Reflections on NAISA (Native American and Indigenous Studies Association)

NAISA was an inspiring mix of papers, panels, people and pool that provided much food for thought (not to mention the delicious snacks that were covered by our conference fee). I attended the fourth annual meeting, and I am excited to see how the conference will build in scope over the next few years. I really enjoyed the variety of panels everything from Native science, to history, poetry and visual arts. Graduate students, museum professionals, professors and artists attended the event held at the Hyatt in Sacramento, CA.

Some highlights for me included the panel “The Politics of Dance” and a literature-focused panel “Decolonization and Place.” Michael Bevacqua presented an engaging paper on how indigenous people of Guam use dance as a decolonization tool. He noted that culture is often filtered through a language of winners and losers, what happens then to culture? Bevacqua analyzed a youtube video on “prehispanic dance” and the comments generated (note this youtube video may not be the actual one he analyzed, but remains relevant). His questions about culture for indigenous people are provocative–What can or can’t be claimed in terms of authentic relationships to culture? The other panelists had interesting presentations as well. Amanda Fehr and Katya MacDonald presented “The Red River Jig in Sakitawak: Making Metis Music and Identities in Northwest Saskatchewan” and looked at how identities for metis and first nations peoples intermingle through music, namely certain fiddle musical traditions and dance patterns are shared through communities. While musical styles may have been more regionally distinctive in the past, CDs, radio and the internet have influenced musicians today. Their research is important for it adds to the scholarship on Metis communities, focusing on cultural development outside the Red River Settlement. Fiddle music like metis communities have shifted and developed over time, for some this has resulted in nostalgia for previous musical styles when each person had their own musical signature. Their research was balanced; they have conducted interviews with metis elders, musicians and dancers in NW Saskatchewan. They noted that for metis, jigging also provides a way to connect with the many aspects of their cultural heritage. For those with Scottish and French ancestry, jigging helps them create tangible ties to their European heritage as well.  

The literature panel introduced me to the works of Debra Magpie “Perma Red”, Linda Hogan’s “The Woman who watches over the world” and Louis Owen’s “where things can happen.” The presenters examined how the Native authors conceived of cultural trauma and violence to women and men within narratives of loss and resurgence. I hope to read more of these authors this summer.

I also presented at the conference in a panel on cultural appropriation, a version of my previous SAR talk with scholars who talked about Charles Eastman and Commercial Exploitation of Wixarika Culture. I really enjoyed hearing the other panelists and thinking about how culture can be appropriated and used by indigenous people for many different reasons. Around the world, governmental institutions and communities are using indigenous imagery to make claims about indigeneity, to promote tourism, sell products, to promote “authenticity” and other motivations. If power lies in the use of imagery, how can indigenous people respond within these power relations? Who benefits from these appropriations? These are just some of the questions raised for my research.