Yujwal Tyoxh - Gracias - Thank You
On September 13th, Indigenous leaders from the Great Plains and around the world gathered at the Milo Bail Student Center in Omaha, Nebraska, for a conference to discuss with the community pressing topics about our collective future: Indigenous Peoples Sacred Sites, Land Back, Nations Rebuilding, Economic Development and Sovereignty, Climate Change, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Friends, relatives, and new acquaintances came together at the Milo Bail Student Center at the University of Omaha Nebraska on the ancestral land of Uno”ho” Nation. Over 150 attendees brought incredible energy to the full-day conference, and we are so proud of the community of Indigenous Peoples and our allies that showed up to learn from our expert panelists.
The event was covered by the Nebraska Examiner, highlighting an unfortunate conflict of interests. Despite the inconvenience and avoidant statement by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s administrators, we are still grateful to our UNO partners and we encourage the administration to listen to their guests’, employees’, and students’ feedback regarding the new agreement with their supplier.
We are sincerely grateful to Chef Anthony Warrior for gracefully adapting to the unexpected changes in lunch plans, for providing a sustainably-sourced nutritious feast for our guests, and sharing his inspiring story as we ate together. The standing ovation we gave you was much deserved!
Friends, relatives, and new acquaintances came together at the Milo Bail Student Center at the University of Omaha Nebraska on the ancestral land of Uno”ho” Nation. Over 150 attendees brought incredible energy to the full-day conference, and we are so proud of the community of Indigenous Peoples and our allies that showed up to learn from our expert panelists.
The event was covered by the Nebraska Examiner, highlighting an unfortunate conflict of interests. Despite the inconvenience and avoidant statement by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s administrators, we are still grateful to our UNO partners and we encourage the administration to listen to their guests’, employees’, and students’ feedback regarding the new agreement with their supplier.
We are sincerely grateful to Chef Anthony Warrior for gracefully adapting to the unexpected changes in lunch plans, for providing a sustainably-sourced nutritious feast for our guests, and sharing his inspiring story as we ate together. The standing ovation we gave you was much deserved!
We were honored by the community’s support and attendance. To all who joined us: Yujwal Tyoxh, Gracias, Thank You!
Our deepest appreciation goes to our moderators and panelists:
Megan L. Bull Bear (Lakota), Creator of Lakota Made
Rose Godinez, Legal Director of ACLU Nebraska
Dallas Gudgell (Lakota), Vice President of the Buffalo Field Campaign
Aya Khourshid (Palestinian/Egyptian), Activist & Organizer
Steve A. Laravie, Jr. (Isanti Dakota/Ponka), Executive Director of the Blue Heron Tiospaye
Luis Marcos (Q’anjob’al Maya), Co-Founder and CEO of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim
Senator Terrell McKinney, Nebraska State Senator for District 11
Tim Pendrell, Policy Aide and Committee Clerk for the Nebraska State Legislature
Mary Jane Oatman (Nez Perce/Delaware), Founder of the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition & THC Magazine, Executive Director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association
Brett Ramey (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE), Climate Resilience Planner for the Iowa Tribe
Timothy Rhodd (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE), Chairman of the Iowa Tribe
Renee Sans Souci (Umo”ho”), Educational Consultant
Missty Slater (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE) Chief of Staff of the Iowa Tribe
Sarah Hanson (Anishinaabeg) Youth Advocate
Steve Tamayo (Sicangu Lakota), Founder of Bluebird Cultural Initiative and Culture Bearer
Britni Beck (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE) Executive Director of Center of Excellence for Regenerative Native Agriculture
Jean Willoughby, Co-Executive Director of the Agrarian Trust
Brandon Cobb (Cherokee), Indigenous Partnership Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy
Perry Worden, Board Vice-President of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim
Senator John Cavanaugh, Nebraska Legislature
Whole-hearted thanks to our event coordinators:
Sheelah Bearfoot (Chiricahua Apache), Environmental Justice Advocate
Kevin Mahler, Contributed Line
Elaina Dye, Board Member at Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim
Our hearts unite in extending gratitude to our partners and sponsors for their support:
The Nature Conservancy, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights, Fontanelle Forest, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Potlikker Capital, the ACLU Nebraska, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Grey Snow Management.
The 2024 Indigenous Peoples Summit was proudly co-hosted by the Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim, the Maya Economic Development Corporation, and the Agrarian Trust .
