General Information
The Symposium:
The purpose of the symposium is to facilitate open dialogue about various aspects of biblical and theological contextualization in Indigenous thought, history, and experience. Symposium planners hope that participants will bring together academic and practical approaches to the issues being addressed in the symposium.
The purpose of the symposium is to facilitate open dialogue about various aspects of biblical and theological contextualization in Indigenous thought, history, and experience. Symposium planners hope that participants will bring together academic and practical approaches to the issues being addressed in the symposium.
The UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was many years in the crafting. Many Indigenous people spent decade’s worth of time seeking to declare in contemporary terms what their ancestors and now they already knew: we were present and had purpose in the land – one that significantly predates colonial incursions.
During this year’s symposium, we propose to explore together, Indigenous presence and purpose; to seek to understand historic rights and traditional responsibilities of Indigenous peoples in and for the land; to seek to articulate how settler and Indigenous peoples can implement the UNDRIP declaration in their communities and churches.
TIMES: June 1, 3:00 pm beginning with registration through to the closing ceremonies Saturday June 3rd at 4:00 pm. Friday evening will have a special singular focus this year.
LOCATION: George Fox University, 414 N Meridian St, Newberg, OR 97132, USA
During this year’s symposium, we propose to explore together, Indigenous presence and purpose; to seek to understand historic rights and traditional responsibilities of Indigenous peoples in and for the land; to seek to articulate how settler and Indigenous peoples can implement the UNDRIP declaration in their communities and churches.
TIMES: June 1, 3:00 pm beginning with registration through to the closing ceremonies Saturday June 3rd at 4:00 pm. Friday evening will have a special singular focus this year.
LOCATION: George Fox University, 414 N Meridian St, Newberg, OR 97132, USA
Schedule
Symposium Schedule 2017
All sessions will be held in the Chapel.
All sessions will be held in the Chapel.
Enter the name for this tabbed section: Thursday
4:00 General Registration Opens
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Opening Ceremonies
• Welcome – Grande Ronde Tribal Leadership
• Welcome – GFU/Portland Seminary
• Welcome - NAIITS
7:00 Graduation Ceremonies
• Entry of Grads and Faculty
• Address to grads – Randy Woodley
• Graduation and Blanketing – NAIITS Faculty
• Scholarship Awards – NAIITS Faculty
8:00 Plenary - Andrea Carmen: "Unpacking the UN Declaration"
8:45 Q&R
9:00 Close for the Day
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Opening Ceremonies
• Welcome – Grande Ronde Tribal Leadership
• Welcome – GFU/Portland Seminary
• Welcome - NAIITS
7:00 Graduation Ceremonies
• Entry of Grads and Faculty
• Address to grads – Randy Woodley
• Graduation and Blanketing – NAIITS Faculty
• Scholarship Awards – NAIITS Faculty
8:00 Plenary - Andrea Carmen: "Unpacking the UN Declaration"
8:45 Q&R
9:00 Close for the Day
Enter the name for this tabbed section: Friday
8:00 Registration and Breakfast
9:00 Gathering Song - Morning Reflection: Jim Sequeira
9:30 Plenary – Cheryl Bear: "Tribal Politics and the UN Declaration"
10:15 Q&R
10:45 Coffee Break and Talking Circles
12:00 Lunch
1:30 Plenary – Donnie Begay: "Sacred Places or Sanctuaries"
2:15 Q&R
2:45 Coffee Break/Talking Circles
3:15 Full Circle Conversation
5:00 Dinner
6:30 Plenary - Sandi Pierce: "Indigenous Women, Trafficking and a Way Forward"
- Cheryl Bear - Music
- Stephanie Goins - Response "What's being done?"
9:00 Gathering Song - Morning Reflection: Jim Sequeira
9:30 Plenary – Cheryl Bear: "Tribal Politics and the UN Declaration"
10:15 Q&R
10:45 Coffee Break and Talking Circles
12:00 Lunch
1:30 Plenary – Donnie Begay: "Sacred Places or Sanctuaries"
2:15 Q&R
2:45 Coffee Break/Talking Circles
3:15 Full Circle Conversation
5:00 Dinner
6:30 Plenary - Sandi Pierce: "Indigenous Women, Trafficking and a Way Forward"
- Cheryl Bear - Music
- Stephanie Goins - Response "What's being done?"
