Our presentations inspire a new awareness and deep appreciation for the past and present-day contributions of Native Americans. Please contact us to inquire about the speakers’ fees and to schedule one or more of the following lectures or presentations.
If you would like to engage one of our speakers, please email LaRay Guerrero at LaRay@indigenouscultures.org
Dr. Mario Garza
Lilia Raquel Rosas
Jodi Voice-Yellowfish
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
I strive to continue the traditions and share my knowledge to the public about the indigenous cultures of Mexico, I’m Ricardo Alarcon and began performing at the age of 9, and as a young adult, represented Mayan Culture for more than a decade at Xcaret, Mexico’s popular ecological park located in the Mayan Riviera. I eventually moved to Texas and formed Grupo Pakal, a Mayan Dance Company. I represent this cultural heritage through ancient ceremonial dance rituals to traditional native music.
I am Marika, a Lipan Mescalero Apache. I am a direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of spirit and body, midwives, and plant medicine practitioners. My mother, grandmother, and aunt handed the medicine down to me. I am here to help in the healing of others and to pass on these teachings I have been given. I believe that I should teach all people who have the dedication and spiritual will to use these teachings as Mother Earth and the generations before me intended.
I am Chickasaw, Taos Pueblo and enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I am a passionate cultural educator, motivated to share my knowledge to cultivate and enhance the tribal and professional livelihoods of our communities. I take pride in participating in and immersing myself in many diverse indigenous cultures and letting my family and community values guide my work. I have a Master’s in Education Policy and Analysis, and I am currently enrolled at Baylor University studying to obtain my PhD in Learning and Organizational Change.
Nan Blassingame is Cheyenne from Hammon, Oklahoma. She is the Creator and Designer of Native American Notions. She fuses modern day textiles with her Native American heritage. She was a featured designer at New York and Austin fashion weeks. She is also the Program Director for Great Promise for American Indians 501 (C)(3). Nan presents on her experiences in the fashion industry and working for a 501(C)(3).
Meet Alanna Bluebird, a transformative artist and the founder of HEAL, Helping Every Artist Live. With a passion for creativity and self-expression, Alanna has pursued a diverse range of artistic endeavors throughout their career. As a professional photographer, Alanna has captured stunning images that have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. In addition to their work behind the camera, Alanna is also an accomplished spoken word poet, captivating audiences with their powerful performances. They have also self-published a children’s book. As an artistic director and producer, they have brought together diverse artists to create truly unforgettable productions.
Through their work with HEAL, Alanna has helped countless artists to realize their full potential, providing resources and support to help them thrive. Their commitment to helping others has made a real difference in the artistic community, and their own creative work continues to inspire and transform. Overall, Alanna is a true artist at heart, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring others to do the same.
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in Mexican American/Chicane, Latine, and Native American/Indigenous Literatures and Cultures. Her work examines the performative literacies of Mesoamerican peoples and how the legacy of writing in the Américas is re-membered in contemporary literary and musical practices. Lydia is a mother of three sons and a bassist and percussionist in the duo, Rico-ico.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Dr. Mario Garza is an elder of the Miakan/Garza Band of the Coahuiltecan, a state-legislature-recognized tribe of Texas. He has a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. from Michigan State University and he currently researches and presents educational lectures about Native Americans. Dr. Garza has decades of involvement in the Native American community, including repatriation of remains, successful development of indigenous nonprofits, re-establishment of ceremonial sites, Native arts and events, and political issues. His presentations include:
LaRay is an enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe and Apache on his father’s side. LaRay earned his Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science at Baylor University. He is currently employed as the Deputy Chief Field Agent for Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office. He is currently the Presentations Coordinator for ICI and serves on the Board of Trustees for Texas Native Health. He is a founding member of Indigenous ACE (an indigenous performance group). LaRay has been heavily involved in native culture and customs since a young age. He gives lectures throughout the country, providing insight and knowledge in regards to Indigenous customs, dances, religious practices, etc.
My name is Delvin Johnson, Beaver Clan, and a citizen of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. I sit on many committees within my reservation such as Johnson O’Malley, Alabama-Coushatta Cultural Committee, Powwow Association, and Tribal Enrollment. I work in the field of finance where I am employed with Indian Health Service which offers health, dental, and behavioral services within the reservation and surrounding communities to Native Americans. Growing with strong Coushatta values, I believe it’s important to educate the world about my people on our journey to Texas, struggling to keep our lands, language, traditions, and how we are still here.
Pablo Montes is a descendant of the Chichimeca Guamares and P’urépecha people from the valley of Huatzindeo, specifically from a small rancho called La Luz at the foot of the Culiacán mountain. They are a Queer first-generation scholar and is an Assistant Professor in the Curriculum Studies Program at Texas Christian University as of Fall 2022. They spent 6 years in Tza Wan Pupako (Austin, TX) where they recently received their Ph.D. in the Cultural Studies in Education program at the University of Texas at Austin within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Their main research interests are at the intersection of queer settler colonialism, indigeneity, and Land education. Their dissertation project emphasis the transformational learning spaces that Two-Spirit, Queer, and Trans Indigenous educators create alongside their Indigenous community, with Land, and other Queer Indigenous people. Additionally, they have served as the Native Youth Director for the Indigenous Cultures Institute where they helped lead the annual Summer Encounter which brought elementary-aged youth for a ceremonial one-week experience lead by community and the elders of the Miakan-Garza Band.
