Saturday Symposium
This symposium highlights Native perspectives from across our region and beyond to engage the public in meaningful conversations about. issues of importance to Indigenous communities and the broader public.
Native scholars, artists, tribal officers, and Elders come together in a series of four panels to explore how history, language, and art shape Indigenous and upper midwestern understandings of the past and the present.
Panel 1 | 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM | Theatre 2
Tribal Perspectives on Historic Preservation
Tribal nations in our region have been working diligently to preserve and protect historic places, rejuvenate Indigenous languages, develop heritage tourism, and repatriate ancestors and belongings. In this wide-ranging discussion, tribal historic preservation professionals — tribal historians, archaeologists, and consultants — will discuss their work, its challenges and rewards, and, ultimately, why they believe tribal historic preservation matters. They will also highlight the ways that tribes are collaborating with other agencies to document and protect the history of our region.
Moderator: Hollie Mackey (Northern Cheyenne), North Dakota State University
Panelists:
Evan Schroeder, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Evan Schroeder graduated from North Dakota State University in 2021 with a BS in Anthropology. Since completing his degree, he has worked as Museum Assistant for the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County and as Tribal Cultural Monitor for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Since January 2022, Evan has been serving as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Fond du Lac Band, a sovereign Ojibwe nation located in what is currently understood to be northeastern Minnesota.
l Iron Eyes (Sihasapa na Hunkpapa Lakota, Thanktowanna Dakota), al Archaeologist, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Tyrel Iron Eyes has been an enrolled member of Standing Rock since birth and the Tribal Archaeologist for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe since 2022. Having received his BA in 2019, Tyrel has worked for non-profit organizations, had a brief run in academia, and is now fulfilling the duties of Tribal Archaeologist while pursuing an MA (expected fall 2024). He has done fieldwork and consultations throughout Oceti Sakowin ancestral territory, from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes regions. Said work has involved coordinating with several different federal, state, private, academic, and tribal entities. Tyrel’s identity as a Lakota is deeply important to him, belonging to the Sihasapa and Hunkpapa bands of Lakota and the Ihanktowanna Dakota, and this manifests as advocacy for Indigenous voices to address issues that are affecting Native peoples. His focus is on Indigenous archaeology, NAGPRA, ethnohistories, and place-making.
Cetan Wanbli Williams (Cheyenne, Oglala, Ojibwe, and Santee), Indigenous Environmental Science and Education Communications Consultant
Cetan Wanbli Williams was raised in the Denver Metro area, and his family has been active members of the Denver Indian community for multiple generations. His professional experiences have included teaching high school science on the Mille Lacs reservation in Minnesota, restoring bison with the Intertribal Bison Council, educating young Native professionals with the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, filling an executive-level position with the Southern California Indian Center, and consulting with tribal entities on the development of hemp and cannabis operations. Currently, Williams provides industry-related consultant services including technical services related to Bison Rematriation; multimedia production; operations management services; community education; regulatory and compliance strategy; and branding, marketing, and product development.
Panel 2 | 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Theatre 2
Voices from the Densmore Repatriation Project
Over 100 years ago, ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore of Minnesota met with dozens of Lakota Elders on Standing Rock and recorded traditional songs onto hand-cranked wax cylinders. Today, with help from generous funders, the Densmore Repatriation Project works to make these recordings more accessible to Lakota communities and their allies by digitizing and re-recording many of these important pieces of music as well as creating learning guides and activities that contextualize these historic songs. This panel brings together producers and advisors of this project to discuss the technical process of working with archival songs and the importance of bringing these songs back into Lakota communities.
Moderator: Tasha R. Hauff (Mnicoujou and Oglala Lakota),TRHAUFF, LLC
Panelists:
Courtney Yellow Fat (Hunkpapa Lakota), Standing Rock Iyapi
Courtney Yellow Fat is a Hunkpapa Lakota, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. He is a well-known singer, storyteller, and educator. He is the drum keeper and lead singer of the Grammy nominated and Nammy award-winning drum group Lakota Thunder. He was an associate producer and cultural director for the Densmore project. He is the current director of the Standing Rock Language and Culture Institute. He is proudest to say that he spent 23 years as a teacher. He finds it rewarding and spiritually awakening passing these teachings on to the children of the Standing Rock Nation.
Virgil Taken Alive (Hunkpapa Lakota)
Virgil Taken Alive is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. He comes from the Running Antelope district in Little Eagle, SD. He is an advocate for the L/Dakota people, often serving as an Eyapaha, or announcer, for many families across Standing Rock. He is also a retired radio personality of 20+ years at the local radio station KLND. His is often found speaking with Elders and youth about issues that affect them the most. He is always willing to sit down and share stories and history to those willing to learn. He is a member of the Elders Preservation Council and sees a great need to pass down our history, culture, stories, and language to the next generation.
