Research forum featuring presentations, discussions, posters, & demonstrations centering and exploring the concept of Indigenous research.

When: April 1, 2024

Forum – 9:30am – 5:00pm

Taste of the Tribes small plates reception – 5:00pm-7:00pm

Where: Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, 330 N Orchard St, Madison, WI 53715

Cost: Free!

If you cannot attend the whole event or cannot attend in-person we encourage you to register for the webinar.

About:

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, Law School, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and UW-Extension are hosting a research forum to explore the concept of research as it relates to supporting Indigenous communities. The event will feature a mix of poster conversations, lightning talks, and presentations by speakers engaging in Indigenous research led by and benefitting Indigenous communities.

The Indigenous Research Forum includes lunch (along with morning and afternoon snacks) with registration. Following the event, there will be a reception featuring Indigenous-inspired small-plates.

Who should attend:

The Indigenous Research Forum is for Tribal members and community members who are interested in learning about and supporting Indigenous research.

A total of 150 tickets are available and with the goal of centering Indigenous communities, we will be reserving tickets for registration in four categories: Tribal community members, University of Wisconsin students, University of Wisconsin faculty/staff, and general public (these will only be released if there are extra tickets available after March 15th). Since space is limited, we request that registrants join us for the whole event if possible.

Location and accessibility:

The event will be held at the DeLuca Forum on the first floor of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery Building. The event is wheelchair accessible and all rooms are on the first floor. We value accessibility for all participants, please contact Hanna McIntosh (hrmcintosh@wisc.edu) to make a reasonable accommodation request by March 15th. If you have dietary restrictions, please let us know by answering the relevant questions in the registration form.

Parking is limited on campus. The closest lots are the Lot 20 Ramp, Union South Garage (Lot 80), and Engineering Drive Ramp (Lot 17). More parking options can be found here.

Indigenous Research Forum Agenda:

The Research Forum program and Zoom webinar begins promptly at 9:30 AM. If you are attending in person, registration and breakfast will begin at 9:00 AM, so please arrive with plenty of time to settle in before the program begins.

9:00 – 9:25 AM | Registration and light breakfast

Please arrive before 9:30 to check in and enjoy a hot bowl of corn mush.

9:30 – 10:25 AM | Welcome & Framing the Conversation

Daniel Cornelius (Oneida) is an Outreach Program Manager at the University of Wisconsin – Madison Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Dr. Glenda Gillaspy is the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Carla Vigue (Oneida) is the University of Wisconsin – Madison Director of Tribal Relations.

Jon Greendeer (Ho-Chunk) is the President of the Ho-Chunk Nation.

10:25 – 10:40 AM | Break

10:40 – 11:25 AM | Speaker Session: What is Indigenous Research?

Speakers Dr. Rebecca Webster (Oneida) and Dr. Valarie Bluebird Jernigan (Choctaw) will introduce us to the concept of Indigenous research and explore how to propose, conduct, and disseminate Indigenous research within Indigenous communities.

Moderator: Dr. Lauren W. Yowelunh McLester-Davis (Oneida) is the Director of Indigenous Science Advocacy for the Native American Center for Health Professionals and a Scientist in the Department of Medicine and Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Dr. Rebecca Webster (Oneida) is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. Dr. Webster is also a producer of heirloom traditional foods and member of Ohe·láku (among the cornstalks), a co-op of Oneida families who grow Iroquois white corn.

Dr. Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan (Choctaw) is the Director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy and Professor of Medicine and Rural Health at the Center for Health Sciences at Oklahoma State University.

11:30 – 11:55 AM | Lightning Talks: Indigenous Research Methods

Speakers Dr. Lauren W. Yowelunh McLester-Davis (Oneida), Dr. Sterling Martin (Diné), and Dr. Corma Corcoran (Chippewa-Cree) will share how they have developed and utilized Indigenous methodologies in their research.

Dr. Lauren W. Yowelunh McLester-Davis (Oneida) is the Director of Indigenous Science Advocacy for the Native American Center for Health Professionals and Scientist in the Department of Medicine and Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Dr. Sterling Martin (Diné) is a co-founder of Project ENABLE (Enriching Navajo as a Biology Language for Education), a project collaborating with Diné language experts and science teachers to create modern Diné science neologisms.

Dr. Carma Corcoran (Chippewa-Cree) is the Director of the Indian Law Program at Lewis & Clark Law School. Dr. Corcoran will speak about the Indigenous research methods she used in writing her book “The Incarceration of Native American Women: Creating Pathways to Wellness and Recovery through Gentle Action Theory”.

11:55 AM – 12:30 PM | Panel Discussion: Doing Indigenous Research

Moderator Dr. Lauren W. Yowelunh McLester-Davis (Oneida) will lead panelists in a discussion about their experience doing Indigenous research. The discussion will highlight how they use ancestral knowledge and Indigenous methodologies, and will examine challenges and opportunities in working with Western institutions.

12:30 – 1:30 PM | Lunch & Poster Session

Join us to share a meal and continue the conversation! Presenters will be at their posters to discuss their work.

