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Secretary Deb Haaland made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. She is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican. Secretary Haaland grew up in a military family; her father was a 30-year combat Marine who was awarded the Silver Star Medal for saving six lives in Vietnam, and her mother is a Navy veteran who served as a federal employee for 25 years at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As a military child, she attended 13 public schools before graduating from Highland High School in Albuquerque. As a single mother, Secretary Haaland volunteered at her child's pre-school to afford early childhood education. Like many parents, she had to rely on food stamps at times as a single parent, lived paycheck-to-paycheck, and struggled to put herself through college. At the age of 28, Haaland enrolled at the University of New Mexico (UNM) where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and later earned her J.D. from UNM Law School. Secretary Haaland and her child, who also graduated from the University of New Mexico, are still paying off student loans. Secretary Haaland ran her own small business producing and canning Pueblo Salsa, served as a tribal administrator at San Felipe Pueblo, and became the first woman elected to the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors, overseeing business operations of the second largest tribal gaming enterprise in New Mexico. She successfully advocated for the Laguna Development Corporation to create policies and commitments to environmentally friendly business practices. Throughout her career in public service, Secretary Haaland has broken barriers and opened the doors of opportunity for future generations. After running for New Mexico Lieutenant Governor in 2014, Secretary Haaland became the first Native American woman to be elected to lead a State Party. She is one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress. In Congress, she focused on environmental justice, climate change, missing and murdered indigenous women, and family-friendly policies.
Chief Arvol Looking was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. His primary responsibility is serving as the 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe – a role he was given at the age of twelve making him the youngest pipe keeper in Lakota history. As keeper of the sacred Pipe he also serves as the spiritual leader to the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nation and advocates for the restoration of the Lakota Nation’s rights to the Black Hills—as guaranteed by the 1868 Laramie Treaty. He grew up in an era of religious suppression, where traditional Lakota ceremonies were outlawed in both the US and Canada from the early 1900’s until the Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978. His family was forced to hold Sundance, sweatlodge, vision quests, and healing ceremonies underground for fear of arrest by the police. Arvol’s advocacy of environmental and Indigenous rights and issues has been recognized globally as a recipient of the Wolf Award of Canada, the Juliet Hollister Award, a Non-Governmental Organization with Consultation Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. He is also the author of White Buffalo Teachings and a guest columnist for Indian Country Today. Since 1990, Arvol has also devoted himself to facilitate healing to all people and cultures through several sacred Prayer Rides on Horseback including The Annual Wintertime Chief Bigfoot Memorial Ride to Wounded Knee in order to mend the Sacred Hoop that was broken during the Massacre in 1890, The Unity Ride from B.C. to Six Nations in the early 2000s whose purpose was to heal historical trauma through the land and animals, and since 2005, he has supported and participated on the Dakota 38 Ride that takes place every December from South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota to honor the memory of the 38 + 2 Dakota men who died under order of President Abraham Lincoln the Day after Christmas in 1862 in what was the largest mass hanging in U.S. history.
Jewelry making has been a Reano family tradition for over a century. The Reano family legacy started with Jose Isidro Reano and Clara Lovato Reano. Janie Reano is proudly carrying on tradition. Clara introduced her to jewelry making by teaching her to cut olivella shells to create heishe beads. Then progressing to various stones and shells. Eventually, how to grind, sand and polish the beads. Years later, Janie would expandher skills under her Aunt Angie Owen. Learning the skills at creating mosaic jewelry. In 2016, Janie branched out at making her own style of jewelry. The influence of living in "Green" Oregon gave her the idea to recycle the left-over material used in creating necklaces and mosaic inlay. Janie recycled the material by drilling each small piece then tumbling them for several weeks. Then, 'stringing' up beads using sterling silver wire. The jewelry was debuted at the SWAIA Winter Market 2016. These days Janie collaborates with her mother, Rose Reano. She sells her jewelry year-round at the Palace of Governors in downtown Santa Fe and online at www.kewaparrotjewelry.com . She also participates at SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market and Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival in Indianapolis Indiana.
Brandon Baity is the Interim Executive Director of the Indigenous Association in Fargo, ND. He is originally from the Twin Cities and moved to the area in 2018. He is a descendant of the White Earth Nation, where his Father and Grandmother grew up. Brandon received his undergraduate degree in social work from the College of Saint Scholastica. He is deeply committed to community organizing, art, music, and learning more about his Anishinaabe culture and language and providing opportunities for other Indigenous community members to learn or teach about their culture. He was a founding board member of the Indigenous Association, and has worked toward the organization's goal of uniting, connecting, and strengthening the Indigenous community in the Fargo/Moorhead region since its inception in 2020. Indigenous Association website:https://www.indgns.org/
Cara Romero, born 1977 (Chemehuevi/ American)In a fine art photographic practice that blends documentary and commercial aesthetics, Cara Romero (Chemehuevi Indian Tribe) creates stories that draw from intertribal knowledge to expose the fissures and fusions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural memory, collective history, and futurity.Romero has held solo exhibitions in the US, UK, and Germany. Her recent group exhibitions include Our Selves: Photographs by Women Photographers at the Museum of Modern Art and Water Memories at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2022). Her public art projects include #TONGVALAND presented in Los Angeles by NDN Collective (2021); Restoration: Now or Never with Save Art Space in London (2020), and Desert X in the Coachella Valley (2019). Widely collected, Romero’s photographs are in private and public collections including those at the Denver Art Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum, The Hood Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the MoMA, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the MET. Romero was raised between the rural Chemehuevi reservation in California’s Mojave Desert and the urban sprawl of Houston. She is based in Santa Fe.
