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Message from the Director

Dear Friends of the UCLA American Indian Studies Center,

It was wonderful to see many of you recently at the 27th Annual AISA Pow Wow. We congratulate the students on another outstanding event, which we were pleased to co-sponsor. The PowWow provides a unique opportunity for our community to come together, and it was particularly special to participate in the honoring of Professor Pam Munro (Professor of Linguistics) and Kimberly Robertson (PhD candidate in Women's Studies), among others.

Here at AISC we continue to be actively engaged in our work with Partners for Justice, the research initiative between AISC and the Indian Law and Order Commission. We are closely engaged in research around reducing violence in Native communities, particularly as it pertains to Native women and children. Click here to read more about the Senate's recent Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

I just returned from Arizona where I continue my work on indigenous peoples' human rights and met with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, S. James Anaya. I had the honor of meeting with the Rapporteur to discuss pressing human rights concerns in the United States and to speak on the impact of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in regards to rights to language, culture, and sacred sites. You can read more about Professor Anaya's work here.

We look forward to engaging our entire community as we move forward with these and other key initiatives. We thank you for your support of the AISC.

Megwetch,
Angela R. Riley
Director, American Indian Studies Center
Professor of Law

(www.aisc.ucla.edu)

Announcement: We want to hear from you!

We want to hear from you! The American Indian Studies Center is currently undertaking a project that explores the history and presence of American Indians at UCLA since its establishment in 1919 through today. We would love to hear your story about your own experiences with UCLA and/or with the American Indian Studies Center. Anyone interested in contributing to this project can contact our Research Analyst, Leah Shearer, at lshearer@aisc.ucla.edu.

Announcement: Seeking Yellow Thunder Recipients

The AISC is seeking to get in touch with past recipients of the Yellow Thunder Scholarship, which has offered support to students for decades. If you received a scholarship through this fund, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact our Research Analyst, Leah Shearer, at lshearer@aisc.ucla.edu.

Upcoming Event: UCLA Library Writer Series Presents Sing: Poetry of the Indigenous Americas

Sing: Poetry of the Indigenous Americas
Allison Hedge Coke

Tuesday, May 15
1 p.m.
Charles E. Young Research Library
Presentation Room
Free; Unreserved Seating

Allison Hedge Coke came of age working in fields, water, and factories, and her work combines musicality and vivid imagery to reveal profound truths of culture, class, and the fragility of the human condition. Winner of the American Book Award for her first collection of poetry, Dog Road Woman (1997), she currently holds the Reynolds Chair of Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska Kearney and is on the visiting faculty of MFA programs at the University of California, Riverside and Naropa University.

Hedge Coke has given readings at international poetry festivals in Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Jordan, and Venezula. Her books include the poetry collection of Off-season City Pipe (2005), the memoir Rock, Ghost, Willow, Deer (2004); and the verse play Blood Run (2006), created to lobby for legislation and protection of this indigenous site spanning the border of Iowa and South Dakota. She edited eight additional collections, including Sing: Poetry of the Indigenous Americas (2011), and Effigies II (2012)

Presented in collaboration with the UCLA American Indian Studies Center, Chicano Studies Research Center, and Latin American Institute

Save the Date: Native American Student Advocacy Institute Diversity Conference

The Native American Student Advocacy Institute celebrates individual triumphs over educational inequities, and provides opportunities for educators and community leaders to form partnerships to ensure postsecondary access and excellence for Native American students.

Tuesday-Wednesday, May 22-23, 2012
UCLA

Visit NASAI Diversity Conference website for more information and to register online.

Other News and Events

UCLA Library Writer Series: Militarization, Human Rights, and Threats to Justice in Guatemala

Presented by Iduvina Hernandez, Journalist and Activist

Friday, May 4, 2012
11 a.m.
Presentation Room, Charles E. Young Research Library
Admission is free; unreserved seating

Since the election of retired General Otto Perez Molina as the president of Guatemala, the country has seen disturbing trends toward re-militarization and repression of social movements. Iduvina Hernandez, an award-winning Guatemalan journalist and human rights defender, will discuss the impact of powerful retired military officers who have been implicated in national-security crimes against humanity as well as recent moves to criminalize indigenous activists defending their right to ancestral lands.

