UCSD Native American Elder/Culture Bearer in Residence Program
To support the minor and proposed Ph.D. concentration in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) and the work of the Intertribal Resource Center (ITRC) at UCSD we will be hosting an elder/culture bearer from local, national, and international American Indian/NativeAmerican/Indigenous communities to support the work of building stronger relationships between UC San Diego and American Indian and Indigenous communities. This new program will also introduce students, faculty, staff, and community to Indigenous leaders who will teach, present, and meet with administrators, faculty, staff, and students about a key theme or topic every academic year for a minimum of one academic quarter and up to three total quarters. The program will include an opening and closing luncheon in addition to monthly events on and off campus that foster better understanding of Kumeyaay, California Native, and Indigenous/American Indian nations nationally and internationally. The Community, Staff, and Student Advisory Council (CSSAC) in consultation with Core, Adjunct, and Affiliated Faculty (CAAF) will meet to recommend an elder or cultural bearer in residence for each academic year. A sub-committee of the CSSAC and CAAF will meet in May of every spring quarter to review proposed residents and make a selection for the following academic year.
The Elder/Culture Bearer in Residency Program Aims to:
- Celebrate, Acknowledge and Honor Indigenous knowledge
- Center Indigenous practices and ways of knowing
- Highlight the diversity of American Indian identity and affirm American Indian students, community members, staff, and faculty
- Raise the awareness and understanding of Native culture with University staff and faculty and students
- Foster relationships between American Indian communities and the University
The Native American Elder/Culture Bearer-in-Residency will give 1 presentation per quarter to the UCSD community.