Monica Rickert-Bolter is a Chicago-based visual artist of Potawatomi and Black heritage. Her artwork uses traditional mediums, such as charcoal and pastels, graphic design, and digital coloring to create expressive characters and tell diverse stories. After her undergrad, Monica became involved with Native nonprofits, combining her love of art and education to develop youth programs and resources, including illustrating children’s books. She advocates for cultural representation and serves as a consultant for various institutions and organizations. Monica is a co-founder and the Director of Operations at the Center for Native Futures, a Native fine arts gallery that opened in September 2023. Currently, her artwork is featured in exhibitions at The National Museum of the American Indian, The Field Museum, the University of North Carolina Stone Center. Also, she will be collaborating on a public art piece with the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights.Websites:https://www.monicarickertbolter.com/Center For Native Futureshttps://www.centerfornativefutures.org/
Cray Bauxmont-Flynn is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Delaware Tribe of Indians, with ancestral ties to the Wyandotte, Mohawk, Muscogee Creek, and Chickasaw tribes. He currently serves as the Interim Executive Director of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, where he has been involved as a Board member and recently as Vice-President. In addition to his involvement in the arts, Cray runs his own interior design firm “Amatoya” and launched his own furniture collection inspired by his Native American heritage and culture, five years ago. In addition - Cray is also host of two podcast shows, one being "Beyond the Art," which is dedicated to the Native American art world. It provides a platform for Native American creative visionaries to share their personal stories and journeys. The other podcast – “Beyond the Design” is focused on the design industry and its various sectors..as Cray calls it the left side of his brain, fulfilling all aspects of his interest and passions.
Debra Yepa-Pappan (Jemez Pueblo/Korean) is a visual artist and co-founding director of exhibitions and programs at the Center for Native Futures (CfNF), a dynamic contemporary art space in the heart of Chicago dedicated to Native artists. Through her artwork and her work at CfNF she is committed to advocating for positive representations of Native people, and providing a safe and welcoming environment for Native artists to gather, exhibit, and be in community with each other.Website:https://www.centerfornativefutures.org/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/centernativefutures/https://www.instagram.com/yepapappan/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/centernativefutureshttps://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=debra%20yepa-pappan
Contemporary Native American artist Kent Estey is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe in Northwestern Minnesota. Kent’s lineage includes many self-taught artists where black-ash basketry, beading, birch-bark, and fiber artistry were everyday occurrences in his home. Kent’s preferred art form is painting with oils, acrylics, and inks. His paintings reflect feelings and emotions through his use of color and movement on the canvas. Kent says, “a lot of the time, the art happens by listening to my feelings. The colors, movement, and elements fall into place, creating something beautiful and intimately meaningful.” Some of his most recent work incorporates rock, metal, and collage on canvas and board. Kent’s work has been exhibited in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Duluth, Wahpeton, North Dakota, and other regional exhibitions and galleries in Minnesota. Most recently, Kent was awarded the Region 2 Arts Council Artist Fellowship for 2023-2024 and is serving as board chair of the Manoomin Arts Initiative on the White Earth Reservation. Kent has been an educator for most of his life, living and working in his hometown of Naytahwaush, Minnesota.Photo Credit: Jeremy Simonson
Bobby “Dues” Wilson is a Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota artist, dad, and comedian based in Phoenix, Arizona. Bobby was born and raised in the Twin Cities, back when you could still smoke at Ember’s Family Restaurant. Bobby’s family bounced around motels, apartments, Powwows and shelters through his childhood but there’s an olde saying amongst the Siouxan nations: shit happens. Wilson attended the Creative Arts High School where his interests in painting and poetry were heavily encouraged. He participated in youth art programs COMPAS arts in St. Paul, then rode the 16 (94 if you’re cashy) to Minneapolis where he trained mural painting like a champ under Roger and Peyton at Juxtaposition Arts. He painted several murals around the Twin Cities and enough graffiti to catch a couple cases. His visual art work can still be seen at the Minnesota Historical Society (I think) and the Chippewa Tribes building on Franklin. After some heavy life changes that we won’t get into it here (go watch Smoke Signals or something), Bobby found himself alongside the 1491s comedy troupe, traveling all accrosst Indian Country making fun of himself for money. Now Bobby works as a writer/producer on television series like Rutherford Falls, Echo (some MCU stuff?), and the Peabody award winning series, Reservation Dogs. He lives with his family, surrounded by the O’odham nations and urban Navajos who make really good tortillas! Did you know O’odham homies call frybread, “popovers?!” What even is that?!
Migizi Pensoneau is a citizen of the Ponca and Red Lake Nations. He was born and raised in Minnesota and attended school at Wesleyan University and received his MFA in Screenwriting at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe NM. Migizi is screenwriter, actor, writer, and producer for film and television, with work for Barkskins, Rutherford Falls, and Reservation Dogs and a founding member of the legendary comedy troop the 1491s. In this conversation we explore his influences and his story from the discovery comedy and B-movies with his brother to the work he is doing today.
Support the Writers Guild of America: https://www.wgacontract2023.org/strike-hub
Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire is a Native American actor, comedian, writer. His short film HEADDRESS that he wrote, directed, and starred in premiered at the 2023 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. He was a Story Editor and actor on the NBC comedy series RUTHERFORD FALLS by Mike Schur, Ed Helms, and Sierra Teller-Ornelas. Tai has been selected as a member of the 2022 Sundance Native Lab and was recently awarded The Indigenous list in Partnership with The Black List. He is a former house performer at Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre. He’s also performed at festivals around the country.
