Four Native American Studies students will discuss their research and experiences in the Native Leadership and Contemporary Issues course at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 10) in the Mountainlair, Shenandoah Room.
The students traveled to Seattle in November for the annual National Congress of American Indians Convention with Bonnie Brown, professor and NAS program coordinator.
In preparation for the convention the class studied such topics as traditional and modern understandings of tribal sovereignty, the federal consultation process, Indian Country economics, treaty law and Indigenous cultural practices such as restorative justice and reciprocity.
At the convention, the students attended plenary sessions, cultural programming and prearranged meetings with Native leaders, as well as committee meetings and hearing debates on various policy resolutions that can ultimately influence federal legislation.
The group also saw the 2025 Honoring Nations Award presentation by the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development, and they visited the Jamestown S’Klallam and Tulalip Reservations, the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and Olympic National Park.