Future-Making: Land, Law, and Indigenous Resilience

Landscape photograph of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Whereas most high school textbooks note the importance of land in Native American Nations, few people outside of Indian Country understand what those relationships really mean or how they influence decision-making processes and policy outcomes today.

This day-long symposium invites scholars, students, and the public to learn from and be in conversation with Indigenous experts in ecology, technology, and governance to better understand the practice and potential of place-based problem-solving in contemporary Indigenous communities. The hands-on workshop with experts from Virginia Indian Tribes allows participants to see how local makers are reinterpreting ancestral tools and techniques to address present-day needs. A panel discussion with leaders and experts from Virginia Tribes and U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borderlands highlights points of connection and divergence in communities that navigate complex, dynamic relationships with settler colonial nation-states.

The panel and attendees may consider these questions: What rights do Tribal citizens have to land, and which legal frameworks structure those rights? How do contemporary communities leverage traditional ecological knowledge to address climate change? How does the ongoing search for healthy relationships with a changing landscape influence Indigenous approaches to democracy, governance, and policymaking? What kinds of problem-solving solutions can be shared among and across Tribal borders and non-Native nation states? What does Tribal sovereignty mean in transnational contexts? What does it mean to be a Tribal citizen on Tribal lands and far from home? How does the presence or absence of reservation land shape Tribal citizens’ understanding of space and home?

Symposium Schedule

11:00 AM–1:00 PM Indigenous Tools and Techniques Workshop at Morven's Meeting Barn
1:00–2:30 PM Box lunches provided at Morven
3:00–4:30 PM Panel discussion at the Meeting Barn
5:00–6:00 PM Reception at the Main House

*The event is free, but attendees must register by clicking the orange "Register" button on this page.

Please sign up for

the 11:00 AM workshop and lunch, or
the 3:00 PM panel and reception, or
BOTH

Free parking is available at Morven Farm.

Bus Schedule

Free shuttle buses will be provided for UVA students, departing from Alderman Road by the Chapel.

10:30 AM depart UVA for Morven Farm
1:30 PM depart Morven Farm for UVA
2:30 PM depart UVA for Morven Farm
6:00 PM depart Morven Farm for UVA

Indigenous Political and Social Thought Committee Members

Kody Grant, UVA Tribal liaison
Savannah Baber, Virginia Humanities
Joseph Lilly, Native American Student Union representative
Willow Lovecky, Native American Student Union representative
Raven Adams, community member, Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC) Algonquian language group
Allison Bigelow, UVA faculty, ex-officio

Speakers

Karen Diver serves as the inaugural senior advisor to the president for Native American affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Her previous roles in higher education included serving as a faculty fellow for inclusive excellence at the College of St. Scholastica and as business development with the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona.

Diver was also an appointee of President Barack Obama as the special assistant to the president for Native American affairs—part of the Domestic Policy Council from November 2015 until the end of the administration. 

Diver also served as chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from 2007–15, managing the second-largest workforce in northern Minnesota and a high-capacity Tribal government.

Her current service includes the Great Lakes Fishery Commission as a U.S. commissioner and U.S. section chair, member of the board of directors for the Bush Foundation, and board of governors for the Honoring Nations Program with the Harvard Kennedy School Project for Indigenous Governance and Development.

Diver has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. 

Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan is from the San Xavier District on the Tohono O’odham Nation. She is the Tohono O'odham Nation education development liaison for NSF NOIRLab-Kitt Peak National Observatory and an instructor within the Tohono O'odham Studies Program at Tohono O'odham Community College. She teaches courses that include topics and issues relating to the U.S.-Mexico Border that affect Tohono O’odham tribal members.

Ramon-Sauberan has written for news publications across the United States, including Indian Country Today, and serves on several boards and committees including Wecij U’uwi Hemapai (Tohono O’odham Young Women’s Gathering), Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace-Mission Garden, Friends of Saguaro National Park, and Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area Partnership Council.

Diane Shields was elected chief of the Monacan Indian Nation on June 17, 2023. She was born in Virginia, and at age 5, her family relocated to Ohio. Her paternal heritage is rooted in the Monacan Tribe.

Chief Shields' interest in genealogy sparked a journey of exploring her family's roots. Her father's Monacan ancestry brought her to Amherst, Virginia, in 1992 to enjoy the Monacan powwow and obtain her tribal enrollment card. Overwhelmed by her connection to the Monacan people, Chief Shields and her husband decided to move to Amherst County in 1993. Since then, she has committed herself to serving her people and advocating for their rights and heritage.

Chief Shields' professional journey spans several roles and industries. She has served in office and records management positions at the Palm Bay Police Department, in Amherst County Schools, and at Central Virginia Community College.

On moving to Amherst County, Chief Shields soon began volunteering for Monacan committees. She served on the boards of Monacan Pamunkey Mattaponi Consortium and the United Indians of Virginia. She contributed significantly to gathering historical research and genealogical evidence to document the Monacan Indian Community's continuity as part of an initiative to secure federal recognition. She was pivotal in creating the original tribal enrollment rolls and crafting the application for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to formally recognize the Monacan Indian Nation.

Beyond her research, Chief Shields was diligent in rectifying birth records and ensuring the community's taxes and land taxes were up to date. She held various leadership positions within the community, including assistant chief, secretary, and treasurer. She was on the Council when the Monacan Indian Nation achieved federal recognition and played a key role in establishing the first 638 contract with the BIA to build the nation's office.

After achieving federal recognition in 2018, Chief Shields assumed the role of director for the Monacan Nation Cultural Foundation, the Tribe’s nonprofit arm.

As Chief Shields continues to serve the Monacan Indian Nation, she aims to facilitate better communication and heal disputes within her community. She is keen on hearing innovative ideas to improve and enrich the Nation. Her vision encompasses open dialogues, the recognition of past achievements, and the commitment to work hard for a prosperous future.

Tanya Stewart is a tribal citizen of the Chickahominy Tribe and the cultural resources director for Chickahominy Eastern Division.