Links: https://www.wgacontract2023.org/strike-hub https://www.headdressfilm.com/
Website: https://www.taileclaire.com/
Raised on the Apsáalooke (Crow) reservation in Montana, Wendy Red Star’s work is informed both by her cultural heritage and her engagement with many forms of creative expression, including photography, sculpture, video, fiber arts, and performance. An avid researcher of archives and historical narratives, Red Star seeks to incorporate and recast her research, offering new and unexpected perspectives in work that is at once inquisitive, witty and unsettling. Red Star holds a BFA from Montana State University, Bozeman, and an MFA in sculpture from University of California, Los Angeles. She lives and works in Portland, OR.
Hunter C. Old Elk (Crow & Yakama) is the Assistant Curator for the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wy. Through curation, exhibition development, and teaching, she elevates Indigenous voices in museums and academia. A graduate student at Johns Hopkins University in Cultural Heritage Management, Old Elk holds a BA in history from Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland.
Richard West, Jr. is a founding director and Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. Richard West is a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne. He is also a 2021 inductee in the National Native American Hall of Fame. Prior to his time as the Director of the NMAI and the Autry Museum of the American West, he was an attorney in both New Mexico and Washington D.C. As of 2011 he has served on the board of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums.
His devotion to community and his incredible vision for leadership has been an inspiration to generations of Native American leaders…and the host of this podcast.
Tom Jones is an artist, curator, writer, and educator, where he is the professor of photography at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Fine Arts in Photography and a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois. Jones’ artwork is a commentary on identity, experience and perception of American Indian communities. For the past 25 years he has worked an ongoing photographic essay on his tribe, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. His current work Strong Unrelenting Spirits are portraits of tribal members, which incorporates beadwork directly onto the photographs. Jones co-authored the book “People of the Big Voice, Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1943.” He is the co-curator for the exhibition and contributing author to the book, “For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw” for the National Museum of the American Indian. His current book project is dedicated to Ho-Chunk baskets and their makers. His artwork is in forty public collections, most notably: The National Museum of the American Indian, Polaroid Corporation, Sprint Corporation, The Nerman Museum, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Museum of Contemporary of Native Arts, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, and Microsoft.
We are on a summer break until June 7th with Tome Jones II and back full time on July 5th with all new episodes to ride us through Season 4. And stay tuned, as HUGE episodes are coming.
Actor, director, & producer Román Zaragoza currently stars in CBS’ award nominated comedy series “Ghosts.” Zaragoza instantly became a fan favorite as Sasappis, a blunt troublemaker who tries to fill eternity by having a little fun & creating some drama. The series debuted on CBS in October 2021 to critical acclaim, with media calling it “charming” (Paste Magazine), stating that a “CBS comedy about the diverse spirits haunting an upstate manor is scary good” (The Wall Street Journal) & declaring that “it’s a superb cast full of fresh faces dropping quotable one-liners left & right” (TVLine). The Television Critics Association Awards also h&ed the comedy two nominations: Outst&ing New Program, & Outst&ing Achievement in Comedy in 2022. “Ghosts” premiered season two on September 29, 2022.In film Zaragoza serves as a producer on the short “This Is Their Land,” which premiered at the Dances with Films Festival in New York City on December 2, 2022. The film takes place during the Modoc War of 1872-73, follows the brave Modoc Civic Leader Captain Jack as he negotiates for peace in his homeland against the U.S. army, & the sacrifices he makes for the sake of his people. “This Is Their Land” is currently on the festival circuit. As a director Zaragoza most recently co-directed a music video entitled “Change Your Name” for artist Raye Zaragoza, one of his two sisters, which was inspired by their mother’s life & the intersectionality of changing names during the immigration process.Born in New York City, Zaragoza was raised in a melting pot of culture. He identifies as mixed race, being of Akimel O’otham & Mexican descent on his father’s side & Japanese & Taiwanese descent on his mother’s side. His father, acclaimed actor Gregory Zaragoza & mother, college business professor Shirley supported Zaragoza’s love for the arts from a very young age, with one of his earliest childhood memories spending time backstage watching his father star in the 1999 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun, alongside the legendary Bernadette Peters. Zaragoza & his family moved to Hell's Kitchen when he was nine, where he would take the subway to school & pass by all of the major Broadway shows, which would become a huge influence on his future career. By the time Zaragoza turned eleven, his parents moved the family to the west coast, settling in southern California where he continued taking acting, dance, singing, & improv lessons. When Zaragoza was fifteen, he began working with Native Voices at the Autry, the only Equity Native American Theatre company. It was there that he met his mentor, R&y Reinholz, who made an influential impact on Zaragoza’s life as well his show “Off the Rails” at Native Voices which was later selected to go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.Zaragoza attended Cal State University Northridge where he graduated with a degree in Film Production. He is a proud member of CSUN’s American Indian Student Association & continues his involvement post-graduation. While in college, he took time to go work with the prestigious Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF - 2017, 2018, 2019) where he was able to further hone his craft. Zaragoza notes that his time working with the company aided in discovering more about his identity, specifically his racial identity, bringing characters to life that were a vessel for Native, Asian, & mixed identities. Upon graduation & finishing his time with OSF, Zaragoza landed his biggest role to date, starring on CBS’ “Ghosts.” Zaragoza writes essays & poetry focusing on mixed representation in film, television, & theatre. On the charity front Zaragoza has supported a h&ful of organizations over the years including Seeding Sovereignty, Black Lives Matter, Return to the Heart Foundation, & IllumiNative, an initiative created & led by Natives to challenge the negative narrative that surrounds Native communities & ensure accurate & authentic portrayals of Native communities are present in pop culture & media.
