20th Annual Vine Deloria, Jr. Indigenous Studies Symposium Recordings
May 22-23, 2025
THURSDAY- MAY 22, 2025
MORNING SESSION
WELCOMING
LUMMI NATION WELCOME
- The Blackhawk Singers
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND INTRODUCTIONS TO THE SYMPOSIUM
- Symposium Master of Ceremonies- Tim Ballew Sr., (Lummi Nation), NWIC Faculty
LUMMI NATION INDIAN BUSINESS COUNCIL WELCOME
- Chairman Anthony Hillaire (Lummi Nation), Lummi Indian Business Council
NORTHWEST INDIAN COLLEGE
- Heather Jefferson (Lummi Nation), Wellness Coordinator Northwest Indian College
VINE DELORIA, JR. INDIGENOUS STUDIES SYMPOSIUM PLANNING COMMITTEE
- Dr. Victoria Walsey-Honanie (Yakama & Warm Springs) & Dr. Emma Norman (Italian/Welsh heritage)
We Were Told to Listen: Holding On to Our Responsibilities
Speakers
Tom Sampson (Tsartlip First Nation)
From Shoreline to Sovereignty: Aquaculture as a Living Legacy
Speakers:
Linda Delgado (Lummi)
Nick Kinley (Lummi)
Angelo Jefferson (Lummi)
Bernie Thomas (Lummi)
THURSDAY – MAY 22, 2025
AFTERNOON SESSION
REFLECTIONS IN LEADERSHIP: INDIGENOUS EDUCATION ACROSS NATIONS
Speakers:
Laural Ballew (ses yehomia), (Swinomish), Western Washington University
Wiremu Doherty, President, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi
Chelsea Craig PhD, (Tulalip), Principal of the Tulalip Elementray School
Anthony Craig, PhD, (Yakama Nation), University of Washington
LEGACY IN MOTION: THE ENDURING VOICE OF BILLY FRANK JR.
Speakers:
Willie Frank, (Qua-Lash-Qud), (Nisqually), Chair of the Wa-He-Lut Indian School at Franks Landing, Son of Susan Crystal and Billy Frank Jr., Former Chairman – Nisqually Indian Tribe
Peggen Frank, (SeiiNiiSeii – Stands Alone Woman), (Northern Arapaho), Billy Frank Jr. Leadership Institute/ Stands Alone Consulting LLC/Salmon Defense
A Wonderland of Possibilities: a talk and reading with Rena Priest
Rena Priest (Ce-Whel-tenaut), (Lummi), Writer
Protectors – Sculpture Honoring the spirit of
Vine Deloria, Jr.
Speakers:
Jason LaClair (Lummi), Artist
Friday – MAY 23, 2025
MORNING SESSION
OPENING PRAYER AND
SETTING THE INTENT
AND RECAP
Speakers:
Tim Ballew, Sr., (Lummi Nation), NWIC Faculty
Will Makoyiisaaminaa (Blackfeet Nation)
FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION: THE SNOW FAMILY’S COMMITMENT TO INDIGENOUS THOUGHT AND SOVEREIGNTY
Speakers:
Rev Tony Snow (Stoney Nakoda First Nation), United Church of Canada
William Snow (Goodstoney First Nation), Stoney Tribal Administration
Teresa Snow (PrettyEagle Woman/Cold Water Woman), (lyethka Nakoda/Yuma Quechan), “Recapturing Indigenous Data Sovereignty through Art Forms and Practices”
Relational Knowledge: Indigenous Visions for Land, Spirit, and Sovereignty
Ryan E. Emanuel (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina), Duke University
D. Kauwila Mahi (Kauwila), (Kanaka Maoli), University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Noenoe K. Silva, Professor, University of Hawai’i
Rooted Journeys: NWIC Students and Alumni Reflect
Speakers:
Rooted Journeys: NWIC Students and Alumni Reflect
Corey Blodgett-Edgar (Yakama), Northwest Indian College Student
Steffan Kinley (Lummi Nation), Northwest Indian College Alumni – Salish Sea Research Center
Orenda Jimerson (Ts’usk’aiy), (Upper Tanana Athabascan), Northwest Indian Student
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE- WA STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Speakers:
Representative Debra Lekanoff, (Tlingit), 40th Legislative District for House of Representatives
Friday – MAY 23, 2025
AFTERNOON SESSION
Knowledge for Survival: Indigenous Environmental Network
Speakers:
Mary “Missy” Crowe (Meli Koga), (Eastern Band of Cherokee), Indigenous Environmental Network
Michael Lane, Indigenous Sovereignty Advocate, Indigenous Environmental Network
Brenna Yellowthunder (Ho-Chunk, Navajo, Standing Rock), Indigenous Environmental Network
Jordan Harmon (Muscogee Creek Nation), Indigenous Environmental Network
FROM THEN TO NOW: TWO DECADES OF INDIGENOUS DIALOGUE
Speakers:
David E. Wilkins, PhD (Lumbee Nation), University of Richmond
CLOSING REFLECTIONS
Heather Jefferson (Lummi Nation), NWIC Wellness Coordinator & Tim Ballew Sr. (Lummi Nation), NWIC Faculty