Megan L. Bull Bear (Lakota), Creator of Lakota Made
Rose Godinez, Legal Director of ACLU Nebraska
Dallas Gudgell (Lakota), Vice President of the Buffalo Field Campaign
Aya Khourshid (Palestinian/Egyptian), Activist & Organizer
Steve A. Laravie, Jr. (Isanti Dakota/Ponka), Executive Director of the Blue Heron Tiospaye
Luis Marcos (Q’anjob’al Maya), Co-Founder and CEO of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim
Senator Terrell McKinney, Nebraska State Senator for District 11
Tim Pendrell, Policy Aide and Committee Clerk for the Nebraska State Legislature
Mary Jane Oatman (Nez Perce/Delaware), Founder of the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition & THC Magazine, Executive Director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association
Brett Ramey (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE), Climate Resilience Planner for the Iowa Tribe
Timothy Rhodd (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE), Chairman of the Iowa Tribe
Renee Sans Souci (Umo”ho”), Educational Consultant
Missty Slater (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE) Chief of Staff of the Iowa Tribe
Sarah Hanson (Anishinaabeg) Youth Advocate
Steve Tamayo (Sicangu Lakota), Founder of Bluebird Cultural Initiative and Culture Bearer
Britni Beck (Iowa Tribe of KS & NE) Executive Director of Center of Excellence for Regenerative Native Agriculture
Jean Willoughby, Co-Executive Director of the Agrarian Trust
Brandon Cobb (Cherokee), Indigenous Partnership Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy
Perry Worden, Board Vice-President of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim
Senator John Cavanaugh, Nebraska Legislature
Whole-hearted thanks to our event coordinators:
Sheelah Bearfoot (Chiricahua Apache), Environmental Justice Advocate
Kevin Mahler, Contributed Line
Elaina Dye, Board Member at Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim
Our hearts unite in extending gratitude to our partners and sponsors for their support:
The Nature Conservancy, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights, Fontanelle Forest, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Potlikker Capital, the ACLU Nebraska, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Grey Snow Management.
The 2024 Indigenous Peoples Summit was proudly co-hosted by the Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim, the Maya Economic Development Corporation, and the Agrarian Trust .
For future updates, follow the CMPI on Facebook and Instagram.
Event summary videos and full event recordings will be uploaded to our YouTube soon!
If you would like to sponsor or be involved with future Summits, please reach out to: [email protected]
About the Summit’s Co-Host Organizations:
Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim (CMPI) is a 501 (c)(3) organization of the Maya Community in Nebraska dedicated to empowering the Maya people through community development programs. CMPI’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of Maya people through community development strategies in Omaha, Nebraska, the United States, and Q’anjob’al Maya territory consistent with the Maya Q’anjob’al system of social organization, in honorable relationships with U.S. sovereign tribal nations, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP).
The Maya Economic Development Corporation serves the vision of the CMPI, supporting the self-determination of the Maya Nation by fostering entrepreneurship, driving trade between Indigenous communities, creating socially responsible investment opportunities, and providing access to quality services, education, and resources rooted in sustainable agriculture and holistic well-being.
Agrarian Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that catalyzes support for next-generation farmers by working with communities to acquire and steward land for equitable access, cultural reconnection, regenerative agriculture, and ecological restoration.
Event summary videos and full event recordings will be uploaded to our YouTube soon!
If you would like to sponsor or be involved with future Summits, please reach out to: [email protected]
About the Summit’s Co-Host Organizations:
Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim (CMPI) is a 501 (c)(3) organization of the Maya Community in Nebraska dedicated to empowering the Maya people through community development programs. CMPI’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of Maya people through community development strategies in Omaha, Nebraska, the United States, and Q’anjob’al Maya territory consistent with the Maya Q’anjob’al system of social organization, in honorable relationships with U.S. sovereign tribal nations, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP).
The Maya Economic Development Corporation serves the vision of the CMPI, supporting the self-determination of the Maya Nation by fostering entrepreneurship, driving trade between Indigenous communities, creating socially responsible investment opportunities, and providing access to quality services, education, and resources rooted in sustainable agriculture and holistic well-being.
Agrarian Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that catalyzes support for next-generation farmers by working with communities to acquire and steward land for equitable access, cultural reconnection, regenerative agriculture, and ecological restoration.