Orlando Dugi is a Dine fashion designer based out of Santa Fe New Mexico. Self taught and incredibly driven ORLANDO DUGI is a made-to-order fashion brand located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and lead by designer, Orlando Dugi himself. Dugi’s designs are elegant, timeless, and intricate, often involving many hours of hand-embroidery and embellishing. Dugi’s been exhibited at the Denver Art Museum, Wheelwright Museum, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture amongst others. He has received numerous awards and recognition at places like the SWAIA, and Cherokee Art Show, Heard Museum Guild Art Show. This podcast is hosted in part by First American Art Magazine, the leading journal of Native arts, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary covering ancestral, historical, and living arts by Indigenous peoples of the Americas.Website:https://orlandodugi.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/orlandodugi/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/orlandodugi?lang=en
Gerald Cournoyer: Sending A Voice through September 30th, 2023https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/gerald-cournoyer/Northern Plains Summer Art Institute 2023 applications due May 1st 2023https://plainsart.org/northern-plains-summer-art-institute-2023/Indigenous Art Fair Saturday, May 13th, 2023
After moving from Mexico City to the United States, Xavier Tavera learned what it felt like to be part of a subculture- the immigrant community. Subjected to alienation has transformed the focus of his photographs to share the lives of those who are marginalized. Images have offered insight into the diversity of numerous communities and given a voice to those who are often invisible. Tavera has shown his work extensively in the Twin Cities, nationally and internationally including Germany, Scotland, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and China. His work is part of the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Plaines Art Museum, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minnesota History Center, Ramsey County Historical Society and the Weisman Art Museum. He is a recipient of the McKnight fellowship, Jerome Travel award, State Arts Board, and Bronica scholarship.Website: https://www.xaviertavera.com/
Erin Shaw is a painter of borderlands, the spaces between worlds. As a visual storyteller, the child of an Oklahoma farm, Shaw tills the rich soil of dichotomy through her masterful uses of color, iconography, and story. As a Chickasaw-Choctaw artist, she creates in a state of tension, suspended between two worlds where both solemnity and humor pervade her art. She finds that truths are revealed in unanticipated ways, and trickster often appears throughout her work. The artist earned her BFA in studio art from Baylor University and her MFA from the University of Oklahoma. She is Assistant Professor of Visual Arts at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR, an international speaker, and a featured artist in Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art, among other exhibits in the U.S.
Born in Oklahoma, Anita Fields is a contemporary Native American multi-disciplinary artist of Osage heritage. She is known for her works which combine clay and textile with Osage knowledge systems. Fields explores the intricacies of cultural influences at the intersections of balance and chaos found within our existence, explaining that “The power of transformation is realized by creating various forms of clothing, coverings, landscapes, and figures. The works become indicators of how we understand our surroundings and visualize our place within the world.” In this way, the early Osage concepts of duality, such as earth and sky, male and female, are represented throughout her work. Her sculptures have been featured in many solo and group exhibitions, including the 2020-2021 Weaving History Into Art; The Enduring Legacy of Shan Goshorn, Gilcrease Museum, Form and Relation: Contemporary Native Ceramics, Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, the 2018-2020 Hearts of Our People, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the 2018 Art for A New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950’s to Now at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.Her work was also included Who Stole the Teepee? at the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian, New York, and the 1997 Legacy of Generations: Pottery by American Indian Women at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas. Her work can be found in several collections, such as the Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian, the Museum of Art and Design, New York City, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, and the Heard Museum, Arizona.Fields was a 2017-2019 fellow with the Kaiser Foundation Tulsa Artist Fellowship program and is currently a 2020-2023 Tulsa Artist Fellowship Integrated Arts Grant awardee. Fields was the invited artist for the 2021 Eiteljorg Museum of Contemporary Art Fellowship. Fields was recently named a 2021 National Endowment of the Arts Heritage Fellow and a 2021 Anonymous Was A Woman award. In 2022 she received a Francis J Greenburger award.Website:https://www.anitafieldsart.com/about
Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neet'saii Gwich'in) is a writer/director/producer/actor living on the traditional territory of lower Tanana Dene lands in Alaska. She is humbled to build upon the work of so many other Indigenous creatives that have helped break trail for authentic representation in media. She is a Sundance Film Alum, a Nia Tero Storytelling Fellow, and Emmy-nominated writer and former creative producer for the Peabody award-winning PBS Kids series "Molly of Denali". Her short Gwich'in language film "Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr'eedaa", was named one of the 'brightest starts' at ImaginNative Film Festival and can be viewed at Reciprocity.org. She is currently in development for her first feature length film through her production company, Deenaadài Productions.Reciprocity.orgMolly of Denalihttps://pbskids.org/molly
Kalyn Fay Barnoski (b. 1990, Cherokee Nation enrollee, Muscogee Creek descent) is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, curator, and educator from Oklahoma. Centering Indigenous and decolonial methodologies, their work focuses on self-location, community-building, collaboration, and empathy through the use of music, publication, storytelling, and contemporary craft. In every endeavor, they see their practice as a way to find the ways in which we all intersect and to build bridges of understanding between. Their practice is “for you, for me, for us, for we.” Kalyn Fay Barnoski holds an M.F.A. from University of Arkansas (2021), an M.A. from The University of Tulsa (2016), and a B.F.A. from Rogers State University (2012). Kalyn has worked with Peabody Essex Museum, Philbrook Museum of Art, Gilcrease Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, Eiteljorg Museum, along with others, and performed, exhibited, and facilitated workshops both nationally and internationally.Links: Websites: https://www.kalynfay.com/https://www.kalynbarnoski.com/Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ojhmBnnR44AHdtGGK8f9q Bandcamp:https://kalynfay.bandcamp.com/IG:https://www.instagram.com/kalynfay/?hl=en
Diana is the Executive Director of the National Indian Education Association out of Washington DC. Through her passion and enthusiasm for supporting Native students, Diana has been a key driver in expanding NIEA's work beyond the halls of the U.S. Capitol to communities across Indian Country. She has helped shaped broader teacher hiring initiatives, created more opportunities for visits to tribal communities, acquired millions in grant funding for NIEA, testified before the US Congress in support of Native education, and inspired professional trust and collaboration among staff, colleagues, organizations and Native nations across the country. Her work has ensured that Native students have the best possible outcomes and educators have the best possible resources to support their efforts. Cournoyer directs the staff in carrying out the organization's Strategic Plan which includes: Advocacy; Building Tribal Education Capacity; Culture Based Education; Skilled Teachers and Leaders; Establishing Educational Standards, Assessments, and Accountability; and Post-Secondary Success.
