Native & Indigenous Research & arts Symposium

Thursday, March 6, 2025 & Friday, March 7, 2025 - Montezuma Hall

Howka (Kumeyaay greeting)! The Native Resource Center (NRC) at San Diego State University (SDSU) warmly invites you to participate in our 5th Annual Native & Indigenous Research & Arts Symposium (NIRAS) taking place from March 6-7, 2025 at Montezuma Hall on the SDSU campus.

NIRAS serves as an academic space to uplift diverse Native and Indigenous research, narratives, art, issues, and knowledges. NIRAS aims to center Native and Indigenous epistemological and methodological frameworks that are otherwise ignored within dominant Western academic settings. We also take a transnational approach to Indigeneity that disrupts settler borders and uplifts Indigenous experiences across the globe. Additionally, in honor of the Native American Music and Dance Conference organized by Dr. Vince Whipple (Lakota/Diné) in 2022 - we are excited to continue to integrate the arts as a prominent part of our symposium. NIRAS will include visual performances by local and regional Indigenous artists. 

Submission Guidelines:

We invite all students at SDSU and beyond committed to the sovereign identity and progress of Indigenous Peoples to submit a presentation proposal. Participants are encouraged to center Indigenous constructions of knowledge and the relational and reciprocal aspects of research. We are looking for proposals from all disciplines. Presentation proposals are not limited to academic papers; we also encourage creative channels such as short documentaries, storytelling, visual arts, dance, music, theatre, and other mediums that transmit diverse Native and Indigenous epistemologies. Presentation proposals should be relevant to at least one of the NRC’s four core pillars: 
 Decolonization & Sovereignty
Truth, Education & Growth
Indigenous Philosophies & Identity
Health & Wellness

Deadline to submit presentation proposals is Friday, February 14, 2025 by 11:59pm.

Submissions for 2025 are officially closed at this time.

Presenters will be notified of their acceptance status by or before midnight on Friday, February 21, 2025. Following selection and notification, chosen presenters may be requested to submit additional information or revise details based on the needs of the symposium.

Presentations will take place in-person on Thursday, March 6th from 10am-6pm and Friday, March 7th from 10am to 4pm at Montezuma Hall. Presentation time slots are 15 minutes long and we encourage presenters to stay for the duration of the symposium.

For questions and concerns, please email NRC Faculty Scholar, Matt Fowler at [email protected].

2025 Keynote Speaker: Joe Buffalo  

RSVP to Attend Here

NIRAS 2025 Schedule

Day 1 - March 6, 2025

10:00am-6:00pm

 

10:00-10:15am: Event Welcome & Opening Remarks

10:15-10:55am: Land Acknowledgement, Blessing, & Bird Singers

10:55-11:00am: Overview of Presentation Format & Introduction of Panel 1 Presentations

11:00-11:55am: Panel 1: Decolonization and Sovereignty  (15min each & 10min Q&A) 

• Eliana Hernandez - In Jiapsi, Jiak Kubajita Jiutia (In my Heart, a Yaqui Drum Sounds) Experiences of Developing Language Immersion Practices to Revitalize the Yoem Noki Language
• Flor Hernandez Zarate - Cempazuchitl's Library: A Model for Community Storytelling
• Taté Garcia - We Are All Related, We All Share the Air: A Brief Overview of Clean Air Mutual Aid

11:55am-12:05pm: Break

12:05-12:10pm: Introduction of Keynote Speaker: Joe Buffalo 

12:10-2:00pm: Screening of Joe Buffalo Film, Keynote Lecture, Q&A 

2:00-2:45pm: Lunch - Flavors of East Africa 

2:45-2:50pm: Introduce Panel 2 Presentations 

2:50-3:45pm: Panel 2: Indigenous Philosophies and Identity (15min each & 10min Q&A) 

• Celina Morales - How has my Native culture shaped me?
• Cherita Kowalec - Breaking the Cycle: The Impact of Foster Care on My Native American Identity
• Abrianna Pingleton - Exploring Indigenous Identity Through Larissa Fasthorse's "The Thanksgiving Play"

3:45-4:05pm: Break

4:05-4:40pm: Performance - The Neighborhood Kids 

4:40-4:45pm: Introduce Panel 3 Presentations 

4:45-5:40pm: Panel 3: Health and Wellness (15min each & 10min Q&A) 

• Derrick Herrera - Navigating Two Worlds: Indigenous Leadership in Non-Native Spaces
• Raquel Kinman - Understanding and Addressing Health Disparities in Native American Communities: An Epidemiological Approach
• Mia Fernandez Alfonso - Biomechanics of Indigenous Movement Patterns

5:40-5:55pm: Closing Performance: Pacific Islander Student Association 

5:55-6:00pm: Closing Remarks and Preview of Day 2 

Day 2 - March 7, 2025

10:00am-4:00pm

 

10:00-10:10am: Opening Remarks - Day 2 and Introduction of Panel 4 Presentations 

10:10-11:05am: Panel 4: Truth, Education, and Growth (15min each & 10min Q&A)

• Brianna Carignan & Magdalena Ramirez - The Humanity Across Stories of Resistance Film: Youth Empowerment through Artivism
• Skylar Tillman - Footprints of the Past: Truth & Reconciliation
• Malaya Pojas - Questions Unanswered: Understanding the Life of John Rodriguez

11:05-11:10am: Introduce Panel 5 Presentations

11:10am-12:05pm: Panel 5: Indigenous Philosophies and Identity (15min each & 10min Q&A)

• Ethan Concepcion - Pacific Island Identity and Colonization
• Fa'aea Tumanuvao - Beyond Paradise: Examining Globalization, Food Security, and the Obesity Epidemic in Pacific Island Nations
• Aiyiana Tiger - Intergenerational Healing

12:05-12:10pm: Introduction of CNNCTS Panel Keynote Speakers 

12:10-12:55pm: CNNCTS Round Table Panel: Martha Rodriguez, Theresa Gregor, Cliff Devers, Henry Najera, Johnny Bear Contreras

12:55-1:10pm: Q&A with CNNCTS Panel

1:10-1:55pm: Lunch: Halal Shack

1:55-2:25pm: Performance - Kozmik Force

2:25-2:30pm: Introduce Panel 6 Presentations

2:30-3:25pm: Panel 6: Truth, Education, and Growth  (15min each & 10min Q&A)

• Thomas Morales - DDT+ in the Southern California Bight
• Elita Branigan - AI on AI
• Edwin Calmo, Frankie Ramos, and Jacy Bowles - An Intergenerational Collaboration Towards Transformative Community and Climate Justice Through the Lens of A Young Oakland Leader

3:25-3:55pm: Closing Performance: Soaring Eagles and Green River Drum

3:55pm-4:00pm: Closing Remarks