[Algonquiana] Holding Our Ground: Voices and Strategies Against Self-Indigenization

[Nora Livesay]

The Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota
invites you to a vital two-day symposium: Holding Our Ground: Voices and
Strategies Against Self-Indigenization (z.umn.edu/holding-our-ground).

Held in Minneapolis on the traditional homelands of the Dakota people, this
two-day, *hybrid symposium *examines the historical roots and contemporary
forms of self-Indigenization—the appropriation of Indigenous identities,
names, and governance by non-Indigenous actors. From cultural performance
and institutional branding to false claims of ancestry used to access
power, resources, and authority, these practices—whether overtly violent or
normalized—continue to advance colonial extraction.

Bringing together scholars, community members, and practitioners, the
symposium will foster critical dialogue on extractive self-Indigenization
and Indigenous ethnic fraud as global issues, and explore strategies for
understanding, accountability, and action to disrupt these ongoing harms.

Event Details: (z.umn.edu/holding-our-ground)

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   Dates: Wednesday, March 18 – Thursday, March 19, 2026
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   Location: McNamara Alumni Center (Minneapolis, MN) and online via Zoom


Why Attend? Self-Indigenization is a complex challenge that affects hiring,
resource allocation, and the integrity of Indigenous affiliation. This
symposium provides a respectful, rigorous space to move beyond
"self-identification" toward meaningful institutional policies that uphold
the sovereignty of Native Nations.

Register to attend in person or online.
<http://z.umn.edu/holding-our-ground>