Jonathan Thunder (b. 1977)Thunder infuses his personal lens with real-time world experiences using a wide range of mediums. He is known for his surreal paintings, digitally animated films and installations in which he addresses subject matter of personal experience and social commentary. Jonathan is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, and makes his home and studio in Duluth, MN.He has attended the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, NM and studied Visual Effects and Motion Graphics in Minneapolis, MN at the Art Institute International. His work has been featured in many states, regional, and national exhibitions, as well as in local and international publications. Thunder is the recipient of a 2020-21 Pollock – Krasner Foundation Award for his risk taking in painting. Since his first solo exhibit in 2004, he has won several awards for his short films in national and international competitions. His painting and digital work is in the permanent collections of multiple Museums and Universities.thunderfineart.comwww.instagram.com/jonthunder/www.facebook.com/JonathanThunder/
Chef Candace was born in Minnesota and lived on the white earth reservation until she moved out east with her mother in 2005. Finishing her culinary education at the Culinary Institute of America she has worked her way down the east coast and is now home in Fargo ND. She move back to the Midwest to be close to family and her culture. Candace moved home to share her passion for food and agriculture and hopefully be a support to those who aim to do the same.BernBaum's Website:https://www.bernbaums.com/
(From the Stephen Friedman Gallery)Jeffrey Gibson’s work fuses his Choctaw-Cherokee heritage and experience of living in Europe, Asia and the US with references that span club culture, queer theory, fashion, politics, literature and art history. The artist’s multi-faceted practice incorporates painting, performance, sculpture, textiles and video, characterised by vibrant colour and pattern.Gibson was born in 1972, Colorado, USA and he currently lives and works in Hudson Valley, New York.The artist combines intricate indigenous artisanal handcraft – such as beadwork, leatherwork and quilting – with narratives of contemporary resistance in protest slogans and song lyrics. This “blend of confrontation and pageantry” is reinforced by what Felicia Feaster describes as a “sense of movement and performance as if these objects ... are costumes waiting for a dancer to inhabit them.” The artist harnesses the power of such materials and techniques to activate overlooked narratives, while embracing the presence of historically marginalised identities.Gibson explains: “I am drawn to these materials because they acknowledge the global world. Historically, beads often came from Italy, the Czech Republic or Poland, and contemporary beads can also come from India, China and Japan. Jingles originated as the lids of tobacco and snuff tins, turned and used to adorn dresses, but now they are commercially made in places such as Taiwan. Metal studs also have trade references and originally may have come from the Spanish, but also have modern references to punk and DIY culture. It’s a continual mash-up.”Acknowledging music as a key element in his experience of life as an artist, pop music became one of the primary points of reference in Gibson’s practice: musicians became his elders and lyrics became his mantras. Recent paintings synthesise geometric patterns inspired by indigenous American artefacts with the lyrics and psychedelic palette of disco music.Links: Instagram: @jeffruneWebsites: https://www.jeffreygibson.net/Portland Art Museum: https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/jeffrey-gibson-they-come-from-fire/
Minneapolis-based artist, Maria Cristina (Tina) Tavera investigates the constructions of racial, ethnic, gender, national and cultural identity via numerous mediums including printmaking, installation, and public art. Tavera is a dual citizen with Mexico and the United States. Her artwork focuses on the Latinidad within the United States by examining cultural signifiers determined by our society on how people define themselves and their cultures in everyday life.Tavera holds a Master of Leadership in the Arts from the Humphrey School and a BA in Spanish and BA in Latin American Studies from the University of Minnesota. She has received fellowships and grants: McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship, Bush Leadership Fellowship, Shannon Leadership Institute, Smithsonian Latino Museum Studies program, Museum of Modern Art-New York, Forecast Public Art, Minnesota State Arts Board, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC), and Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME). Tavera has exhibited nationally and internationally, and artwork can be found in the collections of the City of Minneapolis Public Art, Weisman Art Museum, Fargo Plains Art Museum, Oglethorpe Museum, Tweed Museum of Art, Minnesota History Center, and the Biblioteca Central de Cantabria, Santander, Spain. Her writings have been published by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, as well as in a book titled, Mexican Pulp Art.Website: https://www.mariacristinatavera.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/tina.tavera/?hl=enFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/tina.tavera/Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Cristina_Tavera
