Indigenous Forum – We Survived Apocalypse: Lessons in Resilience
For 500 years, our ancestors faced annihilation, and yet we Indigenous inhabitants of this continent are still here, so it’s no surprise many other people are turning to us for help in finding ways to address the biggest crises of our time. We have been able to hold onto our ways of being and seeing, some of us continuously and some after awakening from a long slumber. We are learning how to heal from intergenerational trauma by feeding our spirits and bodies through remembering. The aftermath of the apocalypses our peoples have endured is both a warning and a beacon of hope that all people can learn from. Moderated by Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Director of the Bioneers Indigeneity Program. With: renowned actor and musician Gary Farmer (Cayuga); activist, writer/filmmaker Julian NoiseCat (Secwepemc); other TBA.
March 26th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm
Panelists
Gary Farmer
Renowned First-Nations Actor and Musician
Gary Farmer, an actor and musician born on Six Nations land along the Grand River, Ohsweken, Ontario, is widely recognized as a groundbreaking figure in the development of Indigenous media in Canada. The founding Director of Aboriginal Voices Radio Network, he was also the Publisher of Aboriginal Voices Magazine from 1993 to 2003. As an actor Gary has been nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards for Best Supporting Male Actor in: Powwow Highway, Dead Man, and Smoke Signals, and, most recently, he is a regular on two popular television series—Resident Alien and Reservation Dogs.
Julian Brave NoiseCat
Filmmaker and Journalist
Sugarcane
Julian Brave NoiseCat (member, Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen, and descendant, Lil'Wat Nation of Mount Currie), formerly a political strategist, policy analyst and cultural organizer who played a major role, in, among other achievements, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Alcatraz Occupation and getting Deb Haaland appointed Interior Secretary (the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history), is a writer, journalist, and the first Indigenous North American filmmaker ever nominated for an Academy Award (for his co-direction of Sugarcane). NoiseCat’s journalism has appeared in dozens of leading national publications and has been recognized with many awards. His first book, We Survived the Night, was a national bestseller in Canada and an indie bestseller in the U.S., and Julian is also a champion powwow dancer who played hockey for three of the oldest teams in the game: Columbia University, the Oxford University Blues and the Alkali Lake Braves.
Cara Romero