Crystal practices Mexica tradition; Chichimeca and Chiricahua Apache lineages. She has a background in Public Health with a graduate degree from New Mexico State University and Culinary Arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Her expertise is in chronic disease management, nutrition, and in indigenous Mexican food preparation and how these foods and traditional ways of cooking relate to our health.
Host of Indigenous Freedom Radio, “Uncle Gene” is an activist, elder, Gourd Dancer and Powwow M.C. From growing up de-tribalized to Indigenous spirituality, the Indigenous perspective on Racism, and the many issues, past and present in the news, he addresses those topics in an engaging manner to inform and to make our indigenous cultures more visible in todays world.
Multiple time World Champion in the Men’s Fancy War Dance. I have had the opportunity to travel to showcase my style and share the stories that go along with this dance style. I am also a storyteller/flute player/ singer of native songs. My background is also choreography with the American Indian Dance Theatre, Native Pride and the Anoli Dance Group.
Lilia Raquel Rosas is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but also calls Austin home after living and working with its diverse communities for two decades, including as the Executive Director of Red Salmon Arts, a Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Indigenous-centered cultural arts organization. She is the proud daughter of a retired cook/former bracero and a retired domestica. She joined the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UT Austin as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in 2018, where her teaching and research interests include relational and comparative Ethnic and Queer Studies through the histories of (me)Xicana/o/s, African Americans, women, indigeneity, and race and sexualities. Recently, Lilia Raquel was awarded a U.S. Latino Digital Humanities-Mellon Foundation Grants-in-Aid to initiate the project, “Tejana Historias: Indigenous Indentations and Trans-frontera Transformation,” a visualization of the Tejana experiences from the Paleoindian Period to the present.
Jeremy Thompson is an Iroquois professional lacrosse player for the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. His traditional given name is GaaGwaGyeHé “the sun is leaning”. I am from the Onondaga nation Haudenosonee confederac
I Chair the organization MMIW Texas Rematriate (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). We help Indigenous families in the crisis scenario that a relative is missing. We aid in ways ranging from missing persons fliers to on the ground searches. I lead our group by finding resources to make this things happen and in community education. I have spoken at many events and even did a TEDx Talk on what MMIW work is and how to go beyond the “movement” work towards real tangible work. I strive to educate every opportunity I have.
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Pablo Montes is a descendant of the Chichimeca Guamares and P’urépecha people from the valley of Huatzindeo, specifically from a small rancho called La Luz at the foot of the Culiacán mountain. They are a Queer first-generation scholar and is an Assistant Professor in the Curriculum Studies Program at Texas Christian University as of Fall 2022. They spent 6 years in Tza Wan Pupako (Austin, TX) where they recently received their Ph.D. in the Cultural Studies in Education program at the University of Texas at Austin within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Their main research interests are at the intersection of queer settler colonialism, indigeneity, and Land education. Their dissertation project emphasis the transformational learning spaces that Two-Spirit, Queer, and Trans Indigenous educators create alongside their Indigenous community, with Land, and other Queer Indigenous people. Additionally, they have served as the Native Youth Director for the Indigenous Cultures Institute where they helped lead the annual Summer Encounter which brought elementary-aged youth for a ceremonial one-week experience lead by community and the elders of the Miakan-Garza Band.
Crystal practices Mexica tradition; Chichimeca and Chiricahua Apache lineages. She has a background in Public Health with a graduate degree from New Mexico State University and Culinary Arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Her expertise is in chronic disease management, nutrition, and in indigenous Mexican food preparation and how these foods and traditional ways of cooking relate to our health.
I Chair the organization MMIW Texas Rematriate (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). We help Indigenous families in the crisis scenario that a relative is missing. We aid in ways ranging from missing persons fliers to on the ground searches. I lead our group by finding resources to make this things happen and in community education. I have spoken at many events and even did a TEDx Talk on what MMIW work is and how to go beyond the “movement” work towards real tangible work. I strive to educate every opportunity I have.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
I strive to continue the traditions and share my knowledge to the public about the indigenous cultures of Mexico, I’m Ricardo Alarcon and began performing at the age of 9, and as a young adult, represented Mayan Culture for more than a decade at Xcaret, Mexico’s popular ecological park located in the Mayan Riviera. I eventually moved to Texas and formed Grupo Pakal, a Mayan Dance Company. I represent this cultural heritage through ancient ceremonial dance rituals to traditional native music.
I am Chickasaw, Taos Pueblo and enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I am a passionate cultural educator, motivated to share my knowledge to cultivate and enhance the tribal and professional livelihoods of our communities. I take pride in participating in and immersing myself in many diverse indigenous cultures and letting my family and community values guide my work. I have a Master’s in Education Policy and Analysis, and I am currently enrolled at Baylor University studying to obtain my PhD in Learning and Organizational Change.
Nan Blassingame is Cheyenne from Hammon, Oklahoma. She is the Creator and Designer of Native American Notions. She fuses modern day textiles with her Native American heritage. She was a featured designer at New York and Austin fashion weeks. She is also the Program Director for Great Promise for American Indians 501 (C)(3). Nan presents on her experiences in the fashion industry and working for a 501(C)(3).