Kevin Pourier is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, has been carving Buffalo horn on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota for about 20 years. Pourier is one of the only artists in the country working in the medium of incised buffalo horn. The works he produces carry forward Lakota artistic practices for creating spoons, vessels and other every day items of sublime beauty from the horns of the revered animal. His carvings reveal the beauty he sees in the world around us, utilizing imagery intent on inspiring thought, growth and creating the opportunity for education. Kevin’s award winning art has been collected by major museums and private collections worldwide. His work has been shown in Paris, New York City, Los Angeles, Denver and Kansas City. He is the recent recipient of the prestigious Best of Show Award at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts show held annually at Santa Fe, NM 2018.Links: Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/kevpourier Twitter: @kevinpourierInstagram: @kevinpourierWebsites: kevinpourier.com
Kay WalkingStick is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She is a Cherokee/Anglo landscape painter has had over 30 solo shows in the US and Europe. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, the Museum of Canada in Ottawa, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, The Newark Museum in Newark, NJ, the Whitney Museum of American Art, The National Museum of the American Indian, DC, The Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore MD, and many other museums across the country. Hales Gallery represents her work in NYC and Europe. WalkingStick was a full professor at Cornell University for 17 years where she taught painting and drawing. She is now an Emerita Professor. She was given an honorary doctorate by both Pratt Institute and by Arcadia University. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Design and the American Academy of Arts & Science. In 2015 her retrospective of 75 paintings and drawings covering the years from 1970 to 2015 opened at the Smithsonian, National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. After closing the exhibition traveled to five venues across the country. The show was listed by Hyperallergic on-line Magazine as one of the best 15 exhibitions to open nationwide in 2016. The NY Times gave the exhibit a full-page review written by Holland Cotter when it was shown at the Montclair Museum. WalkingStick and her husband, artist Dirk Bach, live and paint in a townhouse in Easton, Pa. WalkingStick had an exhibition of her recent landscape paintings at Hales Gallery in February and March 2022. Website: http://www.kaywalkingstick.com/Hales Galleryhttps://halesgallery.com/artists/138-kay-walkingstick/overview/
Thank you for an incredible season.
Be sure to check out elevenwarriorarts.com for more details.
Goota Ashoona is is a third generation Inuit artist. She is a multimedia artist, and a part of Canada’s premiere Inuit art family, the Ashoona’s of Cape Dorset. She was born in Cape Dorset and raised in an Inuit outpost camp at Lona Bay on the southwest coast of Baffin Island. She now lives in Winnipeg with her husband, Bob, and twin sons Joe and Sam.
Indigenous Art Fair on Saturday November 19th, 2022. Over 30 artists selling their work and crafts. Food for sale. Free screenprinted shirts designed by John Hitchcock Dance group demonstrating Northern Plains dance styles.
Liza Black is a citizen of Cherokee Nation. Cherokees have three federally recognized tribes: Eastern Cherokee Band of Indians, United Keetoowah Band, and Cherokee Nation. Cherokee Nation claims Black as a citizen. Cherokee homelands are in the Southeast of what is now called the US, but most of our tribe was forcibly relocated to Indian Territory in the 1830s.
Currently at UCLA, Black is completing her book manuscript: How to Get Away with Murder: A Transnational History of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. How to Get Away with Murder provides seven case studies of women and girls, including one trans woman. Although at UCLA, Black remains an Assistant Professor of History and Native American and Indigenous Studies at Indiana University where she is slated to be tenured in spring 2022. In 2020, Black published Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, a deeply archival book making the argument that mid-century Native people navigated the complexities of inhabiting filmic representations of themselves as a means of survivance. Black has received several research grants over her career, including the pre-, doc and post-doc fellowships from the Ford Foundation; the Institute of American Cultures at UCLA fellowship; and the Cherokee Nation Higher Education Grant.
Website: https://www.lizablack.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_liza_black
Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film
https://www.amazon.com/Picturing-Indians-Native-Americans-1941-1960/dp/149623264X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YKNT0MQ6KIII&keywords=liza+black&qid=1667432077&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=liza+black%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-1
In the final installation of 5 Scary Questions host Joe Williams speaks with friends and family as they share stories from their experiences.
Join us for part two of this star-studded event. Dallas Goldtooth, Raven Chacon, Loren Waters, Jana Schmieding, Chad Charlie, Dakota Mace, America Merideth, Kathleen Ash-Milby, Savannah Tallbear, Tanya RedRoad, and Pte/Buffalo Man returns with another astonishing story.
Part 1 of our annual Halloween series. Our past guests have shared strange and scary stories.
Tanya RedRoad (Little Shell Band of Chippewa Decedent of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa)owns a small catering business Tee's Taco's. She also currently works as the director of Toxic Taters Coalition. She has done advocacy and activism in many sectors that face systemic challenges for Indigenous communities. Those areas include, Domestic and Sexual Violence, Substance Use Challenges, Mental Health Concerns, Public Health initiatives around wellness for women including Native Women Speaking an HIV initiative, Youth programming in community efforts including Founder of FM Healthy Native Kids, ICWA(Indian Child Welfare Act), Land defending and water protection.
