Indigenous scholars headline NSU’s 52nd Annual Symposium on the American Indian – April 7-12

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Northeastern State University will welcome three Native American scholars to the Tahlequah campus for the 52nd Annual Symposium on the American Indian. The theme for this year’s symposium is “Reclamation for an Indigenous Future.”

The event will take place April 7-12 and is free and open to the public.

Attendees can expect conference-style presentations on the reclamation of identity and culture from noted Indigenous scholars throughout the week. The keynote speakers include:

Dr. Donald Fixico is an enrolled member of the Sac & Fox Nation and a descendant of the Shawnee, Mvskoke and Seminole peoples. He is a Regents' and Distinguished Foundation Professor of History at Arizona State University. Fixico will present “Modern Tribal Sovereignty in the 21st Century” on April 9, discussing the progression and success of modern tribal sovereignty among the Five Nations—Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw.

Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, who is Comanche and Kiowa, is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Central Oklahoma. Pewewardy will present “The Hunt for Red Pedagogy” on April 10. This presentation will offer an analysis of General Philip Sheridan’s American aphorism and the political strategy behind the “Indian Problem” during the Indian War Campaigns of the 1860s.

Dr. Sky Wildcat, a Cherokee Nation citizen with Mvskoke heritage, is a former Miss Cherokee and an NSU alumna. Wildcat will discuss the lessons she has learned about reclamation, drawing from her experience as a recent doctoral graduate. She will also use her dissertation to guide the discussion on April 11.

The NSU Symposium on the American Indian began as a one-day event in 1972 and has since evolved into a week-long, curated communal gathering featuring speakers, traditional arts vendor booths, concurrent workshops, film screenings and the highly anticipated NSU powwow. The event attracts visitors from across the U.S. and abroad.

The program is sponsored by Northeastern State University, the Cherokee Nation, the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, Councilor Candessa Tehee - District #2, the American Indian Heritage Committee and the Center for Tribal Studies.

For more information or a complete schedule of events, visit nsuok.edu/symposium, call 918-444-4350 or email tribalstudies@nsuok.edu.

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