Cassidy Schoenfelder

I’m a citizen of Oglála Sioux Tribe and of Irish, German, and French Canadian-descent researching Indigenous visualities and representations in national parks. I approach this work by looking closely the co-stewardship relationship between the Hoonah Indian Association and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and their initiatives to increase representations of the Huna Łingít. Forms of visual representation have critical geographical and political implications for land management, including legal determinations and frameworks for how the land is cared for and who it’s cared for by. In this way, centering forms of representation that are produced and controlled by Indigenous Peoples can influence tribal decision-making, trust-building, ecotourism strategies, and the integration of active cultural practices within the park.

 

I am a Graduate Research Associate in the School of Geography, Development and Environment; Graduate Research Associate with the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance; and Co-Leader of the Indigenous Leaders Network at the National Parks Conservation Association.