WORKSHOP 4: IMPERIALISM
Everett Osceola is the Seminole Tribe of Florida Cultural Ambassador and a member of the Bird Clan. He is also Founder of “Native Reel Cinema Festival,” the first South Florida Native / Indigenous Film Festival. He is a producer and writer who recently acted in a few feature films and documentaries based in South Florida. Born on the Hollywood, FL Seminole reservation, Mr. Osceola graduated from Valencia Community college with an associate degree in psychology and has worked for various departments within the Seminole Tribe of Florida, including Seminole Broadcasting, Gaming/Casino, and most recently the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. While working for the museum and under the tutelage of Brian Zepeda, Mr. Osceola learned the art of storytelling and became an outreach specialist for many years. Appointed Cultural Ambassador for the Seminole in 2014 by Chief James E. Billie, Mr. Osceola works in this role to protect the integrity of the tribe while sharing the beauty and history of the people. He is recognized internationally as an expert on Seminole Tribal culture and has spoken across the United States, Germany, New Zealand, and China.
WORKSHOP 3: IMPERIALISM
Alan Salazar is a tribal elder, traditional storyteller, and native educator for both the Fernandeño Tataviam and Ventureño Chumash. His family traces their ancestry to the Chumash village of Ta’apu, now known as Simi Valley and the Tataviam village of Chaguayanga near Castaic, CA. He is a monitor and cultural resource advisor and took archaeological classes at Cal State Bakersfield in 1993, continuing to monitor sites for his tribe from 1994 onward. Alan is a founding member of the Kern County Native American Heritage Preservation Council and the Chumash Maritime Association, which he helped to build the first working traditional Chumash plank canoe in modern times. He is also author of the children’s book, Tata the Tataviam Towhee.
WORKSHOP 2: EPHEMERAL ARCHITECTURE
Brenner Billy is a Choctaw tribal member and holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He is currently Program Coordinator 2 for the Public Programs Department at the Choctaw Cultural Center in Calera, Oklahoma. In his workplace, he focuses on helping Cultural Educators with the skills necessary to host tours, workshops, classes, exhibitions, and events on the property of the Choctaw Cultural Center. The areas of focus include historical points, Choctaw lifeways, and current Choctaw traditions that are permissible for guests to partake in. He is engaged in Rivercane Restoration as well as Hickory tree research for sustainability in Choctaw basketry and stickball stick making.
Bob Ramirez is a Native Californian and is Architectural Designer and Construction Director of Ramirez Design Studio. His passion for the art of building and a love of adventure inspired him to explore the world in search of cultural enrichment. What began as a short trip grew into a multi-year exploration of Indigenous cultures that were adapting to the modern world. His drafting skills and craftsmanship enabled him to work along the way and learn as an insider.
WORKSHOP 1: ECOLOGY
Bonny Bentzin is the Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer of UCLA. Bonny is a key member of the leadership team for sustainability at UCLA, helping manage sustainability across the university. Prior to joining UCLA, Bonny was the Head of Sustainability and Project Integration for the Trust for Sustainable Development, working on Spirit Bay Developments, coordinating all sustainability aspects and planning key projects for a new town concept being developed in partnership with the Sc’ianew First Nation (Beecher Bay Band) near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This work included successfully securing $540,000 in grant monies for an Ocean Thermal Heating and Cooling system and district, and to plan the town centre. An experienced sustainability expert with a focus on developing and executing sustainability programs in the field of higher education and complex organizations, she has over 12 years of leadership, management and consulting experience, both within large‐scale organizations and as an outside consultant.
William Madrigal and the Traditional Cahuilla (kaweeyah) Bird singers are a group that is part of a long, inter-generational tradition of culture bearers within the local California Indian community. Will and his family are members of the Cahuilla Nation of Southern California, a federally recognized Indian nation. Through life-long commitment, they have been given the gift of bird singing through oral teaching from the elders of the reservation community. They adhere to the strict protocol of the Cahuilla culture in regards to public expression and presentations. The bird songs and dances are a celebration of life for all peoples and are sung throughout southern California today.
Rudy Ortega Jr. is a former Chairman of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission and has served on the Commission since 2004. He is the Tribal President of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, a native sovereign nation of northern Los Angeles County. As the current elected Tribal President of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians Ortega Jr. oversees his Tribe’s governmental body and manages affairs pertaining to the rights of all Fernandeño Tataviam people.
Bob Ramirez is a Native Californian and is Architectural Designer and Construction Director of Ramirez Design Studio. His passion for the art of building and a love of adventure inspired him to explore the world in search of cultural enrichment. What began as a short trip grew into a multi-year exploration of Indigenous cultures that were adapting to the modern world. His drafting skills and craftsmanship enabled him to work along the way and learn as an insider.
Mona Morales Recalde is an enrolled member of the Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians. She currently serves as the tribal Community Outreach Director. Her family maintains tradition and continuity to their tribe by living on the tribal traditional land and knowing its precious history. Mona maintains connection in community through volunteering at Kuruvungna, participating in Native Beading Circles and singing traditional songs at events such as Indigenous People’s Day hosted by the City and County of Los Angeles. Mona has been active in Native American culture, maintaining her family traditions all of her life. Her father served as tribal chairman for the Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, and was one of the first to serve as a Native American Monitor for the State of California. Mona has given various presentations to education institutions and various organizations about the Gabrieleno/Tongva and maintaining cultural traditions. Her focus is ensuring the Gabrieleno/Tongva culture and education are shared and made visible to all people of Los Angeles, Orange County and the Channel Islands.
