McMurry University hosting symposium March 11-12 on honoring Native American cultures

ABILENE, Texas – Honoring Native Americans is organically important to McMurry University, reaching well beyond the issue of an athletic team mascot.  McMurry University will explore how an academic institution, along with individuals who take seriously the respect and dignity due all persons, can appropriately honor Native American peoples and cultures at “The Quest:  An Academic Institution Seeks to Honor Native Americans,” to be held March 11-12.

Three experts on Native American culture and policy will gather along with the campus community, including faculty, staff, and the general public,  to hear ideas and opinions on this topic. All activities will be held in the Garrison United Methodist Campus Center.

Noted guest speakers will include Dr. Richard King from Washington State University at Pullman, a noted authority on the Native American mascot controversy.  Dr. King has expanded his inquiry into the radicalization of sporting worlds, examining on the one hand the rich heritage and lasting significance of athleticism in Native America, while on the other hand interrogating mainstream and extreme accounts of race and sport.  Dr. King will speak on “The Social and Cultural Challenges for an Academic Institution to Honor Native Americans.”

Dr. Gordon Bronitsky, noted anthropologist from Albuquerque, New Mexico, will speak on “The Institutional Challenges for an Academic Institution to honor Native Americans.” Dr. Bronitsky was trained as an archeologist and anthropologist and received his PhD in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1977.

Dr. Bronitsky’s early research and explorations, both academic and in the field, laid the foundation for his ongoing career and the establishment of Bronitsky and Associates – he was able to literally “unearth” the foundations of early material cultures of local indigenous peoples and their communities and was, through this point of entry, given the privilege and shared insight into their values, customs and art practice. Over the past fifteen years, he has brokered

performance opportunities, international tours, exhibitions and trade opportunities for indigenous people and folk artists from every continent.

Dr. Thomas White Wolf Fassett, an internationally recognized champion of human and civil rights and an outspoken defender of Native and indigenous rights, has traveled through the world assisting those whose voices are not heard.

Dr. Fassett is founding Minister of Urban Mission in Rochester, N.Y. and continues to work in the fields of faith, public policy and social justice. Dr. Fassett has served as Special Assistant to the United States Senate and House of Representatives conducting investigations into Federal Indian policy.  Dr. Fassett will be speaking on “The Theological and Ecclesiastical Challenges for an Academic Institution to Honor Native Americans.”

The symposium will offer small groups for discussion purposes, and the event will also present a panel discussion featuring the three scholars.