IndigiPalooza MT
IndigiPalooza MT 2025 Schedule
All events on both days are free!
But space is limited, so don't be like a typical Missoulian and show up late....
FRIDAY, AUGUST 1st
4:00pm - 6:00pm: Missoula Public Library
First Friday Indigenous Art Show, curated by the Missoula Art Museum, to be displayed for the entire month of August.
6:30 PM: an evening with joy harjo
The Montana Theater, University of Montana
(Doors open at 6:00pm)
An evening with three-term United States poet laureate, JOY HARJO. Emceed by Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray, the evening will begin with readings from Denise Lajimodiere and Sasha LaPointe, ramping up to an appearance by Joy Harjo. Book signings will follow. Arrive early as space is limited and there is no overflow option!
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2nd
MISSOULA PUBLIC LIBRARY, 4th FLOOR
9:30am - 10:45am
Telling Our Stories Ourselves
featuring writers Diane Wilson, Carrie Schuettpelz and James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw
For generations Native people weren’t allowed to tell our stories but, over time, that has changed. Several periods before were referred to as a “renaissance” for Native literature but now, with more and more Indigenous writers being published and finding mainstream success, that label might be worn out. This panel featuring three writers working in multiple genres will be a discussion of their work, why they write what they do, and whose gigantic shoulders they are standing on.
9:30am - 10:45am
A Recipe for Resilience with Mariah Gladstone
Locally harvested, pre-contact foods are a testament to the resilience of Indigenous lifestyles and should be part of our modern kitchens. Many native North American foods, both cultivated and harvested, were removed from our diets through intentional colonial efforts. Mariah Gladstone is leading the way in a food movement that is revitalizing and incorporating these important foods into the contemporary diet. Her presentation will include a history of Indigenous food systems, as well as the relationship between cultural identity, health, and native plants and animals. During her cooking demonstration, she will prepare one of her original recipes and showcase other indigenous foods that can easily be used in your own kitchen.
11:00am - 12:15pm
Poetry and Oral Tradition
featuring poets Denise Lajimodiere and Sasha taqwšÉ™blu LaPointe
An audience member once asked a beleaguered Native poet how their poetry reflected the ancient oral tradition of his Indigenous ancestors. After all, most Native poets are writing in the language of the occupier or, if fortunate to be fluent in their traditional language, expressing poems on paper using words that were likely never intended to be written. This conversation will feature reflections on such questions, as discussed among a small group of mighty Native poets.
12:15pm - 2:00pm Lunch Break
2:00pm - 3:15pm
The Perils and Pitfalls of Cultural Ambassadorship
featuring James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw, Aspen Decker, Shane Doyle, and Jesse DesRosier
Native people sharing their language and culture outside the boxes and boundaries that often seek to restrict such activity face many difficulties. There is a hunger for Native worldview outside of tribal communities but the risk of cultural appropriation is real. At the same time, for the world to survive our current efforts hell bent, seemingly, on destruction, what better teachers are there than the descendents of people who have survived multiple calamities? This will be a fascinating discussion featuring four accomplished representatives of four different, yet deeply related across millennia, tribal communities.
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Indigenous Entrepreneurship: Creativity and Commerce
featuring John Isaiah Pepion, Carrie Moran McCleary, Stella Nall, Whitney Snow and Mariah Gladstone
Entrepreneurs everywhere face obstacles, but finding success within one’s art form can be uniquely challenging for Native people across Turtle Island. This final panel celebrates Indigenous successes and how panelists have risen to the highest echelons of their craft.
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Hip-hop show featuring Foreshadow and Supaman
‘Nuff said, enit? SKODEN!