Symposium on the American Indian 2022

TAHLEQUAH — Keynote speakers at the 49th Annual Symposium on the American Indian will focus on viewing higher education through an Indigenous lens and the importance of Native youth voices.

Northeastern State University will host the annual symposium from April 4 to 9. The week-long event is free and open to the public. This year’s theme for the symposium is “Fulfilling Our Ancestors’ Dreams.”

Keynote speakers include: Dr. Robin Zape-Tah-Hol-Ah Minthorn, Dr. Corey Still and Megan Red Shirt-Shaw.

Red Shirt-Shaw will deliver her keynote talk “Amplifying the Voice of our Indigenous Youth” at 1 p.m. on April 5. Her presentation will be delivered virtually.

Red Shirt-Shaw’s presentation will focus on the importance of the voices of Native youth and the Natives in America literary publication, an online literary publication she founded for Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian youth. The website was featured on MTV News for its goal of bringing Native youth voices to the forefront of the conversation in America. Red Shirt-Shaw has been published in the Huffington Post, ThinkProgress, Model View Culture and by Last Real Indians.

Red Shirt-Shaw is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Currently, she is the director of Native Student Services at the University of South Dakota. Red Shirt-Shaw is also pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development with a focus on Higher Education at the University of Minnesota.

On April 7 at 1 p.m., Still will present “Intersectionality of Indigenous Language and Culture with Leadership in Higher Education.” His presentation will also be delivered virtually and streamed live to the University Center Ballroom.

A citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and first-generation college student, Still relates to many of the obstacles Native students face and has dedicated his life to help others achieve their educational goals.

He currently serves as the Director of Student Programming and Research for American Indian Graduate Center based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. His current research agenda includes Indigenous research methodologies, Indigenous representation in institutional policy, undergraduate Native men's experiences, Indigenous masculinity and Native American fraternities and sororities.

Minthorn will deliver her keynote speech at 10 a.m. on April 8 in the University Center Ballroom.

As part of her presentation “Walking with Our Ancestors: Indigenizing the Academy” she will discuss ways to Indigenize the academy that centers ancestral knowledge and relational learning while being community grounded. She will also explore ‘heartwork’ that centers and acknowledges that tribal ancestors continue to walk with their descendants as part of their life’s journey. A book signing will follow the presentation.

Minthorn is a citizen of the Kiowa tribe of Oklahoma and a descendant of the Umatilla/Nez Perce/Apache and Assiniboine Nations. She is an associate professor at the University of Washington Tacoma and also serves as the Director of the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program and Director of Indigenous Education Initiatives for the School of Education. Her research interests include Indigenous leadership, Indigenous based doctoral experiences, the impact Native American sororities and Indigenous motherhood in the academy.

For more information on the Symposium of the American Indian, visit  www.nsuok.edu/symposium or contact the NSU Center for Tribal Studies at 918-444-4350 or email tribalstudies@nsuok.edu.  Individuals will need to register online in order to receive Zoom links for virtual presentations.

About the Symposium:
The Symposium on the American Indian is a community event welcoming individuals from all demographics including K-12 and college students, educators, professionals and community members. There is no registration fee and events are open to the public.

The symposium began as a one-day event in 1972. Over the next 49 years, the symposium has evolved and expanded into a full week of speakers, concurrent sessions/workshops and film series attracting visitors from across the United States and overseas.

Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This project was also supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts.