Theme: Arts
Thursday, November 11th
November 11th | 11:10 am to 11:15 am
Keynote
MaMuse
Musical Duo
MaMuse, a musical duo (Sarah Nutting and Karisha Longaker) fed by folk and gospel traditions that has been together 13 years and produced five albums, uses a wide variety of acoustic instruments (upright bass, guitar, mandolins, ukulele, and flutes) with the goal of creating uplifting music that opens hearts, nurtures a love of life and “inspires the world into thriving.”
They say “laughter is the best medicine,” but the most powerful medicine of all might just be American Indian comedy. Native peoples on this continent developed rich and complex humor traditions in response to centuries of oppression and the intergenerational trauma of ongoing settler colonization. Jokes were and are used to reflect on life’s ironies, impart wisdom, build relationships, and help heal from pain. Comedy can be one of the most effective tools in the arsenal of Indigenous strategies of deep cultural resilience, and as we emerge from this global pandemic and continue to struggle with dire threats to our people and the planet, we need the healing medicine of laughter more than ever. Share some laughter and learning with two leading comedic stars: Oakland-based (Yerington Paiute/Washoe) stand-up comedian, writer, actor and producer Jackie Keliiaa; and Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota/Dine), artist, poet, activist (with the Indigenous Environmental Network), Dakota culture/language teacher, and co-founder of the Indigenous comedy group, The 1491s. Hosted by Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Program Director of Bioneers’ Indigeneity Program and renowned artist/photographer.
November 11th | 12:45 pm to 2:00 pm
Panelists
Cara Romero
Co-Director of Bioneers Indigeniety Program | Bioneers
Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Program Director of the Bioneers Indigenous Knowledge Program, previously served her Mojave-based tribe in several capacities, including as: first Executive Director at the Chemehuevi Cultural Center, a member of the tribal council, and Chair of the Chemehuevi Education Board and Chemeuevi Headstart Policy Council. Cara is also a highly accomplished photographer/artist. (bioneers.org/pages/indigeneity-program)
Dallas Goldtooth
Keep It in the Ground Campaign Organizer | Indigenous Environmental Network
Dallas Goldtooth (Isanti Dakota/Dine) from Cansayapi village in Oceti Sakowin territory (currently called Minnesota), is the National Keep It In The Ground Campaigner for the Indigenous Environmental Network. He travels extensively across North America as a public speaker and organizer to support frontline Indigenous communities fighting fossil fuel extraction on their lands. He is also a Dakota language activist and cultural teacher, a film producer, playwright, actor and a comedian who co-founded The 1491s, an all-Indigenous social media group that uses comedy and satire as a means of critical social dialogue.
Jackie Keliiaa
Comedian, Writer and Producer
Jackie Keliiaa (Yerington Paiute and Washoe), an Oakland, CA-based comedian, writer and producer, is a regular performer at a number of Bay Area comedy clubs and has performed at San Francisco SketchFest, Punchline San Francisco, Comedy Oakland and Tommy T’s, among many other venues. Some of her performances can be found online at: Team Coco LIVE: Moses & Friends and Illuminative’s 25 Native American Comedians to Follow. Jackie is also one of the comedians profiled in the recently published book, We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy.
Friday, November 12th
November 12th | 11:06 am to 11:11 am
Keynote
Rupa Marya
Faculty Director | Do No Harm Coalition
Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Faculty Director of the Do No Harm Coalition, Dr. Rupa Marya is one of the nation’s leading figures working at the intersection of medicine and social justice (including in investigating the health effects of police violence on communities and helping set up a free clinic under Lakota leadership at Standing Rock). She is also singer and musician who leads the internationally touring band Rupa and the April Fishes and the co-author (with Raj Patel) of the brand new book: Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice.
November 12th | 11:28 am to 11:38 am
Keynote
Alixa Garcia
Poet, Musician, Visual-Artist, Filmmaker, Educator and Activist
Alixa Garcia, born in Colombia, is an award-winning poet, musician, visual-artist, filmmaker, educator, and activist. Her performance work with the duo Climbing PoeTree has been featured in hundreds of universities, conferences and festivals, including at the United Nations and T.E.D.’s Ideas Worth Spreading. Her visual work has been exhibited in major museums and public spaces, including in Times Square and at the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art. Her latest work is currently being exhibited in the Kunsthal Kade Museum, Netherlands.
Saturday, November 13th
November 13th | 11:06 am to 11:20 am
Keynote
Naima Penniman
Artist, Activist, Healer, Grower and Educator
Naima Penniman, an artist, activist, healer, grower and educator committed to planetary health and community resilience, is the co-founder of WILDSEED Community Farm and Healing Village, a Black and Brown-led intentional community focused on ecological collaboration, transformative justice, and intergenerational responsibility. She is also: Program Director at Soul Fire Farm, dedicated to supporting the next generation of B.I.P.O.C. (Black/Indigenous/people of color) farmers; the co-founder/co-artistic director of Climbing PoeTree, an internationally-acclaimed performance duo; a Thai Yoga Massage practitioner; and a member of Harriet's Apothecary, a collective of Black women-identified healers.
November 13th | 11:28 am to 11:33 am
Keynote
Rising Appalachia
Renowned Musical Ensemble
Rising Appalachia, a renowned musical ensemble founded by Leah Song and Chloe Smith in 2006, and now grown to include David Brown on upright bass and baritone guitar, Biko Casini on world percussion, Arouna Diarra on ngoni and balafon, and Duncan Wickel on fiddle and cello, is rooted in various folk traditions, storytelling, and passionate grassroots activism. The band routinely provides a platform for local causes wherever it plays and frequently incites its fans to gather with it in converting vacant or underused lots into verdant urban orchards and gardens. In a time of social unraveling, Rising Appalachia’s unique interweaving of music and social mission and old traditions with new interpretations exudes contagious hope and deep integrity.
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