Enter the name for this tabbed section: Saturday
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Gathering Song – Morning Reflection: Alana Johnson
9:30 Marketplace "Panel" - 40 minutes
- Vince Bantu: "Early Christian Foundations for Indigenous Theological Self-Determination"
- Katie Jewett: "Imagining Restoration through Collective Collage"
- Jodi Spargur: "Re-forming the Church: UN Declaration Prayers"
- Shari Russell: "Moving into the future: Indigenous Rights and the Church"
10:15 Q&R
10:45 Coffee Break
11:15 Marketplace - Full Sessions following up the discussions
- Vince Bantu
- Katie Jewett
- Jodi Spargur
- Shari Russell
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Plenary – Jocabed Solano "Narratives as Political Resistance: The Juna Experience"
2:15 Q&R
2:45 Coffee Break/Talking Circles
3:30 Final Circle
4:00 Closing Ceremonies
9:00 Gathering Song – Morning Reflection: Alana Johnson
9:30 Marketplace "Panel" - 40 minutes
- Vince Bantu: "Early Christian Foundations for Indigenous Theological Self-Determination"
- Katie Jewett: "Imagining Restoration through Collective Collage"
- Jodi Spargur: "Re-forming the Church: UN Declaration Prayers"
- Shari Russell: "Moving into the future: Indigenous Rights and the Church"
10:15 Q&R
10:45 Coffee Break
11:15 Marketplace - Full Sessions following up the discussions
- Vince Bantu
- Katie Jewett
- Jodi Spargur
- Shari Russell
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Plenary – Jocabed Solano "Narratives as Political Resistance: The Juna Experience"
2:15 Q&R
2:45 Coffee Break/Talking Circles
3:30 Final Circle
4:00 Closing Ceremonies
Presenters
Andrea Carmen
"Unpacking the UN Declaration"
Andrea Carmen, Yaqui Nation, has been a staff member of the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) since 1983 and IITC’s Executive Director since 1992. Andrea has many years of experience working as a human rights trainer and observer around the world, and was IITC’s team leader for work on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In 1997, she was one of two Indigenous representatives invited to formally address the UN General Assembly for the first time in history at the UN Earth Summit +5. In 2006, Andrea was a Rapporteur for the UN “Expert Seminar on Indigenous Peoples’ Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources and their Relationship to Land”, the first time an Indigenous woman had been selected to serve as a Rapporteur for an UN Expert Seminar. Andrea has been an expert presenter at a significant number of UN bodies and seminars addressing a host of topics related to Indigenous peoples and their rights. Since 2010, Andrea has served on the Indigenous Peoples Global Steering Committee for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change since 2009, which coordinates IITC’s International Work at the UNFCCC.
Andrea Carmen, Yaqui Nation, has been a staff member of the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) since 1983 and IITC’s Executive Director since 1992. Andrea has many years of experience working as a human rights trainer and observer around the world, and was IITC’s team leader for work on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In 1997, she was one of two Indigenous representatives invited to formally address the UN General Assembly for the first time in history at the UN Earth Summit +5. In 2006, Andrea was a Rapporteur for the UN “Expert Seminar on Indigenous Peoples’ Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources and their Relationship to Land”, the first time an Indigenous woman had been selected to serve as a Rapporteur for an UN Expert Seminar. Andrea has been an expert presenter at a significant number of UN bodies and seminars addressing a host of topics related to Indigenous peoples and their rights. Since 2010, Andrea has served on the Indigenous Peoples Global Steering Committee for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change since 2009, which coordinates IITC’s International Work at the UNFCCC.
Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce, PhD
"Indigenous Women, Trafficking and a Way Forward"
Dr. Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce is an applied sociologist of Seneca and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. She is the principal investigator and author of Shattered Hearts, the first research report ever published in the United States on the commercial sexual exploitation of American Indian girls and women. Sandi holds Master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Sociology and is founder and President of Othayonih Research, an independent applied research and evaluation consulting firm. She is a domestic sex trafficking survivor-leader and currently serves on Shared Hope’s JuST (Juvenile Sex Trafficking) Council of Experts. For the past 15 years, Sandi’s work has focused exclusively on exposing and addressing the domestic sex trafficking of American Indian, Alaska Native, and other girls of color.
Dr. Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce is an applied sociologist of Seneca and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. She is the principal investigator and author of Shattered Hearts, the first research report ever published in the United States on the commercial sexual exploitation of American Indian girls and women. Sandi holds Master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Sociology and is founder and President of Othayonih Research, an independent applied research and evaluation consulting firm. She is a domestic sex trafficking survivor-leader and currently serves on Shared Hope’s JuST (Juvenile Sex Trafficking) Council of Experts. For the past 15 years, Sandi’s work has focused exclusively on exposing and addressing the domestic sex trafficking of American Indian, Alaska Native, and other girls of color.