In this episode co-hosted by Dr. Davina Two Bears, Eva Bighorse, and Dr. Farina King, Skylar ("Sky") Begay shares insights from his life and work with Conservation, Native representation in new spaces, the Great Bend of the Gila, Save History, Archaeology Southwest, LandBack, and the Conservation Corps (specifically ancestral lands conservation corps). Sky identifies as an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and is also Mandan and Hidatsa. He grew up in the Navajo Nation and in Flagstaff, Arizona. He currently resides in Tucson, Arizona where he works as the Director of Tribal Collaboration in Outreach in Advocacy for Archaeology Southwest.

Additional Resources and Links:

-Skylar Begay biography webpage on Archaeology Southwest: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/team/skylar-begay/

- Main Respect Great Bend website: https://www.respectgreatbend.org/

- The Respect Great Bend Story Map: https://story.respectgreatbend.org/

- Respect Great Bend linktree: https://linktr.ee/GreatBendOfTheGila

- Main Save History Website: https://savehistory.org/

- cyberSW, online archaeological database: https://cybersw.org/

- Another podcast with more detail on the Great Bend of the Gila: https://bit.ly/GreatBendGilapodcast

- A recent segment on Phoenix Channel 12 news about the effort of the Great Bend of the Gila: https://bit.ly/PhoenixChannel12GBG

- Arizona Conservation Corps: https://azcorps.org/

- Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps: https://ancestrallands.org/

Dr. Davina Two Bears and Eva Bighorse talk with Dr. Farina King about her book, Diné dóó Gáamalii: Navajo Latter-day Experiences in the Twentieth Century that the University Press of Kansas published through the Lyda Conley Series on Trailblazing Indigenous Futures (2023). Diné dóó Gáamalii, which means “Navajo and Mormon” in Diné bizaad (the Navajo language), traces Diné Latter-day Saint experiences in the Southwest Indian Mission, congregations, and church educational programs such as the Indian Student Placement Program, seminaries, and Brigham Young University American Indian services and studies. King shares insights from oral histories and the voices of Diné Latter-day Saints, the development of their communities, and how their affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affected their Diné identity between the 1950s and early 2000s. King's book addresses how Diné Latter-day Saints like her father engaged with a community that faced a flux of challenges and contradictions in the late twentieth century. Diné dóó Gáamalii communities persisted through tense interactions of different Diné, Indigenous, and Mormon peoples.

King is the Horizon Chair in Native American Ecology and Culture and Associate Professor of Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma (OU), homelands of the Hasinais, or Caddo Nation, and Kirikirʔi:s, or Wichita & Affiliated Tribes. She currently serves as the Interim Department Chair of Native American Studies at OU. She is the author of various publications, including the books The Earth Memory Compass: Diné Landscapes and Education in the Twentieth Century and co-author of Returning Home: Diné Creative Works from the Intermountain Indian School.

Additional Resources and Links:

Diné dóó Gáamalii (University Press of Kansas online book order)
Farina King's professional website
"Diné Latter-day Saints" blog piece, Times and Seasons
"Who Are the Navajo Latter-day Saints?" From the Desk
King, “Diné dóó Gáamalii: Navajo Latter-day Saint Experiences in the Twentieth Century” (Reviewed by Greg Seppi), Dawning of a Brighter Day
Native BYU website
Native American Studies Department, University of Oklahoma

Oliviah Walker (she/her) highlights "healing-centered approaches" to public health based on her work with Indigenous communities in this conversation with co-hosts Eva Bighorse and Davina Two Bears. She also shares insights about impacts of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) on her and her family. Oliviah is a citizen of the Meskwaki Nation and a health and racial equity advocate. She most recently served as the Health Equity Officer for Iowa Health and Human Services and is starting a new role with the State of Minnesota. Oliviah’s experience includes roles in tribal, local, and state government. Her interests span the intersections of youth work, institutional change management, policy and advocacy, and workforce development, with a dedicated interest in Indigenous governance and capacity building. She serves on various advisory boards and committees including Meskwaki Inc., University of Iowa’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the State of Iowa’s Justice Advisory Board. She likes to spend free time reading, baking, and foraging.

Additional resources:

Profile of Missing Person: Rita Janelle Papakee
"Meskwaki citizen among Iowa’s missing Indigenous women" (2022)
RISE Resources
Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Murdered or Missing Indigenous Persons Office for Victims of Crime State Resources
Four Directions Summer Research Program (FDSRP)
Native Youth Workers Circle Facebook page
Fundamental Requirements for Healthy Youth Development