Keynotes and panels are subject to change. 

The Indigeneity Program is excited to present a powerful lineup of keynotes, panels, and film screenings that delve into Indigenous governance, environmental justice, cultural preservation, and storytelling. Bioneers 2026 will host Indigenous leaders and conversations throughout the event including on the main stage, in the world renowned Indigenous Forum and in panels, films and conversations across the conference.

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Wednesday, March 25

Indigenous Film Showcase – Water is Life

Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm PT

We will kick off the Bioneers Conference, honoring water as a sacred living relative and life giver.
6:30 -10:00 pm 
David Brower Center, Goldman Theater

Haaguaa: Native Like Water

6:35 pm
An Indigenous surf film that celebrates the timeless bond between humanity and the ocean, Haagua follows a group of Indigenous surfers as they revive ancestral traditions, blending cultural resilience with the art of surfing to honor the past and inspire the future. Followed by a presentation by the Native Like Water Founder, Marc Chavez (Nahua, Michoacán and New Mexican-Spanish descent)

Yaá at Wooné: Respect for All Things 

7:05 pm 
Yáa at Wooné: Respect for All Things explores the crucial role herring have played for thousands of years for many Indigenous coastal peoples, the risks this vital species currently faces from overfishing and other threats, and how to move forward centering Indigenous sovereignty and traditional ecological knowledge. Introduced by the Founder and Director of the Herring Protectors, Louise Brady (Tlingit)

The Snake and The Whale

7:40 pm
Over the past fifty years, four federal dams impounding the Lower Snake River in Washington State have been identified as the root cause for the demise of all of Idaho’s anadromous fish. The Snake and the Whale reveals the corrupt deals behind the dams’ construction and the subsequent campaigns to hide their role in this ongoing ecological disaster. Additionally, the dams have profoundly impacted a group of Killer Whales off the coast of Washington, known as the Southern Resident Orca, which rely on Snake River salmon as a primary food supply. These majestic creatures are now at the top of the Endangered Species list. Introduced by Children of the Setting Sun Outreach Producer, Raynell Morris (Lummi) and followed with Q&A.

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Thursday, March 26

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PANEL

Indigenous Forum – We Survived Apocalypse: Lessons in Resilience

Thursday, March 26 | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm PT

Berkeley Residence Inn, 3rd Floor Ballroom

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 (Canim Lake Band Tsq̓éscen̓); Natalie Ball (Klamath Tribe/ Modoc).

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PANEL

Indigenous Forum – First Return: Youth Paddlers and the Rebirth of the Klamath

Thursday, March 26 | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm PT

Berkeley Residence Inn, 3rd Floor Ballroom

In 2025, following the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, an intertribal cohort of Indigenous youth from the Klamath Basin became the first people in a century to descend a 310 miles stretch of the Klamath River. Their journey to the sea was a ceremony, a protest, and a living testament to the resilience of Indigenous peoples and the ongoing decolonization of the watershed. This intergenerational panel brings together some of these youth paddlers, elders, and legal advocates who will share the story of this historic “First Return” descent. Witnessing salmon return to their ancestral waters for the first time in over 100 years ignited profound hope and serves as an inspiring example of how significant environmental victories can transform the lives, identities, and opportunities of young people who experience them firsthand. The conversation will also highlight the ongoing work that still needs to be addressed. While four dams have been removed, two major dams in the upper basin still degrade water quality and threaten the survival of the nearly extinct C’waam (Lost River sucker) and Koptu (shortnose sucker) species, as well as the long-term viability of the recently returned salmon (C’iyaal’s) (salmon). Hosted by Juliette Jackson (Klamath Tribe), JD, author of Stop Killing the Klamath. With the Klamath Tribe’s Youth Council members: Coley Miller, Travis Jackson, Melia McNair, Scarlett JewelHoches Schroeder and Taeliah Eggsman

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PANEL

The Living Earth

Thursday, March 26 | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm PT

Freight and Salvage 

Bioneers is delighted to bring together three visionary thinkers from very different fields but all at the cutting edge of our understanding of life on our planet. Ferris Jabr, bestselling author of one of the most masterful books of scientific journalism in years, Becoming Earth, has elevated the discourse surrounding the Gaia Hypothesis to a higher octave, elucidating Earth’s dynamic, self-regulating systems continuously transformed by biological processes. Jeannette Armstrong, traditional knowledge keeper of the Okanagan syilx Nation and Full Professor and Coordinator of Interior Salishan Language Studies at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, will bring an indispensable, foundational Indigenous perspective. And world-renowned Forest Ecologist Suzanne Simard, a groundbreaking figure in the study of plant communication and intelligence, author of the highly influential, bestselling Finding the Mother Tree, is just now releasing her newest book, When the Forest Breathes. They will share their insights into how life shapes Earth and explore humanity’s immense responsibility to secure the vitality of the planet, especially in light of what First Peoples have long known and what modern science is discovering about the profound interconnectedness of all life and the myriad intelligences that permeate our world. 

