Activist to deliver lecture on the resurgence of traditional ways

Gerald Taiaiake Alfred, author, educator and activist, will speak at Arizona State University on the “Resurgence of Traditional Ways of Being: Indigenous Paths of Action and Freedom.” The lecture will be held at 7 p.m., March. 23 at the Heard Museum, Steele Auditorium.

His talk is the Simon Ortiz and Labriola Center Lecture on Indigenous Land, Culture, and Community, which seeks to underscore Indigenous-American experiences and perspectives while addressing topics that can be applicable to all walks of life.

“Taiaiake, his Mohawk traditional name, is one of North America's most eloquent and intelligent indigenous leaders who insists upon a newly vigorous, yet ancient, indigenous reaffirmation of warriorhood that focuses on generosity, openness, integrity, courage and intellectual leadership,” says Simon Ortiz, founder of the lecture and professor in the ASU Department of English. “Taiaiake is a Simon Ortiz and Labriola Center lecturer because he exemplifies what indigenous peoples of North, Central, and South America need to be conscious of and what all peoples, cultures and societies of the Western Hemisphere need to hear.”

The lecture is sponsored by ASU’s American Indian Studies program, American Indian Policy Institute, Department of English, Department of History, Women and Gender Studies program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and the Labriola National American Indian Data Center, part of ASU Libraries; with support from the Heard Museum.  

A reception for Alfred will be held at 3 p.m. in Hayden Library, Room 209, on ASU’s Tempe campus.

Alfred is a professor of indigenous governance at the University of Victoria, Canada, and is known for his leadership in the fields of philosophy, history, and social and political criticism.

He is a prominent indigenous intellectual in North America, and has received a Canada Research Chair, National Aboriginal Achievement Award in education, and a National American Journalists Association award for best column writing.

Alfred serves as an advisor on land and governance issues for his own and many other indigenous governments and organizations.

His writing includes scholarly essays, journals as well as three books: “Peace, Power and Righteousness,” “Wasase” and “Heading the Voices of our Ancestors,” a runner up for the McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year.

He received his doctorate and master’s degree at Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University, Montreal.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. A book signing will follow the lecture. More information at http://english.clas.asu.edu/indigenous. Online maps of the Tempe campus and parking structures at: www.asu.edu/map.