Indigenous peoples from nearly every continent gather for IU’s first Conference on Global Indigenous Studies

Presenter Nayo Ulloa of Goshen College, left, and Serafin Coronel-Molina, head coordinator of the Global Indigenous Studies Network at Indiana University, were joined by nearly 300 others at the Conference on Global indigenous Studies at IU Bloomington. Photo by Wendi Chitwood, Indiana University

According to the United Nations, there are more than 476 million Indigenous people living in 90 countries across the globe. They make up more than 5,000 distinct groups and speak more than 4,000 of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages.

Indiana University Bloomington hosted more than 100 representatives from several of those global Indigenous groups during the inaugural Conference on Global Indigenous Studies. The event, hosted by the Global Indigenous Studies Network in the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, took place Nov. 15 to 17.

“This event is truly one of a kind when it comes to academic conferences on global Indigenous issues,” said Serafín Coronel-Molina, head coordinator of the Global Indigenous Studies Network and a professor in the IU School of Education. “While other conferences might include a session or two on global Indigenous issues, none have achieved this level of scale and focus.”

Read more about the conference at News at IU.