Belonging and Theft: An Indigenous Conversation on Native Identity

Jacqueline Keeler, Diné author & journalist, with Guy Eagle Gilleshammer, Metis elder & keeper of oral traditions, discuss themes of belonging and theft pertaining to Native identity.

This was an online event.

A troubling pattern of artists, academics, and outright frauds utilizing Native identities for personal, professional and financial gain raises crucial questions. Join the Moab Museum for a live conversation about Native Identity by those who don’t just identify as native, but Are Native. Learn why the distinction matters, and how the history of cultural appropriation stretches back to the days of the genocidal Indian boarding school era, often perpetuated by individuals who lack direct and meaningful connections to the people they claim to honor and celebrate. 

The Museum invites you to Belonging and Theft: An Indigenous Conversation on Native Identity, Sept 22, 6:30 p.m. (MDT) here and live on the museums Facebook page.

Jacqueline Keeler, is an American writer and activist of Dineh and Yankton Dakota heritage. Keeler co-founded Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry, which seeks to end the use of Native American racial groups as mascots. Keeler also podcasts for Pollenation. Her work on “Pretendianism” appears in the New York Times, KBOO F.M. in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere.

Guy Eagle Gilleshammer is a direct descendant of first Meti. His work as a keeper of the oral tradition and as a healing practitioner of renewable wisdom brings the nuance of blended histories in contexts of Native American Identity and of personal and public health.