Meet Alanna Bluebird, a transformative artist and the founder of HEAL, Helping Every Artist Live. With a passion for creativity and self-expression, Alanna has pursued a diverse range of artistic endeavors throughout their career. As a professional photographer, Alanna has captured stunning images that have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. In addition to their work behind the camera, Alanna is also an accomplished spoken word poet, captivating audiences with their powerful performances. They have also self-published a children’s book. As an artistic director and producer, they have brought together diverse artists to create truly unforgettable productions.
Through their work with HEAL, Alanna has helped countless artists to realize their full potential, providing resources and support to help them thrive. Their commitment to helping others has made a real difference in the artistic community, and their own creative work continues to inspire and transform. Overall, Alanna is a true artist at heart, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring others to do the same.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
LaRay is an enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe and Apache on his father’s side. LaRay earned his Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science at Baylor University. He is currently employed as the Deputy Chief Field Agent for Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office. He is currently the Presentations Coordinator for ICI and serves on the Board of Trustees for Texas Native Health. He is a founding member of Indigenous ACE (an indigenous performance group). LaRay has been heavily involved in native culture and customs since a young age. He gives lectures throughout the country, providing insight and knowledge in regards to Indigenous customs, dances, religious practices, etc.
Multiple time World Champion in the Men’s Fancy War Dance. I have had the opportunity to travel to showcase my style and share the stories that go along with this dance style. I am also a storyteller/flute player/ singer of native songs. My background is also choreography with the American Indian Dance Theatre, Native Pride and the Anoli Dance Group.
Naakaii represents the Dine (Navajo) Nation. He is currently studying to obtain his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. He was previously employed by Tesla. He is also a World Champion Hoop and Fancy War dancer who designs and constructs his regalia, which utilizes designs and elements from his Dine culture. While pursuing his degree, Naakaii created and ran his own business centered around the Art and story of Hoop Dancing. His presentations include Dine traditions relating to family relationships and food ways, also Navajo sports and the use of mascots.
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
I Chair the organization MMIW Texas Rematriate (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). We help Indigenous families in the crisis scenario that a relative is missing. We aid in ways ranging from missing persons fliers to on the ground searches. I lead our group by finding resources to make this things happen and in community education. I have spoken at many events and even did a TEDx Talk on what MMIW work is and how to go beyond the “movement” work towards real tangible work. I strive to educate every opportunity I have.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
I am Marika, a Lipan Mescalero Apache. I am a direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of spirit and body, midwives, and plant medicine practitioners. My mother, grandmother, and aunt handed the medicine down to me. I am here to help in the healing of others and to pass on these teachings I have been given. I believe that I should teach all people who have the dedication and spiritual will to use these teachings as Mother Earth and the generations before me intended.
I am Chickasaw, Taos Pueblo and enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I am a passionate cultural educator, motivated to share my knowledge to cultivate and enhance the tribal and professional livelihoods of our communities. I take pride in participating in and immersing myself in many diverse indigenous cultures and letting my family and community values guide my work. I have a Master’s in Education Policy and Analysis, and I am currently enrolled at Baylor University studying to obtain my PhD in Learning and Organizational Change.
Nan Blassingame is Cheyenne from Hammon, Oklahoma. She is the Creator and Designer of Native American Notions. She fuses modern day textiles with her Native American heritage. She was a featured designer at New York and Austin fashion weeks. She is also the Program Director for Great Promise for American Indians 501 (C)(3). Nan presents on her experiences in the fashion industry and working for a 501(C)(3).
Meet Alanna Bluebird, a transformative artist and the founder of HEAL, Helping Every Artist Live. With a passion for creativity and self-expression, Alanna has pursued a diverse range of artistic endeavors throughout their career. As a professional photographer, Alanna has captured stunning images that have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. In addition to their work behind the camera, Alanna is also an accomplished spoken word poet, captivating audiences with their powerful performances. They have also self-published a children’s book. As an artistic director and producer, they have brought together diverse artists to create truly unforgettable productions.
Through their work with HEAL, Alanna has helped countless artists to realize their full potential, providing resources and support to help them thrive. Their commitment to helping others has made a real difference in the artistic community, and their own creative work continues to inspire and transform. Overall, Alanna is a true artist at heart, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring others to do the same.
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in Mexican American/Chicane, Latine, and Native American/Indigenous Literatures and Cultures. Her work examines the performative literacies of Mesoamerican peoples and how the legacy of writing in the Américas is re-membered in contemporary literary and musical practices. Lydia is a mother of three sons and a bassist and percussionist in the duo, Rico-ico.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Dr. Mario Garza is an elder of the Miakan/Garza Band of the Coahuiltecan, a state-legislature-recognized tribe of Texas. He has a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. from Michigan State University and he currently researches and presents educational lectures about Native Americans. Dr. Garza has decades of involvement in the Native American community, including repatriation of remains, successful development of indigenous nonprofits, re-establishment of ceremonial sites, Native arts and events, and political issues. His presentations include:
LaRay is an enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe and Apache on his father’s side. LaRay earned his Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science at Baylor University. He is currently employed as the Deputy Chief Field Agent for Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office. He is currently the Presentations Coordinator for ICI and serves on the Board of Trustees for Texas Native Health. He is a founding member of Indigenous ACE (an indigenous performance group). LaRay has been heavily involved in native culture and customs since a young age. He gives lectures throughout the country, providing insight and knowledge in regards to Indigenous customs, dances, religious practices, etc.