Terry Yellow Fat (Hunkpapa Lakota)
Terry Yellow Fat is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe residing in Fort Yates, ND. He is a retired educator of more than 40 years, having served as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. He is a US Army Veteran. He was raised in Kenel, SD, by his grandparents who instilled in him the Lakota values and virtues that he uses to teach his children and grandchildren today. He was also brought up in the Lakota way of life by many men and women who had the foresight to pass their teachings on to the generation underneath theirs. He still practices the Lakota way and spiritual way of life today, passing his knowledge down to whoever wants to know it.
[This presentation is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2216524. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the participant(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.]
Panel 3 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Theatre 2
Practicing Shared Authority in Museum Exhibit Creation
Incorporating Native American voices into historical interpretation in museums through shared authority is a vital practice that enriches historical narratives and ensures they are more accurate, inclusive, and respectful. In 2021, the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (MN) marked the 150th anniversary of the county with a new exhibit, Ihdago Manipi: Clay County at 150. Makoce Kin Ihdago Manipi [Dakota] means, “They leave marks as they come through here.” The staff at the museum wanted to tell an inclusive story about the county’s history and invited a team of Native American scholars to participate in the curation process. This panel will discuss the method used to create the exhibit and the importance of shared authority in that process. Attendees are invited to go to the Hjemkomst Center across the river in Moorhead to see the collaboration results.
Moderator:Angela Smith, North Dakota State University
Panelists:
Gwen Westerman (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota), Minnesota State University, Mankato
Dr. Gwen Westerman was part of the Native scholar team that advised the curators while working on the exhibit. She is a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and brings a unique perspective to the discussion. She is the co-author of Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota, which won a 2013 Minnesota Book Award and a 2014 Hognander Minnesota History Award. She teaches American and Native nations literatures, Technical Communication, and Humanities to Minnesota State University, Mankato, undergraduate and graduate students. She received the Douglas R. Moore Faculty Research Award for her work on Dakota history and language and is a Distinguished Faculty Scholar in recognition of her work as a scholar, poet, and artist.
Emily Kulzer, Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County
Emily Kulzer is the director of Museum Operations at the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County. A 2017 graduate of North Dakota State University’s Public History Program, she is involved in researching, designing, and building exhibits that highlight Clay County’s rich history and culture.
Dakota Goodhouse (Standing Rock), United Tribes Technical College
Dakota Goodhouse is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock band and a Native American Studies instructor at United Tribes Technical College in Mandan, ND. He worked at Fort Abraham Lincoln for many years and understands shared authority through teaching and working at historic sites.
Panel 4 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Theatre 2
Water Talks: Perspectives from Sierra Gorda (Mexico) and Standing Rock
This panel focuses on the perspectives of Indigenous communities impacted by natural resource extraction and water conservation issues. Water Talks is moderated by Delia Touché, Curator of Indigenous Programming at the Plains Art Museum, with panelists Tyrel Iron Eyes, Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães, and Marinus Otte. This panel is an extension of an exhibition at the Plains Art Museum by the same name. Both the panel and exhibition highlight two projects that raise awareness about water sustainability and access. The work of Tyrel Iron Eyes documents the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, while the work of Magalhães and Otte, at Universidad Autonóma de Querétaro and North Dakota State University respectively, centers on community concerns about the environment and water accessibility in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Mexico.
Moderator: Delia Touché(Spirit Lake Nation), Curator of Indigenous Programming, Plains Art Museum
Panelists:
Tyrel Iron Eyes (Standing Rock Lakota and Dakota), Standing Rock Tribal Historic Preservation Office
Raised on the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, Tyrel is a Sihasapa and Hunkpapa Lakota, and Ihanktowanna Dakota. His upbringing on his ancestral territory with the strong influence of his Lakota and Dakota ancestry and culture shapes his photography and art. Depictions of day-to-day life and ordinary moments hold a special importance to him, stemming from a desire to remember the way we live outside of performative moments.
Tatiana Lobato De Magalhães, Universidad Autonóma de Querétaro
Lobato De Magalhães is a research professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Mexico, and has specialized in wetland research and education for more than 10 years, with a strong focus on ecology, genetics, and distribution of aquatic plants. Currently, she is International Chapter chair at the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), associate editor of the scientific journals Aquatic Botany and Wetlands, editorial member of the Springer book series Wetlands: Ecology, Conservation, and Management, recognized by the National System of Researchers in Mexico, and certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist by the SWS. She was awarded the 2021 Academic Merit medal by Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, the “José Marino Monciño (1757–1829)” medal by the Mexican Society of Botany, and the 2018 Graduate Research Fellow Wetland Ambassadors by the SWS.
Marinus L. Otte, North Dakota State University
Otte is a professor at North Dakota State University and has specialized in wetland research and education for more than thirty years, with a strong focus on pollutants and phytoremediation. His work includes research projects and teaching in many countries around the world, including the Netherlands, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Northeast China, Taiwan, several states in the USA, and most recently in Mexico. He has been editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Wetlands since 2012 and has published almost 100 peer-reviewed articles.