This talk had several speakers, but one in particular who stood out to me was Santee Smith, who was also billed as Tekaronhiáhkhwa, or Picking Up The Sky. Smith is a member of the Kahnyen’kehàka Nation, which is located several hours North from Ithaca. This is what stood out to me, since the Native communities I interact with most are from California, where I’m from and where my family originated from.

I don’t know much about Native history outside of California, so when Smith spoke, I was eager to hear about the histories. She touched on the abusive schooling practices geared toward tribal children, which I’d mostly heard about from teachers or online. The part I enjoyed most was her art film: this was rooted in her own experience, and the experiences of her community. Her work was beautiful, and I was glad that she showed it to us as a Keynote speaker.