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Kia ora Arizona!

 Kia ora koutou,

Arizona State University Entrance

I had a great time in Arizona for the American Indian Studies Conference, which was held at Arizona State University. It’s about a five-hour flight from Boston, so I arrived around midnight. Let me tell you, it was bliss leaving sub-zero temperatures in Boston for sunshine weather, often over 20 degrees. It was the first time that I could feel the warmth of the sun during my time here in the USA. 

An eating area at Arizona State University

Arizona State University is based in Tempe, which is very close to Phoenix. The campus is really spread out and beautiful. I loved the earth-coloured buildings and the nice feeling of seeing so many people enjoying the year's spring semester. 

The conference was the first indigenous conference that I attended in the USA. There were about 100 people at the conference. The presentations were terrific. They covered a range of themes, including critical race theory, solidarity between indigenous and African American communities concerning social justice issues, Native American voter suppression/oppression, colonisation of National Parks here, and indigenous legal activism around the borders.

Retiring Native American Scholars and Activists 

There are many similarities between the experiences of Māori and Native Americans. I could feel the sadness and pain of many of the stories shared by the presenters. It was essential to see solutions offered to try and combat some of the difficulties experienced by communities. One of the themes that stood out for me was how Native American and African American communities work together on social justice issues. 

A presentation at the American Indian Conference 2023

I attended the Heard Museum, which I highly recommend if you are ever in Phoenix. It is a Native American museum. The highlight of my time at the museum was the exhibition of American Indian Boarding Schools. It was shocking to see and understand that Native American kids were taken from their families and forced to assimilate. These young people suffered abuse and torture, and many died from diseases. Many of these schools built graveyards to bury the kids.

An exhibition concerning the Indian Training Schools 

I also attended a massive Arizona Indian festival, which was inspiring. There are 22 tribes in the state of Arizona. Seeing many stores selling art, clothing, and jewellery was great. It was also great to see storytelling, music, and dance. I also got to eat their frybread, which is flat compared to the Māori frybread. There is a fascinating story about frybread (and quite sad). It is said that with many American Indians forced off their land, the frybread was a staple and survival food as few ingredients are needed. 

Native American Festival

I was fortunate to meet several artists, including this elder, at the festival. He designed this beautiful piece about positive energy, which I will hang in the office on the wall. I made the effort to really listen to the stories of the different tribes there, which is often complex. 

Overall, it was an excellent experience to be in Arizona. I look forward to strengthening relationships with some of the academics I met (with the hope of visiting them before I leave the USA). I want to see further opportunities with Māori and Native American communities. There is a lot that we can learn from each other, and we share resources on how we overcome some of the barriers that we face. 

I spoke about how Aotearoa will be hosting the WIPCE (World Indigenous Conference on Education) in 2025, and no doubt will look forward to seeing many of them visit us. 


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