Schedule

Thursday, June 30, 2022

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 

Tribal Languages and Arts Panel: These are stories the stars remember | PT-109

Historically, about 500 distinct Native languages were spoken in North America. Today, that number has dwindled to about 150, with about half of those only having a few Native speakers who are still alive. Panelists will discuss language revitalization efforts and the importance of language to cultural survival.

8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

We The Peoples Before Outdoor Film Screening | Film Wall at the REACH 

Friday, July 1, 2022

8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. 

We the Peoples Before Stage Production | Eisenhower Theater

A one-night only, multi-generational, multi-genre stage production, We The Peoples Before will take us through the past, present and possible future of an Indigenized America. The production will feature nearly 50 of the finest Native performers and storytellers of our day reframing the country based on a vision of justice and shared humanity. Mixing fancy dancers with spoken word, theater with hip hop, and legalese with poetry, We The Peoples Before will be rooted in history and place, and grounded in spirit, land, and the principles of true democracy.

Executive produced by Lori Pourier (Oglala Lakota) and with Consulting Producer Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and directed by Roberta Uno, the story will be structured in four movements with a finale and closing coda. The journey follows the directions of East, South, West and North, ending in the interconnectedness of Sky and Earth.

Saturday, July 2, 2022

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. 

First Peoples Fund Culture Bearers: These are stories our hands remember | Justice Forum

Culture Bearers are artists and individuals who practice and carry forward cultural art forms, beliefs and traditions. Their forms of expression quietly and selflessly sustain our ancestor’s wisdom, beauty and resilience into our contemporary lives to heal the intergenerational trauma of our people and Grandmother Earth. Join us for a conversation with First Peoples Fund Community Spirit Award honorees.

11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 

Indigenous Food Sovereignty | Skylight Pavilion

A cooking demonstration and discussion with The Sioux Chef, Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota), will feature the “true flavors of North America,” featuring ingredients of Mni Sota Makoce -- Land Where the Waters Reflect the Clouds. Sherman, a  James Beard Award winner, focuses his culinary work on the revitalization and awareness of Indigenous food systems in a modern culinary context.

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. 

Poet, Spoken Word & Writers Panel: These are stories the stars remember | Justice Forum

Join us for a conversation among three generations of Native writers and poets about what inspires their writing and what it means to put words to paper and performance.

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

Indigenous Arts & Lifeways | Justice Forum

Art and culture are essential to life, embodying the cultures of Native peoples, our understanding of who we are and where we come from. It connects us to our history, our relationship to the land and one another, bringing us strength, meaning, resilience and joy. Art and culture give us the power to connect with our past and to guide us toward our future. Join us for an in-depth artist conversation.

4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Tribal Sovereignty: These are stories the hills remember | Justice Forum

Tribal nations ceded millions of acres of land that made the United States what it is today and, in return, received the guarantee of ongoing self-government on their own lands - tribal sovereignty.  Hundreds of treaties, along with the Supreme Court, the President, and Congress, have repeatedly affirmed that tribal nations retain their inherent powers of self-government. This panel discussion will take an in-depth look at tribal sovereignty and what it means today.

6 p.m. – 7 p.m. 

Millennium Stage Performance: Native Hip Hop | Grand Foyer

Native artists are infusing the hip hop scene with unique messages about settler colonialism, the daily realities of living on reservations and in cities, the beauty of in Native cultures, sovereignty, genocide and so much more. Catch the contagious energy of some of Indian Country’s rising hip hop artists as they weave the traditional with contemporary.

7 p.m. – 8 p.m. 

Millennium Stage Performance: Traditional Hula | Skylight Pavilion

The traditional hula dance, or hula "kahiko" ancient style dance, is the original dance of Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli). The two hālau hula will share both hula kahiko (ancient style Hawaiian dance) and hula ʻauana (modern style Hawaiian dance)

8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. 

We The Peoples Before Short Films Screening & Panel | Justice Forum

A screening of six short films thematically aligned with We The Peoples Before, followed by a moderated discussion with the Native women filmmakers.