Turtle Talk

Here. Register here.

Featured Events:

Day One: Friday, February 21 – Palmer Commons

Welcome Protocol 
Forum Hall 1:00-1:30 PM

Panel 1 The Past and Future of Indigenous Politics 
with Bryan Newland and Jeff Irwin, 

Forum Hall 1:30 – 3:00 PM

Panel 2: Lawyering Tribal Self-Determination 
with Wenona T. Singel, Doreen Nanibaa McPaul, and Mitchell Forbes,
Forum Hall 3:15 – 4:45 PM

Dinner for symposium participants.
Great Lakes Room 5:00 – 6:30 PM

Great Lakes Room 7:00 – 9:30 PM
An Evening with Mark Trahant, 
The 2025 Robert F. Berkhofer Jr. lecture on Native American Studies
Followed by reception

Day Two: Saturday, February 22 – Michigan Union

Guest Arrival, 
Anderson ABCD 8:00 – 9:00 AM

Breakfast
Anderson ABCD 9:00 – 10:00 AM

Panel 3: Indigenous Judging in Tribal and State Courts 
with Gregory H. Bigler and Allie Greenleaf Maldonado, 
Anderson ABCD 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Lunch
Anderson ABCD 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Keynote Address by Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis,
Pendleton Room 12:30 – 1:45 PM

Panel 4: International Indigenous Leadership
with Kyle Powys Whyte, Kristen Carpenter, and Mark Trahant
Pendleton Room 2:00 – 3:30 PM

 The Next 25: The Self-Determination Era and the Future of Indian Affairs

A symposium on the 50th anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act

Our symposium is inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, the cornerstone statute establishing the tribal self-determination era. The first quarter century of the self-determination era featured many great successes but mostly great frustrations often caused by federal reluctance to empower tribal nations. The second quarter century featured the rise of tribal political and economic power, but many of the same frustrations, this time more often caused by judicial decisions. As always, Indigenous leaders look to both the past and the future in consequential decisions for their nations. This symposium brings together many of today’s most influential Indigenous leaders to assess the last fifty years and imagine what the next quarter century brings. Panelists include Indigenous elected officials, judges, and lawyers at the federal, state, and Tribal levels.

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, a citizen of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna, will deliver a keynote address on Saturday.