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Friday, March 27

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PANEL

Opening the Indigenous Forum – Hula with E Ala e Kohala, Hānai Kaiāulu, Mālama ʻĀina Compostables, Hui Hoahuli, Molokaʻi Future Farmers of America

Friday, March 27 | 2:45 pm PT

Berkeley Residence Inn, 3rd Floor Ballroom

Guided by their Kumu, students offer a ceremonial protocol through oli (chant) to open the Indigenous Forum with ancestral intention and connection. The ceremony begins with “E Ala E,” a calling of the sun by Pualani Kanahele, inviting clarity, awakening, and presence as we gather. This is followed by “E Hō Mai,” a pule asking for guidance, ʻike, and collective wisdom throughout the conference. The protocol concludes with “Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī,” calling upon Indigenous youth to stand in pride, honor their origins, and commit to aloha ʻāina—care for land, community, and one another.

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PANEL

Indigenous Forum – Rights of Nature: Rivers as Roads to an Indigenized Legal Future

Friday, March 27 | 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm PT

Berkeley Residence Inn, 3rd Floor Ballroom

Tribal nations across Indian Country are transforming their legal systems and influencing the broader legal landscape by formally recognizing rivers as living relatives with inherent rights. This past year, the Colorado River and Rappahannock tribes advanced Rights of Nature laws to protect their waterways and reinforce their sovereignty, exemplifying a larger reinvigoration of Indigenous Jurisprudence. This panel features leaders and innovative water protectors who have been instrumental in landmark legal victories. They will discuss how these laws were crafted through community consultation and collaborative processes among elders, youth, scientists, and legal experts, and they will share their ongoing efforts to empower tribes to advocate for their waterways as relatives and ensure that rivers, fish, and ecosystems are acknowledged as kin with standing under the law. Moderated by Attorney Samantha Skenandore (Ho-Chunk), a leading national expert on Federal Indian Law. With: Chief Anne Richardson (Rappahannock Tribe); Chairman William Ray (Klamath Tribe); Chair of Junior NAIWA Daughters Jasmine Smith (Eastern Band of Cherokee)

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PANEL

Indigenous Forum – Spirit and Science Meet the Sea: Caretaking Our Ocean Relatives with Indigenous Knowledge

Friday, March 27 | 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm PT

Berkeley Residence Inn, 3rd Floor Ballroom

Human activities, primarily overfishing, pollution, and climate change are causing unprecedented damage to marine ecosystems, leading to massive biodiversity loss and the destruction of habitats,  problems that cannot be solved by Western science and policy alone. Indigenous knowledge rooted in generations of observation and relationship with marine species is critical to the defense and regeneration of the oceans that we all depend upon. In this panel, we will hear from three Indigenous leaders fighting to protect keystone marine species from the foundation to the apex of the food web. Topics include the cultural and spiritual foundations of Indigenous-led movements, ways that Indigenous and Western sciences are being applied in tandem, and the creation of ocean policies rooted in Indigenous principles. Attendees will come away equipped with ways they can support these efforts as well as renewed inspiration to restore and repair Mother Earth.  Moderated by Alexis Bunten (Yupu’ik/Unangan), Co-Director of the Bioneers Indigeneity Program. With: Louise Brady (Tlingit), Founder and Director of the Herring Protectors; Raynell Morris (Lummi), Children of the Setting Sun Outreach Producer; and Shane Weeks (Shinnecock), Co-founder and Director of Education and Research at the Metoac Indigenous Collective.

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PANEL

Global and Indigenous Women-Led Movements for Climate Justice

Friday, March 27 | 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm PT

Crystal Ballroom, Hotel Shattuck Plaza

Although they receive less than 1% of climate funding, women-led climate justice grassroots projects around the world are generating cascading benefits, from greater gender and economic equity and less gender violence to improved biodiversity and ecosystems’ health. Simultaneously, the centrality to many Indigenous peoples’ cultures of traditional relationships to place and to honoring all of life as sacred are a tremendous resource in strengthening efforts to protect and renew biodiversity and water resources. Join an emergent conversation to explore what these two vastly under-resourced constituencies have to offer in the quest to co-create regenerative landscapes and futures. Hosted by Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). With: Zainab Salbi, Co-founder of Daughters for Earth; Dilafruz Khonikboyeva, Executive Director of Home Planet Fund.