My name is Delvin Johnson, Beaver Clan, and a citizen of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. I sit on many committees within my reservation such as Johnson O’Malley, Alabama-Coushatta Cultural Committee, Powwow Association, and Tribal Enrollment. I work in the field of finance where I am employed with Indian Health Service which offers health, dental, and behavioral services within the reservation and surrounding communities to Native Americans. Growing with strong Coushatta values, I believe it’s important to educate the world about my people on our journey to Texas, struggling to keep our lands, language, traditions, and how we are still here.
Host of Indigenous Freedom Radio, “Uncle Gene” is an activist, elder, Gourd Dancer and Powwow M.C. From growing up de-tribalized to Indigenous spirituality, the Indigenous perspective on Racism, and the many issues, past and present in the news, he addresses those topics in an engaging manner to inform and to make our indigenous cultures more visible in todays world.
Multiple time World Champion in the Men’s Fancy War Dance. I have had the opportunity to travel to showcase my style and share the stories that go along with this dance style. I am also a storyteller/flute player/ singer of native songs. My background is also choreography with the American Indian Dance Theatre, Native Pride and the Anoli Dance Group.
Lilia Raquel Rosas is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but also calls Austin home after living and working with its diverse communities for two decades, including as the Executive Director of Red Salmon Arts, a Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Indigenous-centered cultural arts organization. She is the proud daughter of a retired cook/former bracero and a retired domestica. She joined the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UT Austin as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in 2018, where her teaching and research interests include relational and comparative Ethnic and Queer Studies through the histories of (me)Xicana/o/s, African Americans, women, indigeneity, and race and sexualities. Recently, Lilia Raquel was awarded a U.S. Latino Digital Humanities-Mellon Foundation Grants-in-Aid to initiate the project, “Tejana Historias: Indigenous Indentations and Trans-frontera Transformation,” a visualization of the Tejana experiences from the Paleoindian Period to the present.
Jeremy Thompson is an Iroquois professional lacrosse player for the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. His traditional given name is GaaGwaGyeHé “the sun is leaning”. I am from the Onondaga nation Haudenosonee confederac
Naakaii represents the Dine (Navajo) Nation. He is currently studying to obtain his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. He was previously employed by Tesla. He is also a World Champion Hoop and Fancy War dancer who designs and constructs his regalia, which utilizes designs and elements from his Dine culture. While pursuing his degree, Naakaii created and ran his own business centered around the Art and story of Hoop Dancing. His presentations include Dine traditions relating to family relationships and food ways, also Navajo sports and the use of mascots.
I Chair the organization MMIW Texas Rematriate (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). We help Indigenous families in the crisis scenario that a relative is missing. We aid in ways ranging from missing persons fliers to on the ground searches. I lead our group by finding resources to make this things happen and in community education. I have spoken at many events and even did a TEDx Talk on what MMIW work is and how to go beyond the “movement” work towards real tangible work. I strive to educate every opportunity I have.
Nan Blassingame is Cheyenne from Hammon, Oklahoma. She is the Creator and Designer of Native American Notions. She fuses modern day textiles with her Native American heritage. She was a featured designer at New York and Austin fashion weeks. She is also the Program Director for Great Promise for American Indians 501 (C)(3). Nan presents on her experiences in the fashion industry and working for a 501(C)(3).
Meet Alanna Bluebird, a transformative artist and the founder of HEAL, Helping Every Artist Live. With a passion for creativity and self-expression, Alanna has pursued a diverse range of artistic endeavors throughout their career. As a professional photographer, Alanna has captured stunning images that have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. In addition to their work behind the camera, Alanna is also an accomplished spoken word poet, captivating audiences with their powerful performances. They have also self-published a children’s book. As an artistic director and producer, they have brought together diverse artists to create truly unforgettable productions.
Through their work with HEAL, Alanna has helped countless artists to realize their full potential, providing resources and support to help them thrive. Their commitment to helping others has made a real difference in the artistic community, and their own creative work continues to inspire and transform. Overall, Alanna is a true artist at heart, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring others to do the same.
Carlos Aceves is a teacher, published author, and an elder among many indigenous communities. He has been teaching in the public schools for over twenty years, focusing on elementary school levels. He is a founder of the Xinachtli Project, a multi-disciplinary, indigenous based pedagogy that successfully teaches students how to acquire knowledge rather than learn by memorization. He is available to speak on this remarkable pedagogy as well as other topics about indigeneity.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
I am Chickasaw, Taos Pueblo and enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I am a passionate cultural educator, motivated to share my knowledge to cultivate and enhance the tribal and professional livelihoods of our communities. I take pride in participating in and immersing myself in many diverse indigenous cultures and letting my family and community values guide my work. I have a Master’s in Education Policy and Analysis, and I am currently enrolled at Baylor University studying to obtain my PhD in Learning and Organizational Change.
