She's been involved with statewide standards initiatives to address how the contributions of American Indians are taught in Wyoming classrooms, representing an authentic voice for indigenous people in the re-writing of history. Lynette's cultural projects include Shoshone Bingo, Art for the Sky, HOPA Mountain Cultural Exchange and Five Buffalo Days. During our interview, Lynette and I talk about her journey to becoming an educator and program consultant, as well as her mission to preserve and implement Shoshone language and culture as a means to instill pride and sense of self within the next generation on the Wind River Reservation.