Peter James Iverson

As a young graduate student, I once asked Peter how could he be a teacher and research scholar and still maintain a healthy family life. He replied that he couldn't imagine doing the work without his family.

Peter and I were in a Freshman speech class at Menlo-Atherton High School. Then we parted ways. I am sorry to hear of his passing but am impressed with all his accomplishments, scholarship, and life of service to the Dine nation and others. I would have loved to have taken one of his courses. My condolences to the family.

Hi Karen, sorry to hear about Peter. We miss seeing you both. Blessings from Virginia and I keep safe our love Martin.

More important than anything else Peter was my friend for nearly forty years. Although we shared a PhD advisor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who told each of us we "had" to get together we didn't meet until I was a Visiting Professor at the University of Wyoming, clearly the single best academic year of my 44 year career. I learned a lot from Peter not only from his scholarship, but also from his caring relationship with students and Indigenous people. He was clearly one of the kindest and most thoughtful people I have ever known. Rest in peace my friend.

Reminiscences of Peter Iverson

Fall of 1974 I took a class on Native American history with Peter Iverson, who was then finishing his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. I had just received my Master’s degree a year earlier at the University of Helsinki, and this was my very first visit to the United States. I had written my MA Thesis on US Expansion to Plains Indians area in the late 19th Century and was anxious to study more. A good year after the second Wounded Knee several other students were of the same, and we all packed to hear this young teacher that I knew nothing of, but who seemed to be the only teacher at Madison teaching a course on Native American or even Western History. And did Peter Iverson fullfill the romantic needs of the wannabees. No, he did not. He started to talk about economic interests, land, self-determination, and such. No talk about battles, Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse (although all that did come later). I thought it was very interesting. I thought it made sense. That was what I wanted. I thought I’d better hang on with this guy. And that is what I have done ever since.
During that fall we became friends, as Peter took a special interest on me, as I think he did with everyone of his students. My wife Ritva and I were planning a Greyhound trip to the West during Christmas break as we wanted to see more of the United States not knowing if this could be our only chance. Peter spent plenty of time advicing us where to go and what to do, and introduced us the Southwest that later became our most visited area, and even a temporary home when my wife worked for the Vice-Chairman’s office of the Hopi tribe and we lived on the reservation (Peter and Kaaren visited us there, even if Peter preferred the Navajo), and when we were stationed at the University of Texas and lived in Austin (even if Peter had interesting opinions of Texas).
The past more than 45 years I had the privilege to know Peter, saw much of Atlantic crossing as we came to North America, and Peter and Kaaren visited Finland attending conferencies in Helsinki and Tampere, and Peter even acting as an official opponent for a doctoral dissertation in Turku. Peter was in Helsinki for my doctoral defense, for my inauguration and for my retirement. I was in ASU for Peter becoming a Regent’s Professor and his retirement. We went to Canyon de Chelly together, we went to Opera in Helsinki together, we visited several museums and sights both in US and in Finland together. Things friends do.
Peter introduced me to Western History Association. He introduced me to several people of Native American and Western History. He introduced me to John Wunder, and these two great scholars, Peter and John, separately and together, are mostly reponsible for the Finnish triumph in Native American and First Nations Studies, with such people like Pekka Hämäläinen, Rani-Henrik Andersson, Janne Lahti, and many others that Timothy Braatz called the Helsinki School of the American West. Peter also introduced me to many of his American students, some of who are now leading scholars in the field, and who have also found their way to the Maple Leaf & Eagle Conferences in Helsinki.
In early 1970s Native American History or even Western History was not in the focus of American History as it is now. Peter helped it to put there. He taught that history of indigenous people should be researched and written the same way and with the same integretity as any history. The special features of each individual group and person would emerge during the research and should not guide your work before it started. With his kindness, helpfullness, and intelligence, Peter Iverson could easily move across many boundaries, whether real or imagined. I think, it is for those of us who have been left behind to continue this work, and try to fill the gap his passing away has left for Native American Studies – no – the world.
I feel very privileged, honored, and indeed proud, to have called Peter Iverson my mentor, my colleague, and most of all, my friend.

Markku & Ritva Henriksson

It is with great sadness that I learned of Peter's passing. He was a wonderful teacher and mentor, and will be missed by many, including me. His life and work has been a great inspiration.