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Saturday, March 28

PANEL

Spirit Run

Saturday, March 28 | 7:00 am – 8:00 am PT

Crescent Lawn, Oxford Street

Join Wings of America- a Native American health and wellness organization based in Albuquerque NM focused on promoting spiritual, mental, physical and relational wellness through the power of running for a morning of movement and running.

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PANEL

Indigenous Forum – Women at the Center: A Call to Interdependence

Saturday, March 28 | 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm PT

Berkeley Residence Inn, 3rd Floor Ballroom

Women are central to the Great Law of Peace and Governance within the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations; Iroquois), whose federalist structure valuing peace, justice and collective wellbeing was an inspiration for democracy in the United States. A timely new book, American Indigenous Democracy: A Call to Interdependence, focuses on the teachings of Haudenosaunee traditional thinking, its presence at the foundation of the American republic, and its continuing power and relevance. This session will highlight women’s leadership and governance rooted in peace and matrilineal values by featuring revered contemporary leaders, author-activists, elders and clan mothers who are also key contributors to the text. They will speak to the themes of women’s leadership; governance rooted in peace and matrilineal values and wisdom from their own life’s work and activism. Moderated by Beverly Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk – Wolf  Clan). With: contributing authors Katsi Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk – Wolf  Clan); Michelle Schenandoah (Oneida); Louise Herne (Kaniekehaka, Mohawk); and editor Jose Barreiro (Taíno)

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PANEL

Indigenous Forum – Honoring Plant Protocol

Saturday, March 28 | 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm PT

Berkeley Residence Inn, 3rd Floor Ballroom

Plants are our relatives, invaluable allies in sustaining our physical, mental and spiritual well being. But the Indigenous relationship with plants has been severely disrupted by cultural appropriation, corporatization, and ecocide that violate plants’ protocols, responsibilities, and life cycles. In the face of these challenges, Indigenous Peoples continue to protect plant-based medicine and knowledge systems. In this session, panelists will discuss ways that cultural practices have been passed down and revitalized to uphold our sacred relationships with plants. They will share perspectives on respect, reciprocity, and responsibility whenever we grow, harvest and tend plants. Moderated by Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Bioneers Executive Director. With: Leah Mata Fragua (Yak Tityu Tityu Yak Tiłhini); Jessie Rouse-Whipple (Illmawi Band of the Pit River Nation, Hupa, Wintu); and Brittany Burrows (Nomlaki-Wintun, Pomo).

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PANEL

Rematriation: Returning to the Sacred Mother

Saturday, March 28 | 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm PT

Magnes Museum

This session will delve deeply into the concept of “rematriation,” revealing how acknowledging the land and the planet as our Mother and acting accordingly has to lead us to a revisioning of our current values and institutions that are so out-of-balance with the sacred, and to work toward a radical restructuring of our society. The presenters will also move beyond concepts to share some lived experiences and personal stories that drive home the power of rematriation. Hosted by Dahr Jamail, Storytelling and Communications Manager at Home Planet Fund. With: Alana Peterson, Executive Director of Spruce Root; Rano Abutrobova, Board Secretary for Pamir Roots and a consultant to the Home Planet Fund; and Louise Brady, Tribal Council Member and founder and director of the Herring Protectors

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Indigenous Film Showcase – Resilience and Revitalization

We will close the Bioneers conference with an evening honoring the strength and vision of Indigenous people through films that carry stories of truth, survival, and perseverance.
6:30 PM – 10:30 PM
David Brower Center, Goldman Theater 

Tiger

6:30 pm
From a 1980s boom to near-collapse, Tiger chronicles Indigenous artist Dana Tiger’s decades-long journey of resilience as she and her family transform grief and hardship into the revival of their iconic Tiger T-shirt.

Remaining Native 

7:00 pm
Remaining Native is a coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of Kutoven (Ku) Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner, struggling to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete as the memory of his great-grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future. Introduced by Dustin Martin (Dine’), Executive Director of Wings of America.

Free Leonard Peltier

8:30 pm
Free Leonard Peltier outlines the decades-long efforts to free the world-renowned Indigenous activist from prison, culminating in the commutation of his sentence at age 80 in January 2025. The film presents essential history about the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.) and the ongoing, never-ending fight for Indigenous resistance. Introduced by Children of the Setting Sun Outreach Producer, Raynell Morris (Lummi)