Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge: Perspectives on Native Basketry 2023

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Topics: Native Communities

Marshall McKay wearing sunglasses with mountain behind him

Named in honor of Marshall McKay, former Chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Tribal Council and the first Native person to serve as Chair of the Autry’s Board, the Marshall McKay Seminar seeks to empower Native knowledge. It will address topics that impact Indian Country—and beyond.

Through a generous grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Autry held the Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park. The second annual seminar explored perspectives on Native basketry as it relates to cultural revitalization and environmental resource management. The seminar, which was livestreamed, featured a diverse lineup of presentations from across Indian Country. In addition to the speaker panels, the Autry hosted two hands-on community workshops featuring California weaving styles and black ash basketry.

For those who could not make the seminar in person or could not participate in the livestream, links to the recorded sessions can be found below.

Welcome 

Stephen Aron, Calvin and Marilyn Gross Director and President and CEO, Autry Museum of American West 


Opening Remarks 

Richard West, Jr. (Cheyenne), Former President and CEO, Autry Museum of American West, and Founding Director of Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian


 Keynote

Theresa Ambo (Luiseño, Tongva), University of California, San Diego 


Ancestral Basket Weaving and Cultural Revival in Coastal Southern California 

Dr. Yve Chavez (Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians), University of Oklahoma  


Basketry and Cultural Revitalization Across Borders  

Dr. Daisy Ocampo Diaz (Caxcan), Assistant Professor of History, California State University, San Bernardino 


Making Museum Collections Useful 

Bruce Bernstein, Senior Scholar, School for Advanced Research and Tribal Heritage Preservation Officer, Pueblo de San Ildefonso 


Rekindling Culture and Fire 

Christina Gonzalez (Chumash) and Alice Lincoln-Cook (Karuk), California Indian Basketweaving Association 


Revitalization of living off the land through Native American Foodways 

Reagan Wytsalucy (Diné/Navajo), Assistant Professor and San Juan County Extension Director, Utah State University 


Hopi Basketry and Foodways 

Ruby Chimerica (Hopi) 


Indigenous Resilience is Climate Resilience 

Thomas Kenote (Menominee, Anishinaabe), Program Officer, NDN Collective 


Plants, Inspiring the People; Reflections on Hualapai Ethnobotany and Basketry of the Grand Canyon 

Carrie Cannon (Kiowa), Ethnobotanist, Hualapai Department of Cultural Resources 

Seminar Sessions

Session 1: Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge: Perspectives on Native Art and Museums 2023

  • Session 1: Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge: Perspectives on Native Art and Museums 2023
  • Session 2: Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge: Perspectives on Native Art and Museums 2023

Land Acknowledgment

The Autry Museum of the American West acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). We recognize that the Autry Museum and its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

The Autry Museum in Griffith Park

4700 Western Heritage Way

Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
Located northeast of downtown, across from the Los Angeles Zoo.
Map and Directions

Free parking for Autry visitors.


MUSEUM AND STORE HOURS
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Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

DINING
Food Trucks are available on select days, contact us for details at 323.495.4252.
The cafe is temporarily closed until further notice.