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in Mexican American/Chicane, Latine, and Native American/Indigenous Literatures and Cultures. Her work examines the performative literacies of Mesoamerican peoples and how the legacy of writing in the Américas is re-membered in contemporary literary and musical practices. Lydia is a mother of three sons and a bassist and percussionist in the duo, Rico-ico.
Pablo Montes is a descendant of the Chichimeca Guamares and P’urépecha people from the valley of Huatzindeo, specifically from a small rancho called La Luz at the foot of the Culiacán mountain. They are a Queer first-generation scholar and is an Assistant Professor in the Curriculum Studies Program at Texas Christian University as of Fall 2022. They spent 6 years in Tza Wan Pupako (Austin, TX) where they recently received their Ph.D. in the Cultural Studies in Education program at the University of Texas at Austin within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Their main research interests are at the intersection of queer settler colonialism, indigeneity, and Land education. Their dissertation project emphasis the transformational learning spaces that Two-Spirit, Queer, and Trans Indigenous educators create alongside their Indigenous community, with Land, and other Queer Indigenous people. Additionally, they have served as the Native Youth Director for the Indigenous Cultures Institute where they helped lead the annual Summer Encounter which brought elementary-aged youth for a ceremonial one-week experience lead by community and the elders of the Miakan-Garza Band.
Multiple time World Champion in the Men’s Fancy War Dance. I have had the opportunity to travel to showcase my style and share the stories that go along with this dance style. I am also a storyteller/flute player/ singer of native songs. My background is also choreography with the American Indian Dance Theatre, Native Pride and the Anoli Dance Group.
Lilia Raquel Rosas is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but also calls Austin home after living and working with its diverse communities for two decades, including as the Executive Director of Red Salmon Arts, a Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Indigenous-centered cultural arts organization. She is the proud daughter of a retired cook/former bracero and a retired domestica. She joined the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UT Austin as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in 2018, where her teaching and research interests include relational and comparative Ethnic and Queer Studies through the histories of (me)Xicana/o/s, African Americans, women, indigeneity, and race and sexualities. Recently, Lilia Raquel was awarded a U.S. Latino Digital Humanities-Mellon Foundation Grants-in-Aid to initiate the project, “Tejana Historias: Indigenous Indentations and Trans-frontera Transformation,” a visualization of the Tejana experiences from the Paleoindian Period to the present.
Naakaii represents the Dine (Navajo) Nation. He is currently studying to obtain his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. He was previously employed by Tesla. He is also a World Champion Hoop and Fancy War dancer who designs and constructs his regalia, which utilizes designs and elements from his Dine culture. While pursuing his degree, Naakaii created and ran his own business centered around the Art and story of Hoop Dancing. His presentations include Dine traditions relating to family relationships and food ways, also Navajo sports and the use of mascots.
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
I am Marika, a Lipan Mescalero Apache. I am a direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of spirit and body, midwives, and plant medicine practitioners. My mother, grandmother, and aunt handed the medicine down to me. I am here to help in the healing of others and to pass on these teachings I have been given. I believe that I should teach all people who have the dedication and spiritual will to use these teachings as Mother Earth and the generations before me intended.
Crystal practices Mexica tradition; Chichimeca and Chiricahua Apache lineages. She has a background in Public Health with a graduate degree from New Mexico State University and Culinary Arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Her expertise is in chronic disease management, nutrition, and in indigenous Mexican food preparation and how these foods and traditional ways of cooking relate to our health.
Jeremy Thompson is an Iroquois professional lacrosse player for the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. His traditional given name is GaaGwaGyeHé “the sun is leaning”. I am from the Onondaga nation Haudenosonee confederac
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
I am Marika, a Lipan Mescalero Apache. I am a direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of spirit and body, midwives, and plant medicine practitioners. My mother, grandmother, and aunt handed the medicine down to me. I am here to help in the healing of others and to pass on these teachings I have been given. I believe that I should teach all people who have the dedication and spiritual will to use these teachings as Mother Earth and the generations before me intended.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Crystal practices Mexica tradition; Chichimeca and Chiricahua Apache lineages. She has a background in Public Health with a graduate degree from New Mexico State University and Culinary Arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Her expertise is in chronic disease management, nutrition, and in indigenous Mexican food preparation and how these foods and traditional ways of cooking relate to our health.
Jeremy Thompson is an Iroquois professional lacrosse player for the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. His traditional given name is GaaGwaGyeHé “the sun is leaning”. I am from the Onondaga nation Haudenosonee confederac
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
I am Chickasaw, Taos Pueblo and enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I am a passionate cultural educator, motivated to share my knowledge to cultivate and enhance the tribal and professional livelihoods of our communities. I take pride in participating in and immersing myself in many diverse indigenous cultures and letting my family and community values guide my work. I have a Master’s in Education Policy and Analysis, and I am currently enrolled at Baylor University studying to obtain my PhD in Learning and Organizational Change.
Nan Blassingame is Cheyenne from Hammon, Oklahoma. She is the Creator and Designer of Native American Notions. She fuses modern day textiles with her Native American heritage. She was a featured designer at New York and Austin fashion weeks. She is also the Program Director for Great Promise for American Indians 501 (C)(3). Nan presents on her experiences in the fashion industry and working for a 501(C)(3).
