Conversations with Wisdom Keepers

Onondaga Nation

Oren Lyons is Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation. At 96 years old, he remains active internationally as a leading advocate for human rights, women's rights, land rights, religious freedom, and Indigenous sovereignty. A former professor at the State University of New York, Buffalo, Lyons has devoted much of his career to traditional education and has regularly contributed to United Nations discussions on Indigenous affairs. He last spoke in Santa Fe during the 2024 Great Turtle Talks, joining Anishinaabe educator, economist, and author Winona LaDuke for a conversation on “Value Change for Survival.”

Santa Clara Pueblo

Roxanne Swentzell is a highly respected Santa Clara Pueblo ceramic artist, educator, and food activist. In 1987, she co-founded the Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, which offers community education in sustainable living, including desert farming, animal husbandry, ancestral Native foods, adobe construction, and solar energy. Her work encourages self-reliance, community well-being, food sovereignty, and care for the land.

Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache

Bob Haozous is an internationally respected artist who has used art as activism and social commentary for decades. Known particularly for his large-scale metal sculptures, Haozous creates provocative work that examines Native identity, equality, environmental responsibility, and contemporary society. Often incorporating humor, his work asks difficult questions: Where are we going? Is our future sustainable? Is equality attainable? And is this a time for reflection, resolution, and change?

Akwesasne Mohawk Nation

Katsi Cook is a renowned midwife, elder, researcher, educator, and activist who has advanced matrilineal awareness and the rematriation of Indigenous lifeways. She is widely known for her work in environmental justice and reproductive health. In 1979, she co-founded the Akwesasne Freedom School. She also co-founded the Konon:kwe Council, a women-led, community-based council at Akwesasne that works to empower women, promote women-centered policies, and interrupt cycles of violence. She has published extensively and maintained close relationships with academic institutions throughout her distinguished career.

Taíno

José Barreiro was born in Cuba and is a scholar, author, and longtime advocate for Indigenous Peoples. A former professor of Native American Studies at Cornell University, he was the founding editor of Native Americas Journal, senior editor at Indian Country Today, and, from 1975 to 1984, editor of Akwesasne Notes, working closely with John Mohawk. Barreiro later served as assistant director for history and culture research and directed the Office for Latin America at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian from 2006 to 2017. He is conducting interviews and compiling materials for the Oren Lyons Legacy Archive.