Tanya does a variety of community work with the Indigenous population to identify gaps and to be a voice to ensure the Indigenous perspective is heard. Tanya enjoys going to powwows, cultural ceremonies and cooking for the community. Tanya appreciates learning other cultures, while sharing hers. But most importantly is a mother of three and an auntie mom to her nephew and niece. Tanya also has two grandsons Ethan and Ezra.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/teesfrybreadtacos Email for events: TeesTacos@gmail.com
Peggy Flanagan is a mom, an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and Wolf Clan. She is the 50th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, the first Native American ever elected to serve in this role, and currently the highest ranking Native woman elected to executive office in the country.
She is a former State Representative, School Board Member, and non-profit executive, and through all these roles remained a strong advocate for those who have been historically underserved and underrepresented, including children, Indigenous people, communities of color, and working families. In partnership with Governor Walz, she established the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, which is the first in the Nation. They also successfully passed into state law a mandate for all state agencies to honor a government-to-government relationship with the 11 sovereign tribal nations within the borders of Minnesota, including the requirement for consultation when making decisions which have an impact on the tribal nations.
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LtGovFlanagan Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggyflanagan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyflanagan/
Websites: https://mn.gov/governor/
Ruth Buffalo is an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. She is originally from Mandaree. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Si Tanka University and two master degrees from the University of Mary: one in management, another in business administration, and a master of public health from North Dakota State University. Fargo Native American Commission (2017) and is currently on the Board of the National Native Boarding School Healing Coalition. She was recognized by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development as a leader, "40 under 40" in 2017. Ruth has served in various capacities focused on building healthy and safe communities. She was elected into the North Dakota House of Representatives in 2018 and proudly serves the people of District 27 in south Fargo. Ruth is the first Native American Democratic woman elected to the North Dakota Legislature.
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuthBuffalo4ND Twitter: @ruth4Nd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rep_ruth_buffalo_/
Websites: https://www.ndlegis.gov/biography/ruth-buffalo
NDWN: https://www.ndwomen.org/
North Dakota Farmers Union: https://ndfu.org/
North Dakota United: https://www.ndunited.org/
North Dakota AFL-CIO: https://ndaflcio.org/
New Leadership Northern Lights:
https://cawp.rutgers.edu/node/2448
Tamara St. John is an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation of South Dakota. She is the Tribal Archivist/Curator of Collections and works with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office on Cultural Preservation issues. She has been working on Native American Graves and Repatriation Act issues for the tribe with a long term goal of building a tribal visitor center and museum. Tamara is a Native American genealogist has done extensive research in the history of the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota or Oceti Sakowin. She has worked with the Minnesota Historical Society and along with other Dakota Tribes collaborated on the Commemorating Controversy: The Dakota–U.S. War of 1862 exhibition. She worked with North Dakota State University and The Center for Heritage Renewal participating in panel discussions on the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862 and The Massacre at Whitestone Hill. Tamara is a former board member of the South Dakota Humanities Council and works with both South Dakota and North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance organizations. Tamara was elected to the South Dakota State Legislature in 2018, completed her second term with the 2022 Legislative Session and will be running for re-election November 2022. Tamara is currently leading the work to repatriate two Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota children who attended the Carlisle Pennsylvania Industrial School for Indians in 1879. Both Amos LaFromboise and Edward Upright are buried at the cemetery in Carlisle, Pa. which is now an active military base. Since 2016 Tamara St. John has worked with other tribal nations to navigate the complex issues that surround the unique issues related to repatriations from Carlisle Indian School cemetery.
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamaraforSD
Twitter: @tamarajstjohn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamara_stjohn/
Heather is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe with Lineage to Eastern Shoshone, a mom of two amazing boys, queer and bold in her passion to make a positive impact on the next generations.
Heather has been involved in equity work her entire life; it’s not work that she chose to start at any one specific time. Rather, for Heather, the work of equity is a way of life.
Her formal educational training started with an associate degree in Marketing from Southeast Tech in Sioux Falls, SD. From there, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Project Management from MSUM. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Heather earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from MSUM.
Beyond her formal education, Heather has participated in numerous trainings and workshops; a sample of these efforts includes: The Blandin Foundation Community Leadership Training and The Bush Foundation’s BushCon.
Heather has also worked in many facets of equity work within the region. She led the Human Rights Task Force for Moorhead Area Public Schools, served as the Vice Chair of the Moorhead Native American Commission, and developed programming that laid a foundation for the Moorhead School District to hire a Director of Equity and Inclusion position.
In November 2020, Heather was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 4A representing Moorhead, Minnesota. This historic election cannot be underestimated, as she is the first Native LGBTQIA+ woman serving rural Minnesota in the legislature. This momentous accomplishment became a reality due to Heather’s unwavering commitment to foundational issues of education, equity, and healthcare for all.
Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heather4House Twitter: @repkeeler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather4house/
Kathleen Ash-Milby is Curator of Native American Art at the Portland Art Museum. She has organized numerous exhibitions of Native American art, including Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe). She was previously an associate curator at the National Museum of the American Indian and curator and co-director of the American Indian Community House Gallery in New York City. Publications include essays in Art in America, Art Journal, and Joseph Yoakum: What I Saw (2021). A member of the Navajo Nation, she earned her master of arts from the University of New Mexico. She is a proud mom and loves her new life in the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband, Edward.
NMAI: https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=985
Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe book: https://americanindian.si.edu/shop/publications/books-and-products#6363
Portland Art Museum https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/dakota-modern/
Find Kathleen's publications here: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Kathleen-Ash-Milby/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AKathleen+Ash-Milby
Savannah Tallbear is from the Kaw Nation, Southern Cheyenne and is Oglala Lakota, Savannah primarily works with acrylic and permanent inks. She is inspired by her childhood, heritage and daily life.
