PULLMAN– The second Plateau Conference at Washington State University will be held at the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum on the Washington State University campus in Pullman, Wednesday, Oct. 4, through Friday, Oct. 6.
The 2006 conference, “The Palúus: Honoring a People and Their Land,” will emphasize the historical and contemporary issues of the Palúus people and their descendants. According to Dr. Ron Pond, Umatilla/Palúus, former interim director of the Plateau Center for American Indian Studies, “This conference will inform participants about the Palúus people and pay tribute to the individuals who have preserved these traditions.”
The keynote speaker for the opening session will be Rebecca Miles, WSU alumna (B.A. in criminal justice, 1997) and Chair of the Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee. Keynote speaker for the closing session will be Albert Red Star Andrews, member of the Colville Confederated Tribes.
The conference will include panel discussions with Palúus elders, linguists and historians. Among the panel of Palúus elders invited are Carrie Schuster and Wilson Wewa, Jr., with Wendell Jim invited to moderate. Among the panel of Palúus linguists invited are Virginia Beavert and Phillip Kash Kash with Bruce Rigsby invited to moderate. Among the panel of Palúus historians invited are Robert Ruby, Richard Scheuerman and Cliff Trafzer.
“This conference marks an important milestone,” said Erich Lear, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “We have envisioned a center that would contribute in a positive way to the lives of Plateau peoples, and a review of the panel topics indicates that once again this year important discussions will happen. Preservation of this precious heritage is consistent with the original vision of the center and is precisely what was intentioned by the original federal funding, which allowed the center to become a reality.”
“Once fully realized, the Plateau Center will enhance the education of all WSU students in the history, cultures, languages, sovereignty, federal relations and contemporary issues of American Indians in general, and Plateau tribes in particular. The Center will facilitate faculty engagement and interdisciplinary study, indigenizing the curriculum and promoting research and scholarship,” according to Barbara Aston, newly appointed Interim Director.
“The conference is open to elders, tribal leaders, tribal members, scholars and professionals, students, researchers and tribal collaborators, educators, and interested community members. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend this event,” said Debbie Brudie, conference coordinator. Proposals for presentations are being accepted until Sept.15, 2006. Performances, exhibits/exhibitions and poster presentations will be coordinated individually with conference organizers. More information, registration forms and proposal submission links can be found at http://libarts.wsu.edu/plateauconference/.
