Alumni Return For NSU Annual Symposium on the American Indian

TAHLEQUAH The alumni of Northeastern State University returned to their alma mater this spring for the 37th Annual Symposium on the American Indian not only to share their expertise in their chosen career fields, but also to share how the institution has impacted their lives.

Making alumni the focus of symposium gave them the opportunity to bring messages to Northeastern, not only sharing their expertise, but also to talk about what an important institution NSU is for preparing students for todays society, said Dr. Phyllis Fife, director of the NSU Center for Tribal Studies and one of the organizers of the annual events celebrating American Indian cultures. I have heard a lot of good comments about the symposium this year, and we had excellence turnout for our events even though we faced competition from many other events in the area.

Legacy, 1909-2009 brought many of the Universitys American Indian alumni back to campus, including actor and activist Wes Studi, Haskell Indian Nations University President Dr. Linda Sue Warner, writer Dr. Les Hannah, Cornell University graduate student Joshua Nelson, University of Oklahoma Professor Dr. Jerry Bread, University of Arizona Professor Dr. Tom Holm, NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry Dean Emeritus Dr. George Foster, Director of the Cherokee Nation Tsa La Gi Cultural Center Dr. Gloria Sly, American Indian Program Coordinator for the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Administration Kellen C. Eco Hopiye Palmer, NSU Assistant Professor of Social Work Dr. Gary Dan Davis, NSU General Council and Assistant to the President Dr. Amber Fite, Cherokee Nation Tribal Council Attorney Todd Hembree, NSU College of Education Dean Emeritus Dr. Fount Holland, U.S. Bureau of Indian Education Gaye Leia King, Alcatel-Lucent Technical Support for Telecommunications Switches John Callaway, and State Rep. Lisa Billy.

Topics covered during the week-long event included language preservation, American Indian law, literature, culture and music. The 2009 American Indian Symposium Film Series was also held during the week, featuring The Trail of Tears segment from the We Shall Remain Series on PBS, Wes Studis latest film The Only Good Indian, and a selection of works from filmmaker Sterlin Harjo.

We brought some unique forums and programs to the symposium this year that generated a lot of interest, particularly with the film series, said Fife. We scheduled it at just the right time to bring all of these people together to talk about their works. We also had some new things added to the symposium this year that gave us a few more topics for discussion.

The event featured for the first time the NSU Traditional Clothing Style Show, which concluded with the announcement of Dr. Lahoma Schultz as the NSU American Indian Alumni Association 2009 Distinguished Native American Alumnus. The symposium wrapped up with the Second Annual Oklahoma Workshop on North American Languages and the Annual NSU Alumni Powwow.

Planning began last summer for the 2010 Symposium on the American Indian, with the theme Oklahoma Fancy Dance. The fancy dance is a Plains Indian style of dancing that originated in Oklahoma, and organizers are taking that concept of innovation to create topics for the symposium, which is scheduled for April 14-17, 2010.

With this theme, we could talk about a lot of different topics relevant to our area, said Fife. We can focus on innovations and things that have evolved among the tribes in this state.

Collectively, about 3,000 people attended the 37th Annual Symposium on the American Indian, including both pre- and post-symposium events. To view, or purchase photos from the 37th Annual Symposium on the American Indian, visit http://nsuok.lifepics.com.

4/30/2009

Published: 2009-04-30 00:00:00