Kristin Klingman (Lac Vieux Desert) is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Kristin’s poster will highlight efforts to revitalize natural fiber weaving in the western Great Lakes Region.

Mariaya Jackson (Oneida) is a student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Mariaya’s poster will share results of a literature review on pica in Indigenous communities.

Robert Blake (Red Lake) and Lynn Hinkle are the founders of Solar Bear LLC, a Native-led solar development company in Minneapolis. Their poster will highlight agrivoltaics as a path to Indigenous food and energy sovereignty.

Vivian Bernau is a Geneticist for the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service National Plant Germplasm System. Vivian’s poster will outline the National Plant Germplasm System’s efforts to identify accessions with connections to Indigenous groups and share how Indigenous people can access this material.

1:35 – 1:55 PM | Afternoon Welcome

Dr. Paul Robbins is the Dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

1:35 – 1:55 PM | “Seasoned with Spirit: Reflections of the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movement”

Loretta Barrett Oden (Potawatomi) is a chef, Native foods historian, Emmy-award winning television host, and food writer. She is the founder of Corn Dance Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

2:00 – 2:45 PM | Lightning Talks: Indigenous Food Systems

Laura Manthe (Oneida), Dr. Troy Wiipongwii (Chickahominy), and Daniel Hayden (Comanche) will speak about their community-led work in Indigenous food systems. Moderator Hinu Smith (Ho-Chunk Nation) will lead a discussion on how the panelists navigate appropriate use of technology and partnerships with Western research institutions while centering Indigenous traditional practices and knowledge, food sovereignty, and data sovereignty.

Moderator: Hinu Smith (Ho-Chunk Nation) is the Executive Director of the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Agriculture and the Ho-Chunk Nation delegate for the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition Coordinating Committee and the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council.

Laura Manthe (Oneida) is a co-founder and coordinator of Ohe·láku (among the cornstalks), an Indigenous nonprofit agricultural co-op of 20 Oneida families who grow Tuscarora white corn on the Oneida Reservation near Green Bay, WI.

Dr. Troy Wiipongwii (Chickahominy) is Affiliate Faculty at the Global Research Institute and incoming Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Conservation at the Institute for Integrative Conservation at the College of William & Mary.

Daniel Hayden (Comanche) is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in the Department of Plant Pathology doing research with Tribal partners on intercropping with Native corns.

2:45 – 3:00 PM | Break

3:00 – 4:15 PM | Panel Discussion: Indigenous Research in the Great Lakes Region

Dr. Martin Reinhart (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa), Dr. Bill Gartner, Sarah Gordon Altiman (Red Cliff), and Rebecca Edler (Menominee) will speak about community-based Indigenous research projects in the Great Lakes region. Following the talks, moderator Daniel Cornelius (Oneida) will lead a discussion about the uniqueness of the Great Lakes region, research and outreach needs, and climate change resilience.

Moderator: Daniel Cornelius (Oneida) is an Outreach Program Manager at the University of Wisconsin – Madison Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center and Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems.

Dr. Martin Reinhart (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa) is a Professor of Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University. Dr. Reinhart’s work includes multiple projects centering Indigenous foods in the Great Lakes Region.

Dr. Bill Gartner is a Lecturer and Principal Investigator in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin – Madison who works with the Menominee Nation to study the history of ancestral Menominee raised field agricultural systems and land use.

Sarah Gordon Altiman (Red Cliff) is the Indigenous Arts & Sciences Outreach Coordinator for the Earth Partnership program and a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Sarah’s research focuses on the process of incorporating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into the school curriculum of Tribal communities.

Rebecca Edler (Menominee) is the Sustainability Coordinator at the Sustainable Development Institute at the College of Menominee Nation, the Institute that leads research at the College.

4:30 – 5:00 PM | Closing Remarks

Chef Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota Sioux) will close the Indigenous Research Forum, speak about his work revitalizing Indigenous food systems, and introduce the Taste of the Tribes.

Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota Sioux) is a chef, author, educator, activist, and founder of the organization North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS). Chef Sherman is the author of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning cookbook “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen”.

5:00 – 7:00 PM | Taste of the Tribes Reception

Join us after the Indigenous Research Forum for refreshments and Indigenous small-plate dinner featuring four renowned chefs.

Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota Sioux) is a chef, author, educator, activist, and founder of the organization North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS).  Chef Sherman is the author of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning cookbook “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen”.

Elena Terry (Ho-Chunk) is the Executive Chef/Founder of Wild Bearies, an educational, community outreach nonprofit that strives to bring ancestral foods to communities in a nurturing and nourishing way. Chef Terry is a butcher and wild game specialist and prefers open fire and outdoor cooking.

Loretta Barrett Oden (Potawatomi)is a chef, Native foods historian, food writer, and television show host. Chef Oden wrote and hosted the PBS series Seasoned With Spirit: A Native Cook’s Journey and writes a column, Spirit of the Harvest, for Native Peoples Magazine.

Yusuf Bin-Rella is a chef and co-founder of TradeRoots Culinary Collective which explores Afro-culinary traditions through urban farming and educational pop-ups. His work emphasizes food sovereignty, teaching communities to reconnect with their cultural roots and access culturally appropriate foods.