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in Mexican American/Chicane, Latine, and Native American/Indigenous Literatures and Cultures. Her work examines the performative literacies of Mesoamerican peoples and how the legacy of writing in the Américas is re-membered in contemporary literary and musical practices. Lydia is a mother of three sons and a bassist and percussionist in the duo, Rico-ico.
LaRay is an enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe and Apache on his father’s side. LaRay earned his Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science at Baylor University. He is currently employed as the Deputy Chief Field Agent for Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office. He is currently the Presentations Coordinator for ICI and serves on the Board of Trustees for Texas Native Health. He is a founding member of Indigenous ACE (an indigenous performance group). LaRay has been heavily involved in native culture and customs since a young age. He gives lectures throughout the country, providing insight and knowledge in regards to Indigenous customs, dances, religious practices, etc.
My name is Delvin Johnson, Beaver Clan, and a citizen of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. I sit on many committees within my reservation such as Johnson O’Malley, Alabama-Coushatta Cultural Committee, Powwow Association, and Tribal Enrollment. I work in the field of finance where I am employed with Indian Health Service which offers health, dental, and behavioral services within the reservation and surrounding communities to Native Americans. Growing with strong Coushatta values, I believe it’s important to educate the world about my people on our journey to Texas, struggling to keep our lands, language, traditions, and how we are still here.
Host of Indigenous Freedom Radio, “Uncle Gene” is an activist, elder, Gourd Dancer and Powwow M.C. From growing up de-tribalized to Indigenous spirituality, the Indigenous perspective on Racism, and the many issues, past and present in the news, he addresses those topics in an engaging manner to inform and to make our indigenous cultures more visible in todays world.
Multiple time World Champion in the Men’s Fancy War Dance. I have had the opportunity to travel to showcase my style and share the stories that go along with this dance style. I am also a storyteller/flute player/ singer of native songs. My background is also choreography with the American Indian Dance Theatre, Native Pride and the Anoli Dance Group.
Lilia Raquel Rosas is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but also calls Austin home after living and working with its diverse communities for two decades, including as the Executive Director of Red Salmon Arts, a Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Indigenous-centered cultural arts organization. She is the proud daughter of a retired cook/former bracero and a retired domestica. She joined the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UT Austin as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in 2018, where her teaching and research interests include relational and comparative Ethnic and Queer Studies through the histories of (me)Xicana/o/s, African Americans, women, indigeneity, and race and sexualities. Recently, Lilia Raquel was awarded a U.S. Latino Digital Humanities-Mellon Foundation Grants-in-Aid to initiate the project, “Tejana Historias: Indigenous Indentations and Trans-frontera Transformation,” a visualization of the Tejana experiences from the Paleoindian Period to the present.
Carlos Aceves is a teacher, published author, and an elder among many indigenous communities. He has been teaching in the public schools for over twenty years, focusing on elementary school levels. He is a founder of the Xinachtli Project, a multi-disciplinary, indigenous based pedagogy that successfully teaches students how to acquire knowledge rather than learn by memorization. He is available to speak on this remarkable pedagogy as well as other topics about indigeneity.
I strive to continue the traditions and share my knowledge to the public about the indigenous cultures of Mexico, I’m Ricardo Alarcon and began performing at the age of 9, and as a young adult, represented Mayan Culture for more than a decade at Xcaret, Mexico’s popular ecological park located in the Mayan Riviera. I eventually moved to Texas and formed Grupo Pakal, a Mayan Dance Company. I represent this cultural heritage through ancient ceremonial dance rituals to traditional native music.
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in Mexican American/Chicane, Latine, and Native American/Indigenous Literatures and Cultures. Her work examines the performative literacies of Mesoamerican peoples and how the legacy of writing in the Américas is re-membered in contemporary literary and musical practices. Lydia is a mother of three sons and a bassist and percussionist in the duo, Rico-ico.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Dr. Mario Garza is an elder of the Miakan/Garza Band of the Coahuiltecan, a state-legislature-recognized tribe of Texas. He has a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. from Michigan State University and he currently researches and presents educational lectures about Native Americans. Dr. Garza has decades of involvement in the Native American community, including repatriation of remains, successful development of indigenous nonprofits, re-establishment of ceremonial sites, Native arts and events, and political issues. His presentations include:
Crystal practices Mexica tradition; Chichimeca and Chiricahua Apache lineages. She has a background in Public Health with a graduate degree from New Mexico State University and Culinary Arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Her expertise is in chronic disease management, nutrition, and in indigenous Mexican food preparation and how these foods and traditional ways of cooking relate to our health.
Lilia Raquel Rosas is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but also calls Austin home after living and working with its diverse communities for two decades, including as the Executive Director of Red Salmon Arts, a Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Indigenous-centered cultural arts organization. She is the proud daughter of a retired cook/former bracero and a retired domestica. She joined the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UT Austin as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in 2018, where her teaching and research interests include relational and comparative Ethnic and Queer Studies through the histories of (me)Xicana/o/s, African Americans, women, indigeneity, and race and sexualities. Recently, Lilia Raquel was awarded a U.S. Latino Digital Humanities-Mellon Foundation Grants-in-Aid to initiate the project, “Tejana Historias: Indigenous Indentations and Trans-frontera Transformation,” a visualization of the Tejana experiences from the Paleoindian Period to the present.
