Conversations with Remarkable Native Americans

Joëlle Rostkowski is an ethnohistorian who teaches at the School of Higher Studies in Social Sciences in Paris. She is also a consultant at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Her books include The Incomplete Conversion: North American Indians and Christianity and Native American Renaissance: A Century of Reconquests, winner of the 2002 French Academy History Prize.

"By presenting an array of successful leaders, the book encourages those who still feel the weight and pressure of centuries of oppression to let go of some of their negative feelings and see the promise of the future." — Native American and Indigenous Studies"A book of interviews is only as good as the interviewer, and in this Joëlle Rostkowski excels. She has developed personal relationships with each individual interviewed, has a keen sense of what to ask each of them, and draws them out skillfully … This is an engaging and informative volume that offers personal glimpses into the lives of important Native Americans, each of whom has contributed to the processes of renewal and survivance that have helped to shape the direction Native American peoples have taken in the last forty years." — Great Plains Quarterly"…Rostkowski provides an interesting glimpse into the thoughts of prominent indigenous writers, activists, and artists, each speaking to the centralized theme of the work—survivance … Highly recommended." — CHOICE"Through this series of skillfully structured conversations, Joëlle Rostkowski elicits a succinct and engaging portrait of contemporary Native American intellectuals. They include a wide diversity of writers, artists, museum specialists, and political activists, many of whom have gained international recognition. Together, their lives represent the florescence of Native American identity in the modern world." — Raymond J. DeMallie, Chancellor's Professor of Anthropology and American Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington"Conversations with Remarkable Native Americans is itself a remarkable book. Joëlle Rostkowski brings a deeply informed international perspective to the table here. Her profiles with some of the most talented, accomplished Native American leaders of our times demonstrate an understanding of the richness and significance of their tribal histories, communities, and traditions—all of which had nurtured their contributions and informed their worldviews. The Native Americans showcased in Rostkowski's book have made their marks at the highest levels of diverse fields as leaders, advocates, orators, poets, lawyers, musicians, and visual artists. This book showcases the power of each individual's story, and serves as evidence of the profound and significant contributions of Native Americans to a contemporary global discourse." — John Haworth (Cherokee), Director, George Gustav Heye Center, National Museum of the American Indian"With her well-informed and sympathetic ear, French anthropologist Joëlle Rostkowski has listened to a range of American Indian voices telling of creative and political experiences. What makes this collection of interviews with an indigenous elite from different tribal nations so unique is that most are cross-cultural explorers on the threshold between local tradition and global modernity." — Harald E. L. Prins, University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Kansas State University, and Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTSPREFACE. Tragic wisdom and survivanceDEBORAH L. MADSEN INTRODUCTION. From forgotten Americans to Indigenous rightsJOËLLE ROSTKOWSKI PROLOGUE. Conversation with Gerald Vizenor, series editor, poet, novelist, and art critic1. N. Scott Momaday, poet, novelist, painter, and UNESCO Artist for Peace2. Suzan Harjo, policy advocate, journalist, essayist, and poet 3. Richard West, lawyer and founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian4. Emil Her Many Horses, curator, National Museum of the American Indian 5. Sven Haakanson, director of the Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak, Alaska6. Veronica Tiller, historian, consultant, and writer7. Erma Vizenor, tribal chair, White Earth Reservation, Minnesota8. Louisita Warren, elder of Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico9. Tony Abeyta, painter and sculptor10. David Bradley, painter and sculptor11. Darren Vigil Gray, painter and musician12. E. Jill Momaday, actress, model, and former chief of protocol, state of New Mexico13. Rulan Tangen, dancer and choreographer14. Robert Tim Coulter, lawyer, founder, and director of the Indian Law Resource Center15. Kenneth Deer, journalist, educator, and UN Indigenous representative16. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesEPILOGUE. In memory of DeskahehNOTESSELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX OF PEOPLEGENERAL INDEX