Housed inside the offices of the Native American Development Corporation in downtown Billings is the arts branch of NADC and the last person on its staff, Tally Monteau. Monteau is the program manager for TRIIA, which stands for Teaching, Reaching Innovative Indigenous Artists.
“Yeah, so we do it all,” Monteau said. “You can see from my board here, I’m quite busy. I did have a team. I don’t have a team. But, creating this strong online profile and then the business side of it.”
TRIIA recently hosted a ribbon cutting for a new beadwork supply store and community space in Havre.
“That is a big deal, a big push when it comes not only to economic development, but also Indigenous art and also to community building in a rural area,” she said.
Monteau is a Tribal member of the Hunkpati Dakota Oyate from the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation and a descendant of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe from Rocky Boy’s Reservation. She and TRIIA provide support across 22 different tribes and 11 Urban Indian communities. Now, there are two fewer staff positions available to help her.
TRIIA received federal funding through the Minority Business Development Agency up until this spring, when the Trump Administration dissolved the agency as part of a shift in priorities. Monteau said in April she received a letter ending the grant, effective immediately.
“I had to lay my team off. It was so heartbreaking, it was so sad,” she said. “And so right now I’m so busy, but it’s just myself.”
The whiteboard in Monteau’s office lists all the possible alternatives she’s pursuing. She said TRIIA received private funding that will last through the end of December. After that, she said she’s not sure.
“So it’s going back to the drawing board of how do we keep the work that TRIIA’s doing going.”
