NSU accepting proposals for 51st Annual Symposium on the American Indian

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State University American Indian Heritage Committee is now accepting proposals for the 51st annual Symposium on the American Indian held on April 15-20, 2024 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Proposals are being accepted until Jan. 22, 2024. The 51st Annual Symposium theme focuses on “Indigenous Scholars Speak on Sovereignty: 100 Years after the Indian Citizenship Act.”

“The American Indian Heritage Committee will conduct a blind review of the proposals to finalize the Symposium agenda,” Interim Director for the Center for Tribal Studies, Melody Proctor said. “With the suggested presentation topics, we can host an event that allows Indigenous scholars to share their work on various topics with students, faculty, staff and community members without the financial barrier.”

This year’s theme seeks to provide a platform for today’s Indigenous Scholars to share their perspectives on sovereignty, Indigenizing education and scholarship, as well as highlighting the Indian Citizenship Act which was passed in 1924. Tribal sovereignty has been at the forefront of discussions in higher education and in the media since the Supreme Court McGirt ruling. 

Similarly, there has been an increase in the number of institutions adopting land acknowledgments, revising curriculum and practices to include more Indigenous knowledge, and those who have forged and are forging more genuine and reciprocal partnerships with Tribes. 

The primary goal of the Symposium is to broaden the audience’s perspectives on these topics which are especially relevant to our Tribal communities. Topics specifically addressed by the keynote scholars include history, law and literature. 

Keynote speakers include Dr. Kasey Keeler (Tuolumne Band Me-Wuk Tribal citizen) and Robert Miller, J.D. (Eastern Shawnee).

Keeler has her Ph.D. in American Studies and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaching in both American Indian Studies and the Civil Society and Community Studies programs. Her research is focused on federal Indian policy, land and dispossession, placemaking and contemporary issues impacting American Indians. Her debut book, “American Indians and the American Dream” was published this year. Her keynote will examine the complex and intertwined nature of race and citizenship in early land-based policies across the United States.

Miller is a legal scholar, specializing in Federal Indian law among other legal topics. Elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2014, his publications and experience include teaching, research and practice. Most of this work is centered on Indian law issues across the United States and other countries. His most recent publication “A Promise Kept” explores the circumstances and implications of McGirt v. Oklahoma from a legal and historical context. Miller’s keynote presentation will focus on this book and will highlight the impact of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. 

Submit your proposal today at https://tinyurl.com/Symposium2024.

For additional information, please contact the Center for Tribal Studies at 918.444.4350 or tribalstudies@nsuok.edu.