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in Mexican American/Chicane, Latine, and Native American/Indigenous Literatures and Cultures. Her work examines the performative literacies of Mesoamerican peoples and how the legacy of writing in the Américas is re-membered in contemporary literary and musical practices. Lydia is a mother of three sons and a bassist and percussionist in the duo, Rico-ico.
I strive to continue the traditions and share my knowledge to the public about the indigenous cultures of Mexico, I’m Ricardo Alarcon and began performing at the age of 9, and as a young adult, represented Mayan Culture for more than a decade at Xcaret, Mexico’s popular ecological park located in the Mayan Riviera. I eventually moved to Texas and formed Grupo Pakal, a Mayan Dance Company. I represent this cultural heritage through ancient ceremonial dance rituals to traditional native music.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Meet Alanna Bluebird, a transformative artist and the founder of HEAL, Helping Every Artist Live. With a passion for creativity and self-expression, Alanna has pursued a diverse range of artistic endeavors throughout their career. As a professional photographer, Alanna has captured stunning images that have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. In addition to their work behind the camera, Alanna is also an accomplished spoken word poet, captivating audiences with their powerful performances. They have also self-published a children’s book. As an artistic director and producer, they have brought together diverse artists to create truly unforgettable productions.
Through their work with HEAL, Alanna has helped countless artists to realize their full potential, providing resources and support to help them thrive. Their commitment to helping others has made a real difference in the artistic community, and their own creative work continues to inspire and transform. Overall, Alanna is a true artist at heart, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring others to do the same.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Jeremy Thompson is an Iroquois professional lacrosse player for the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. His traditional given name is GaaGwaGyeHé “the sun is leaning”. I am from the Onondaga nation Haudenosonee confederac
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin in Mexican American/Chicane, Latine, and Native American/Indigenous Literatures and Cultures. Her work examines the performative literacies of Mesoamerican peoples and how the legacy of writing in the Américas is re-membered in contemporary literary and musical practices. Lydia is a mother of three sons and a bassist and percussionist in the duo, Rico-ico.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Lilia Raquel Rosas is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but also calls Austin home after living and working with its diverse communities for two decades, including as the Executive Director of Red Salmon Arts, a Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Indigenous-centered cultural arts organization. She is the proud daughter of a retired cook/former bracero and a retired domestica. She joined the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UT Austin as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in 2018, where her teaching and research interests include relational and comparative Ethnic and Queer Studies through the histories of (me)Xicana/o/s, African Americans, women, indigeneity, and race and sexualities. Recently, Lilia Raquel was awarded a U.S. Latino Digital Humanities-Mellon Foundation Grants-in-Aid to initiate the project, “Tejana Historias: Indigenous Indentations and Trans-frontera Transformation,” a visualization of the Tejana experiences from the Paleoindian Period to the present.
I Chair the organization MMIW Texas Rematriate (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). We help Indigenous families in the crisis scenario that a relative is missing. We aid in ways ranging from missing persons fliers to on the ground searches. I lead our group by finding resources to make this things happen and in community education. I have spoken at many events and even did a TEDx Talk on what MMIW work is and how to go beyond the “movement” work towards real tangible work. I strive to educate every opportunity I have.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Dr. Mario Garza is an elder of the Miakan/Garzas Band of the Coahuiltecan, a state-legislature-recognized tribe of Texas. He has a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. from Michigan State University and he currently researches and presents educational lectures about Native Americans. Dr. Garza has decades of involvement in the Native American community, including repatriation of remains, successful development of indigenous nonprofits, re-establishment of ceremonial sites, Native arts and events, and political issues. His presentations include:
Carlos Aceves is a teacher, published author, and an elder among many indigenous communities. He has been teaching in the public schools for over twenty years, focusing on elementary school levels. He is a founder of the Xinachtli Project, a multi-disciplinary, indigenous based pedagogy that successfully teaches students how to acquire knowledge rather than learn by memorization. He is available to speak on this remarkable pedagogy as well as other topics about indigeneity.
Meet Alanna Bluebird, a transformative artist and the founder of HEAL, Helping Every Artist Live. With a passion for creativity and self-expression, Alanna has pursued a diverse range of artistic endeavors throughout their career. As a professional photographer, Alanna has captured stunning images that have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. In addition to their work behind the camera, Alanna is also an accomplished spoken word poet, captivating audiences with their powerful performances. They have also self-published a children’s book. As an artistic director and producer, they have brought together diverse artists to create truly unforgettable productions.