She has a presence online as Bears Will Kill You and Bear Hair is OK in various forms, a former college athlete, an advocate for those in need, and is a fantastic jewelry creator and painter. She is an advocate for Native voices and all around a great artist.
Links: Twitter: @bearswillkillu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearhairok/
Websites: bearswillkillu.redbubble.com
Esty: https://www.etsy.com/people/svntllbr1
Okie Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/okie-podcast-with-savannah-tallbear/id1550490884?i=1000570554022
Art Supply Posse Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/138-savannah-tallbear/id1119393753?i=1000558026546
Jana Schmieding (Mniconjou Lakota) is a writer, performer living and working in Los Angeles. Drawing from her experiences as a Native woman and feminist, Jana uses her creative work and advocacy to move the needle on Native representation in media and entertainment. She performs regularly in LA and hosts a podcast called Woman of Size where brilliant people discuss their experiences with body-based discrimination. Currently, Jana is a writer on the first Native sitcom on network TV, Rutherford Falls, starring Ed Helms, and is an avid bead artist.
Instagram: janaunplgd, womanofsizepod Twitter: @janaunplgd, @womanofsizepod
Chad Charlie is an Afro-Indigenous filmmaker from Ahousaht First Nation. Beginning his career in 2008 as a stand-up comedian and spoken word artist, he now extends the same passion for poetry and humor in his writing for TV and film. Currently he is a writer and actor for the hit television series Reservation Dogs on FX. Chad has directed several short films. The most recent of which, Firecracker Bullets, will be set for 2022 festival season.
IG: chadcharlieee Reservation Dogs: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/reservation-dogs Uu?uu~tah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6lemMQmPv0&t=26s
Filmmaker Loren Waters is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Kiowa Tribe. Focusing her art on the intersection of film and Indigenous storytelling, Loren has a passion for sharing stories that center environmental knowledge and impact. In prior years, Loren worked for the Cherokee Nation Film Office, and documentary-style television show, Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People. Recently, she has been the recipient of the 2020 Next Gen Under 30, while also taking part in fellowships such as 2021 Warner Media Bootcamp, and 4th cohort of the Intercultural Leadership Institute. Most recently, Loren was a Line Producer on the 2022 Sundance Film Festival selected short ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught), a film that is part of the Reciprocity Project by Nia Tero at Upstander Project. Recent projects to her experience include Season 1 of Reservation Dogs and the Martin Scorsese directed feature film, Killers of the Flower Moon. Currently, Loren is the Background Casting Director for Season 2 of Reservation Dogs. She is also in development of a short film titled, ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek), the fourth installment of a short documentary film series that focuses on tribal environmental professionals. The first two films, celebrating tribal environmental professionals, Polly Edwards and Yvette Wiley, premiered in 2019. The third film, Restoring Néške'emāne, screened at festivals such as deadCenter Film Festival, LA Skins, Durango Independent, and recently won Best Short Documentary at North Dakota Environmental Rights Film Festival.
Website: https://lorenwaters.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorenkaseyjewelry
IG: https://www.instagram.com/lorenkaseyjewelry/
Dallas Goldtooth is a Dakota actor, comedian, stage performer and public speaker from the village of Cansayapi within the territory of the Oceti Sakowin people. He has performed on FX’s Reservation Dogs, Comedy Central and the BBC. He is a film producer, playwright, and published poet. He is also a Dakota language activist, cultural teacher, dedicated father and loving husband.
Indigenous Environmental Network website: https://www.ienearth.org/ Dallas Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dallasgoldtooth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dallasgoldtooth/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dallasgoldtooth 1491s: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1491s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1491s/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/1491s Reservation Dogs: Website: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/reservation-dogs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RezDogsFX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rezdogsfx/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RezDogsFX
Buffalo Man is a South Dakota Hall of Fame artist with music featured in the motion picture ‘Doe Boy’ by Chris Eyres and the Emmy nominee Amazon Prime series ‘Bosch’. He continues to grow his musical repertiore with 3 released EPs and a multitude of singles that can be found on all major streaming platforms.
His motivation to create music that is poignant and diverting stems from being born and raised on the Ihanktonwan (Yankton) lands of South Dakota. Sharing their personal love of music his parents, Beverly and Greg Zephier, introduced musical production to him and his siblings with the creation of the band ‘Indigenous’. Buffalo wrote, recorded, and performed with his siblings from 1988 until 2006 touring across the US, Canada, and into Europe sharing the stage with well known artists such as BB King, Bob Dylan, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., and many more.
In 2006 Buffalo initially created ‘Disciples of Sound’ until transitioning into ‘Black Owl Society’ in 2010. Performing and recording with a range of talented musicians until being joined full time by his sister and drummer, Good Eagle Woman, in 2018.
With the creation of ‘Black Owl Society’ he opened the doors to writing music that carried the weighted words of his origins. Lyrics inspired by uniquely indigenous stories, experiences, and emotions carried on resonant guitar, powerful drums, and deep deferential bass, ‘Black Owl Society’s’ music will give listeners a fully enlightening experience.
Website: https://www.blackowlsociety.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrb_VgiP_uzpYi6cbwtypLA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/black_owl_society/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackowlsociety Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rmeXrlla5JybotaFe65o1
Recorded live on May 14th 2022, Isanti played a live session for listeners of 5 Plain Questions. Set List: Now Or Never 2:18 On The Brink 5:14 Leaves Me Down 7:49 Lakota Woman Blues 11:32 Bittersweet Serenade 14:14 Bliss 17:26 Intensified 20:15