Prescott Family Gift Honors Myaamia Elder and Supports Language Revitalization Efforts

OXFORD, OH – A generous $25,000 contribution from Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizen Nichole Prescott and her spouse, Sarah Looper Prescott, marks an exciting milestone in the renovation of the historic Bonham House, home to the Myaamia Center. The gift will fund the construction and naming of a Language Research Office, a dedicated workspace for the Myaamia Center’s linguistic team.

The renovation project aims to transform Bonham House into a cultural research hub, integrating functional staff spaces with architectural designs that celebrate the partnership between the Miami Tribe and Miami University.

Honoring Piitilaanoohkwa ‘Sharon Elliot Prescott’ 

Nichole, a Miami University alumnus, and Sarah have chosen to name the new office in honor of Nichole’s late mother, Sharon Elliott Prescott, a respected Miami Tribe Elder.

Sharon was an immense supporter of Myaamia cultural initiatives, especially in the early days of language revitalization work within the Miami Tribe, and was instrumental in establishing the Miami Women’s Council. She was very knowledgeable in Myaamia history and genealogy, and worked diligently to share cultural knowledge with all Myaamia people. 

“My mother was our family's matriarch and our north star,” said Nichole Prescott. “The one who kept us rooted in our Myaamia identity, who encouraged us to learn our language, and to know our people. Fiercely proud of being Myaamia, she made sure her children and grandchildren knew who they were and where they came from. In her later years, she gave that same fierce love to the whole tribal community, in part, by teaching Myaamia children our language. Naming this Language Research Office in her honor feels like the most natural expression of who she was: a connector, a culture keeper, and a Myaamia woman who believed that language is the heart of a people. She is gone, and this naming is our way of saying: her legacy and her work continue.” 

Advancing the $12 Million Vision

The Myaamia Center, in collaboration with University Advancement, is currently working toward a $12 million fundraising goal to complete the Bonham House renovations. Once finished, the facility will feature:

• A large multi-purpose space serving as an in-demand classroom for workshops and events
• Accessibility improvements to ensure that everyone can access all parts of the building and participate in community programming/li>
• Technology spaces, including those for digital archival activities and disseminating virtual educational programming 
• A student lounge supporting informal interactions among Myaamia students and with Myaamia Center staff
• A living room welcoming visitors into the Myaamia Center space and displaying cultural artwork and artifacts 

“In the early days of our efforts to breathe life into our language, it was elders such as Sharon Prescott who encouraged us to continue when the work seemed so daunting,” said Daryl Baldwin, executive director of the Myaamia Center. “Like many of us during that time, our efforts were not paid in dollars but in a belief that our identity was essential to our survival and that our ancestors had left this legacy record of language archives in hopes that a future generation would use it to nurture themselves. Sharon understood this, and having her name embedded within the very effort she dreamed of will serve as an important reminder of how resilient and vital our elders were during a very difficult time. We have what we have because previous generations left us something to work with. It’s now our time to honor them and invest ourselves in new resources for the next generation.” 

The Myaamia Center staff extend their deepest gratitude to the Prescott family for their continued support of cultural education and linguistic preservation.

To learn more about getting involved in the fundraising efforts, please visit the campaign webpage. 

For more information and media inquiries, please contact Stella Beerman, beermaej@miamioh.edu 

About the Myaamia Center at Miami University

The Myaamia Center is a Miami Tribe of Oklahoma initiative located at Miami University that serves the needs of Myaamia people through in-depth research and educational development that assists tribal educational initiatives aimed at the preservation of language and culture.