An advocate for human rights since her student days, Hernandez is currently the director of the Association for the Study and Promotion of Security in Democracy, a nongovernmental organization that works to improve security, reduce impunity, and improve the democratic process in Guatemala. She previously worked with Myrna Mack Foundation and with the Commission on Historical Clarification. She is also a frequent contributor to the online news agency Plaza Publica.

TLCEE Pimu/Catalina Island Cultural Resource Practitioner's Training Now Accepting Application for Summer 2012

Join us for native cultural resource practitioner's training June 30 - July 8, 2012 on Pimu/Catalina Island

Learn the latest information on these topics & sharpen important skills:
• acquire a practical working knowledge of survey, excavation, and lab techniques • learn how archaeology is practiced • gain a better understanding of federal and state laws as well as processes that apply to cultural resources in the public sector

Guest lecturers will share insight into the experience & process through case studies
Tuition: $500 (covers course instruction, on island housing & transportation, and meals during week) Space is limited.

Instructors:
Dr. Wendy Teeter, Curator of Archaeology, Fowler Museum at UCLA Desiree Martinez (Tongva), Ph.D. Candidate, Harvard University Karimah Kennedy-Richardson, Staff Archaeologist, Southwest Museum of the Autry National Center

Sponsored by UCLA Tribal Learning Community & Educational Exchange Program Partial scholarships available For more detailed course info: http://PimuTribalCR.weebly.com/

Native Voices at the Autry's 14th Festival of New Plays

Public Readings of New Works

Staged readings are free
Reservations are recommended
For more info or reservations please visit our website http://autrymuseum.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=VaF_0wKBAAEAAAMcAAYPPw

The Hummingbirds
By Elizabeth Frances (Cherokee)
Kimberly Norris Guerrero (Colville, Salish-Kootenai, Cherokee), and Shyla Marlin (Choctaw) Friday, June 1, 7:30 p.m.

The Bird House
By Diane Glancy (Cherokee)
Saturday, June 2, 2:00 p.m.

Distant Thunder
A Native American Musical

Job Opportunity: Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays Production Assistant

Event Description
The Native Voices Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays provides emerging and established Native American authors a rigorous opportunity to shape their plays over the course of an entire week. Collaboration occurs in daily workshops with nationally recognized directors, dramaturgs, and an acting company largely composed of exceptional Native American actors. The week culminates with a festival of staged readings at The Autry National Center in Griffith Park. The retreat/workshop portions will take place on the UCLA campus and at The Autry.

Job Description
Native Voices is looking for some great Production Assistants to help us out during our annual Playwrights Retreat and Festival. This is a great opportunity to gain some hands on experience and meet a wide variety of professionals and personalities. Upon successful completion of the week we will be happy to provide a letter of recommendation. The Production Assistant must be available for the entire length of the Retreat and Festival (May 26 - June 2), but please do not hesitate to apply if you have scheduling conflicts. All PA's will be paid a flat fee of $300.

The PA will be expected to:
• Participate in all scheduled activities and work with and assist the production staff, stage managers, and Retreat participants in coordinating the events, performances, and meals.
• Assist the Craft Services/Catering Manager and Retreat and Festival Coordinator in the week leading up to the Retreat with any tasks as needed to prepare for the Retreat and Festival.
• General office duties including making copies, delivering scripts and materials, organizing supplies, making phone calls, maintaining cleanliness of work spaces, compiling information for distribution, reservations and box office management, etc.

Desired Skills/Qualifications
• Organized and punctual
• Excellent communication skills
• Self-starter who can also follow instructions carefully
• An appreciation for, respect for, or desire to work in theatre, film, special events, or a related field.
• Not afraid of a little physical work, and able to lift heavy boxes, tables, etc.
• Must have own transportation or be willing to car pool.
• Basic computer skills. Knowledge of Mac and/or PC and Microsoft Word is preferable but not required.

To Apply please email nativevoices@theautry.org
Write "Production Assistant" in the Subject Line
Send us a brief description about yourself, your qualifications and interest, and if possible, a resume.
Questions? Please email or call (323) 667-2000 ext. 299

• Download Job Description (PDF)

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