The Interfaculty Initiative for American Indian Affairs (IIAA) is sponsoring the Witaya Lecture Series, a program that focuses on topics related to American Indian and Alaskan Native studies. Witaya means “coming together as a community” in the Lakota language.
The series was scheduled to begin March 4 with a lecture by Puneet Sahota, an M.D./Ph.D. candidate, on “Native American Communities and Medical/Genetics Research: Reflections on Bioethics, Blood and the Body.” The Department of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences and the Center for the Study of Ethics and Human Values sponsored the lecture.
The lectures are free and open to the public. The remaining lectures are:
• March 20. Philip Deloria, Ph.D., professor of history at the University of Michigan, will discuss “The Challenges of Writing Family History” in Duncker Hall, Room 201, Hurst Lounge.
• April 4. Tom Holm, Ph.D., professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona, will speak on “Strong Hearts: Native Service and Leadership” in Brown Hall Lounge.
• May 2. Sandra White Hawk, executive director of First Nations Orphan Association, will speak about “Advocacy Work for Native Adoptees/Fostered Children and Social Service Providers” in Brown Hall Lounge.
The IIAA is committed to building greater awareness of American Indian culture, values and communities through the advancement of research, teaching and community endeavors.
Additional lectures will be held in the fall. For more information, contact Buder Center program manager Stephanie Kettler at 935-5896 or skettler@wustl.edu.