A series of three free Indigenous Culture Talks launched on September 11, 2024, in the CLE Commons. Kevin Whitefeather (Taos Pueblo and Red Willow) gave participants a personal history of the Taos Pueblo and shared the history of the region from an Indigenous perspective.

Whitefeather is the owner and operator of Whitefeather Tours and Morningtalk Indian Shop in Taos. He graduated from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque with a BA in Political Science and attended the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell.

In these talks, Whitefeather focused on the continuity of Pueblo history as carried by Elders as well as the importance of understanding Pueblo history from an Indigenous perspective.

“We live in two different worlds,” said Whitefeather, discussing the ways in which Indigenous people navigate tradition and the increasing pressures of modern life. He also talked about challenges with generational trauma and how connecting with traditional wisdom and culture helped him. “You are not ever just by yourself,” he said. “There is always the Great Spirit.”

Whitefeather also discussed the implications of trauma on Native peoples, including challenges with alcoholism and mental health. “We all know someone who has a drug or an alcohol problem. Those have become the norm,” he said. Whitefeather talked about the conflicts between Traditional culture and consumerism. “When people moved into modern homes we changed from an agricultural society to wage earning,” he said. Cultures went from sustaining community to a getting and spending Western model. He also spoke about the cumulative trauma of the boarding school system on Native cultures.

Breaking through this trauma can start with something as simple as Native people returning to their communities and asking, “How can I help?” says Whitefeather.

Whitefeather also mentioned the force of ancestral wisdom, elder knowledge and a rich vein of tradition as strong medicine that can heal trauma.

“As Native people, we are very fortunate to still have our language, culture, and religion,” Whitefeather said in his third talk. “We can never lose that.”

Watch all three talks below in the IAIA Vimeo Showcase.