The fifth mini-conference, hosted by the Oneida Nation Culture Heritage Department, occurred on November 8 & 9, 2012. With traditional meals prepared by the Oneida Nation Longhouse, Convening Culture Keepers featured presentations and workshops on building a community-driven and participatory tribal museum, the role of children’s books in Native nation building, advocating for tribal cultural institutions, and designing effective traveling exhibits.

Thursday evening’s activities included:

Friday activities included presentations and workshops by:

  • Janice Kowemy – “Tribal Library Advocacy”
    Janice Kowemy is the librarian/director at the Laguna Public Library, a tribal library located in Laguna Pueblo, NM. She is a proud member of the Pueblo of Laguna. She is currently the president of the American Indian Library Association.
  • Shannon Martin – “Building a Community-Driven & Participatory Tribal Museum” Shannon Martin is the Director of the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways. Shannon leads a team that addresses cultural and historic preservation, repatriation and reburial of ancestral remains, artistic expression and promotion, Tribal collections and archival conservation, cultural resource management, Ojibwe language revitalization, exhibition development, protection of intellectual property, and stewardship of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal cemeteries, burial grounds and sacred sites.
  • Mary Olson – “Developing a Traveling Exhibit & Organizing an Exhibit Tour”
    Mary Olson (mary_olson at visi dot com ) is a free lance exhibit developer who works with museums and their communities to guide the process of planning, designing, and building exhibits. From first meeting to final installation, these efforts provide conceptual planning, floorplans, research, and budgeting as well as detailed work on exhibits such as dioramas, object displays, graphic panels, outdoor signage, audio-visual components, interactive experiences, and programs.
  • Debbie Reese – “The Role of Children’s Books in Native Nation Building”
    Debbie Reese is tribally enrolled at Nambe Pueblo. She publishes American Indians in Children’s Literature, an award-winning website that provides critical analysis of the ways that Indigenous peoples are portrayed in children’s and young adult books, lesson plans used in schools, and media such as movies and television programs. Her writing is published in books and journals used by teachers and librarians.

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All photos taken by Della Nohl

Downloads:

CC5 Agenda
 The Role of Children’s Books in Native Nation Building – Handout and PowerPoint Slides
Traveling Exhibits – PowerPoint Slides
 Advocacy in Tribal Libraries – PowerPoint Slides