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The Native American and Indigenous Studies Working Group on campus is hosting a panel discussion on advancing Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) within higher education. The event, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 21 will include Chief Spencer Lyons and Clan Mother Wendy Gonyea of the , on whose traditional homelands ��ñ�� now sits.

In recent years, the University has made efforts to engage Haudenosaunee culture and communities through initiatives such as the Public Archaeology Facility, the Three Sisters Garden and the Haudenosaunee Festival. However, ��ñ�� currently lacks a NAIS curriculum that addresses Indigenous histories, knowledge and culture, according to the ��ñ�� Native American and Indigenous Studies (B-NAIS) working group, which has been working toward the initiative since 2017.

Two panels are currently planned. The February event will feature a panel of Haudenosaunee community members, while an upcoming panel during the fall semester will include Indigenous academics, who will discuss a collaborative approach to developing a NAIS curriculum at ��ñ��, as well as research initiatives and faculty recruitment.

This event is free and open to all faculty, staff, students, and community members; A public Q&A session will follow the discussion. For more information, contact B-NAIS at binghamton-native-american-and-indigenous-studies-working-group@binghamton.edu.

“We think it is important, given our location and the significant influence of Haudenosaunee nations on the U.S. Constitution and the feminist movement,” said Associate Professor of English Birgit Brander Rasmussen, a member of the group. “They also played a crucial role in the establishment of a Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations.”

New York state alone has more than 100,000 Native students. State- and federally recognized tribes include the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy as well as the Algonquian peoples.

Some of the earliest treaties between European and Native peoples come from what is now New York state, and the ��ñ�� Art Museum has replicas of these made by Faithkeeper Tony Gonyea of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Rasmussen pointed out. Federal Indian law and policy have also played a key role in the U.S. legal system.

A NAIS program has the potential of fostering understanding and building partnerships with the Onondaga Nation, which has current, critical initiatives within the areas of health, economic development and environmental sustainability, noted Tonya Shenandoah, ���s assistant director of Native American and Indigenous Student Initiatives.

“I’m so grateful this vision can be shared with the University community,” she said.