Indigeneity and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Spatial Practices

Join us for a conversation organized in collaboration with the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning, and Design (ISAPD).

This event will convene distinguished guests to examine and discuss the intersection of Indigenous perspectives and the built environment—a realm where architecture, urban planning, and land use intersect with traditional ecological knowledge, cultural practices, and Sovereignty movements. The event will foster an interdisciplinary dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers influencing the realm of architecture, planning, and design.

Speakers:
Winona LaDuke, Founder, Winona’s Hemp & Heritage Farm
Julia Watson, Author, Lo–TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism

Moderator:
Christian Hart Nakarado, Assistant Professor of Art, Wesleyan University; Founder, Slow Built Studio

About the Speakers:
Winona LaDuke is an American economist, environmentalist, writer and industrial hemp grower, known for her work on tribal land claims and preservation, as well as sustainable development.

Christian Hart Nakarado's research and design work both focus on the aesthetic lifespan of architecture, reciprocal relationships with and obligations to materials and resources, and strategies for de-growth born from traditional ecological knowledge. He has worked in design practices on the east and west coasts of the United States, as well as in Canada and England, where he taught at the Birmingham School of Architecture and Design. He is a licensed architect in New York, California, and Michigan. Nakarado is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Julia Watson is an Australian born author, researcher, lecturer, and landscape designer based in New York City. Watson is an expert on nature-based indigenous technologies and focuses her work at the intersection of anthropology, ecology and innovation.