Feb. 14: Beyond Land Acknowledgements

The University of Alaska Anchorage Difficult Dialogues Initiative
, Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center
 and UPenn 
invite you to join us for a presentation on:

Beyond Land Acknowledgements

with Ayyu Qassataq (Iñupiaq);

Kaaxúxgu Joe Nelson, JD (Lingít):
Dr. Khaih Zhuu Charlene Stern (Gwich’in);
Dr. Jessica Black (Gwich’in).

Monday, Feb. 14, 2022
, 4-5:30 p.m. EST (12-1:30 p.m. Alaska time)
Register here

“We've lived in places with such efficiency and grace that later people who have come to our homelands have considered them to be empty of human beings; and they've called this a wilderness because they didn't see us in those places. They couldn't imagine that a people could live so well in a land that it would appear untouched by them. And we live with the dilemma of that to this day.” — Paul Ongtooguk (Iñupiaq educator)

As the movement to honor the perpetual stewardship of Indigenous peoples through land acknowledgements in higher education grows, we pause to ask: is this meaningful? Does this increase awareness of past harms committed against Indigenous communities or advance meaningful action toward rectifying those harms? To get to the heart of these questions, we must be willing to examine the harmful legacy of oppression enacted through the education system in the United States and worldwide.

In this special session, several Alaska Native educators will engage participants in thoughtfully considering the role of higher education in the assimilation of Native students and extraction of Native knowledge to its own benefit, and uplift questions and ideas that help align efforts beyond land acknowledgements to the transformation of the relationship between universities and Native communities.

This webinar is the first of three in a series “Reclaiming Ground: Indigenous Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.” For more information, email eroderick@alaska.edu.

Presenter bios

Ayyu Qassataq (Iñupiaq) of Uŋalaqłiq is mother to four incredible children: Kutuukhuq, Talialuk, Qanigluk and Inuaałuuraq, the daughter of Doug and Vernita Herdman and granddaughter of Stanton and Irene Katchatag. Ayyu joined First Alaskans Institute (FAI) in 2010, and currently serves as Vice President. A recent graduate of the Master of She believes deeply in the power of our Ancestral knowledge and dedicates her life to advocating for our right to live the fullness of our Indigenous ways of life in perpetuity. With many years of convening community in dialogues, think tanks and strategic planning sessions, Ayyu is dedicated to centering our Native values throughout society, and has grown expertise in power-building + advancing self-determined, community-based solutions that advance healing, awareness, and advocacy around the issues that impact us.

Joe Kaaxúxgu Nelson (Lingít) is the current board chair of Sealaska, a for-profit Alaska Native corporation owned by more than 23,000 Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian shareholders. An attorney by profession, Mr. Nelson works with Sealaska’s leadership and stakeholders to fulfill its purpose of strengthening Native people, culture, and land. Mr. Nelson also serves as the co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), the largest statewide Native organization working to enhance and promote the cultural, economic, and political voice of the Alaska Native community. Joe is a Brown Bear (Teikweidí) from Yakutat.  He is also a Kwáashk’I kwaan yádi. Joe grew up commercial fishing and subsistence living in Yakutat. After graduating from Yakutat High School, Joe completed a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in American Indian Studies from UCLA. He also has a juris doctorate from Loyola Law School.

Dr. Charlene Khaih Zhuu Stern (Gwich’in), currently serves as Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community & Native Education at University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Originally from Arctic Village, Alaska, Charlene is an enrolled member of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American Cultural Studies from Western Washington University, a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies from UAF.  She currently serves as Vice President of Tanana Chiefs Conference and is a member of the Fairbanks Native Association Board of Directors.

Dr. Jessica Black (Gwich’in), originally from Fort Yukon and Nenana, is the daughter of Marlene Black and Bill Black. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and a doctorate in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. Jessica is an associate professor in the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development and Tribal Governance at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her areas of interests include working with tribes around hunting and fishing rights, increased educational outcomes for Alaska Native students, and well-being of Alaska Native people. She currently serves as President of the Fairbanks Native Association.

February Archive