Through their work with HEAL, Alanna has helped countless artists to realize their full potential, providing resources and support to help them thrive. Their commitment to helping others has made a real difference in the artistic community, and their own creative work continues to inspire and transform. Overall, Alanna is a true artist at heart, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring others to do the same.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Dr. Mario Garza is an elder of the Miakan/Garza Band of the Coahuiltecan, a state-legislature-recognized tribe of Texas. He has a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. from Michigan State University and he currently researches and presents educational lectures about Native Americans. Dr. Garza has decades of involvement in the Native American community, including repatriation of remains, successful development of indigenous nonprofits, re-establishment of ceremonial sites, Native arts and events, and political issues. His presentations include:
LaRay is an enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe and Apache on his father’s side. LaRay earned his Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science at Baylor University. He is currently employed as the Deputy Chief Field Agent for Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office. He is currently the Presentations Coordinator for ICI and serves on the Board of Trustees for Texas Native Health. He is a founding member of Indigenous ACE (an indigenous performance group). LaRay has been heavily involved in native culture and customs since a young age. He gives lectures throughout the country, providing insight and knowledge in regards to Indigenous customs, dances, religious practices, etc.
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
Jeremy Thompson is an Iroquois professional lacrosse player for the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. His traditional given name is GaaGwaGyeHé “the sun is leaning”. I am from the Onondaga nation Haudenosonee confederac
Naakaii represents the Dine (Navajo) Nation. He is currently studying to obtain his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. He was previously employed by Tesla. He is also a World Champion Hoop and Fancy War dancer who designs and constructs his regalia, which utilizes designs and elements from his Dine culture. While pursuing his degree, Naakaii created and ran his own business centered around the Art and story of Hoop Dancing. His presentations include Dine traditions relating to family relationships and food ways, also Navajo sports and the use of mascots.
Emi Aguilar is a Coahuiltecan Arts Educator, community organizer, and multidisciplinary artist, based among the Coahuiltecan homelands where her people have resided for over 14,000 years (recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is of Indigenous and settler descent. Emi grew up on the Tohono O’Odham Nation reservation, and later in Central New York. She earned her MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. With a decade of teaching experience, she specializes in Indigenous arts integration, digital storytelling as a community-affirming practice, and Indigenizing storytelling. She offers consulting on undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation with Indigenous communities, lands and waters. She is the Director of Research + Action at IllumiNative.
Meet Alanna Bluebird, a transformative artist and the founder of HEAL, Helping Every Artist Live. With a passion for creativity and self-expression, Alanna has pursued a diverse range of artistic endeavors throughout their career. As a professional photographer, Alanna has captured stunning images that have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. In addition to their work behind the camera, Alanna is also an accomplished spoken word poet, captivating audiences with their powerful performances. They have also self-published a children’s book. As an artistic director and producer, they have brought together diverse artists to create truly unforgettable productions.
Through their work with HEAL, Alanna has helped countless artists to realize their full potential, providing resources and support to help them thrive. Their commitment to helping others has made a real difference in the artistic community, and their own creative work continues to inspire and transform. Overall, Alanna is a true artist at heart, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring others to do the same.
Cemelli de Aztlan is a community organizer engaged in advocacy, grassroots community organizing and movement building to defend the earth and our most marginalized populations. Previously, as a university lecturer, Cemelli created courses on Indigenous Spirituality, Woman & Gender, Colonization & Femicide. Cemelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University at Austin, and a Master in Divinity with a focus on Women in Religious Studies & Indigenous Religious Studies from Harvard University.
Pablo Montes is a descendant of the Chichimeca Guamares and P’urépecha people from the valley of Huatzindeo, specifically from a small rancho called La Luz at the foot of the Culiacán mountain. They are a Queer first-generation scholar and is an Assistant Professor in the Curriculum Studies Program at Texas Christian University as of Fall 2022. They spent 6 years in Tza Wan Pupako (Austin, TX) where they recently received their Ph.D. in the Cultural Studies in Education program at the University of Texas at Austin within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Their main research interests are at the intersection of queer settler colonialism, indigeneity, and Land education. Their dissertation project emphasis the transformational learning spaces that Two-Spirit, Queer, and Trans Indigenous educators create alongside their Indigenous community, with Land, and other Queer Indigenous people. Additionally, they have served as the Native Youth Director for the Indigenous Cultures Institute where they helped lead the annual Summer Encounter which brought elementary-aged youth for a ceremonial one-week experience lead by community and the elders of the Miakan-Garza Band.
Lilia Raquel Rosas is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but also calls Austin home after living and working with its diverse communities for two decades, including as the Executive Director of Red Salmon Arts, a Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x/Indigenous-centered cultural arts organization. She is the proud daughter of a retired cook/former bracero and a retired domestica. She joined the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at UT Austin as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in 2018, where her teaching and research interests include relational and comparative Ethnic and Queer Studies through the histories of (me)Xicana/o/s, African Americans, women, indigeneity, and race and sexualities. Recently, Lilia Raquel was awarded a U.S. Latino Digital Humanities-Mellon Foundation Grants-in-Aid to initiate the project, “Tejana Historias: Indigenous Indentations and Trans-frontera Transformation,” a visualization of the Tejana experiences from the Paleoindian Period to the present.
Ángela graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in engaging with older adults, queer and trans youth, and BIPOC youth in school and medical settings as a social worker.
Ángela works with youth to provide culturally relevant care and mental health services. In her engagement with youth at the Indigenous Cultures Institute, Ángela provides lessons on food justice, the cultural and historical relevance of ancestral foods, and how access to traditional food ways and land can improve our wellbeing and mental health. Ángela is involved with danza Mexica and is learning about her mixed Indigenous roots as a descendant of the Dolores de las Minas community.
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