Indigenous Knowledge and Public Universities: A Panel Discussion

Arizona State University is located in Indian Country, on the ancestral lands of 23 Native Nations, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities in the Salt River Valley. Like many universities, it has a complicated relationship with Indigenous knowledge and communities, past and present. Academic research and artistic work have contributed to the exploitation and subjugation of Indigenous peoples everywhere by treating Indigenous people as mere objects of study, conducting research in ways that actively harmed Indigenous people and disvaluing our knowledge. Yet, ASU and other public universities in Arizona are institutions that have many Indigenous staff, students, and faculty. This reality creates complex dynamics surrounding Indigenous identity, values and comforts existing on our own lands. Join us as we bring together a panel of Indigenous minds to discuss a range of topics within this current reality.

Panelist bios: 

Felix Muniz (S-cuma:ciddam) is from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and has relatives from the Tohono O’odham and Hualapai Nations. Felix is a sixth year PhD student in the Quantitative Research Methods program in the Department of Psychology at ASU.

Valentina Andrew, Tohono O’odham, is the Executive Producer of Tohono O’odham Young Voices Podcast. She has built a career around podcasting and radio broadcasting and is currently the Production Coordinator at KXCI Community Radio in Tucson, AZ. 

Napolean Marrietta, Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham, Pii-Posh, is an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community. He is the Facilitator of Programming for The Alliance of Indigenous Peoples at ASU. He is a graduate assistant for the American Indian Student Support Services. He finished this semester with a Master's in American Indian Studies with an emphasis on Indigenous Rights and Social Justice and is currently finishing my second Master's in Public Administration in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University. 

Tonana Ben is a member of the Navajo Nation. Tonana is currently a third-year student at Arizona State University studying Biomedical Sciences, and holds two Executive Board positions with the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and the American Indian Science Engineering chapter.

This event is being held by Desert Humanities Initiative at Institute for Humanities Research, together with the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples at ASU.

Refreshments will be served.