American Indian Identity Conference Schedule
Beshig geeshig (October 16th)
8:00 a.m. Registration/Coffee
8:30 – 9:00 Opening Ceremony/Song/Welcome
9:15 – 10:30 Law Panel “Who’s Legal and Why Should or Shouldn’t That Matter?”
10:45 – 12:00 Arts & Humanities Panel “Representations in Art, Literature and
Cultural Production”
12:30 – 2:00 Keynote/Lunch (Cornel Pewewardy)
2:15 – 3:45 Multi-Cultural Perspective Panel: “Beyond Boundaries, Jurisdictions and Definitions.”
3:45 – 4:15 Break
4:15 – 5:30 Roundtable--Open Discussion/Toward Recommendations
6:00—9:00 Reception/Performance – Dr. Cornel Pewewardy’s Musical Performance
Lincoln Room/Kellogg Center
Neesh Geeshig (October 17th
8:00 - 9:00 Makade mushkeekee waboo - Coffee
9:15 – 10:45 Tribal Nations Panel “Relationships with Academy and How We Account for Our Own.”
11:00 – 12:15 History Panel “Determining Ourselves: Perspectives on Tribal History and Identity”
12:15 – 1:30 Keynote Lunch (Steve Russell)
1:45 – 2:15 Conference Summary and Proposed Research Project
2:15 – 4:15 Closing remarks by keynote speakers and other invited guests
Closing song by Tree Town Singers
CONFERENCE COMPONENTS
The two day conference will examine key issues such as:
- Who should be designated as American Indian in universities? Who should represent American Indians in American Indian higher education programs and departments?
- How are institutional definitions of American Indians being used in determining whether administrators, faculty, staff or students should be considered, or designated as American Indians? How should those definitions be used? Should universities comply with their own definitions?
- What do current statistics tell about the composition of administrators, faculty and staff, designated as American Indians in institutions of higher education? For example, how have those people statistically designated as American Indian been identified?
- Should tribal enrollment be considered in determining American Indian identity in universities?
- Does tribal sovereignty have a place in determining American Indian identity, in institutions which serve their members?
- What are the legal implications of adhering to tribal or human resource definitions of American Indians in the academy?
- How has current university practice of allowing self-identification among faculty politicized the academy?
- How has affirmative action as a quest for diversity influenced the numbers and standards for determining who is American Indian in universities?
- How has university demand for faculty production influenced the validation of American Indian identity in the academy and beyond? For example, what kind of production makes one an American Indian academic? How does this tie into issues of self, identity and cultural affiliation?
- In what ways have past practices in the academy, including methods, theoretical foundations and modes of production influenced the issues of American Indian identity in the academy?