February 24, 2006

ASU hosts Indian sovereignty discussion

ASU will play host to a conference to explore contemporary issues affecting the political, environmental and cultural autonomy of Indians and Indian communities in the Americas. The conference, "Sovereignty Issues in Indian Country," provides participants with the opportunity to examine and discuss issues that shape sovereignty for Indian nations.

The event is sponsored by ASU's Ethnicity, Race and First Nations Studies program.

"The event will focus on sovereignty issues facing the American Indian community as they apply to the issues of education, biocolonialism, the local issue surrounding Snowbowl and the preservation of sacred spaces," says Gloria Cuadraz, the director of Ethnic Studies and an associate professor of language, culture and history at the West campus. "The issues are important and relevant to one and all."

The conference will run from 6 - 9 p.m., March 2, in La Sala at the West campus. The event is free and open to the public.

David Wilkins, professor of American Studies at the University of Minnesota and prominent scholar on American Indian law and politics, will lead and moderate the panel. He will provide a broad national and historical context for the sovereignty issues introduced during the panel discussion. Wilkins is a Lumbee Indian and is recognized as one of the nation's most prominent scholars on American Indian law and politics.

Invited speakers include Peterson Zah (Diné), adviser on American Indian Affairs for ASU; Leland Leonard (Diné), director of the Department of Diné Education, Navajo Nation; Debra Harry, executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism; and Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation office.

For more information on the conference, visit the Web site (www.west.asu.edu/newcollege/ethnicstudiespanel). For information relating to the annual "Music and Marketplace" event, contact Beverly Honanie at (602) 543-8138.