To promote intercultural dialogue among a wide variety of ethnicities and nationalities, Creighton hosted “Nations within Nations: Living Dialogues on Governance and Cultures” on Nov. 2 and 3 in the Harper Center.

Sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences, the Native American Studies Program, the School of Law and the College of Business, the discussion was free and open to the public. A panel of 15 speakers addressed issues of indigenous people world-wide, including constitutional status, cultural survival, economic development and political participation.

“We want to demonstrate how Creighton is seriously engaged and committed to indigenous people,” said the Rev. Raymond Bucko, S.J. “This event is not a ‘fix.’ We want to show our supportiveness and dedication to justice.”

The discussion was organized solely through personal relations, said Bucko, and the event promoted a sense of family, as the guests were hosted at my home, and different student groups, including the Native American Association and Student Support Services, provided a home-cooked meal.

“A variety of indigenous people were represented in the panel,” said Arts & Sciences sophomore Theresa Cusic, who attended the event as a part of her Issues of Native American Experience class. “They are in the same situation as many Native American tribes, and the United States doesn’t publicize that fact at all.”

The panel included Creighton professors, two current Creighton students – Arts & Sciences freshman Saw Lot and Arts & Sciences sophomore Marissa Begay – and people representing ethnicities such as Mayan Indian, Navajo, Basque, Karen and Naga from the Nagaland region of India.

The speakers were staggered according to the topics.

On the issue of cultural survival, Dr. Larry Nesper, an assistant professor in the department of anthropology and American Indian studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spoke about the link between culture and politics as it pertains to several Native American groups in Wisconsin, while Lot spoke about his personal experiences as a Karen from Myanmar.

“There was no future, no hope,” said Lot about the discrimination he faced while living as a refugee on the Thailand border, where his Karen nationality excluded him from both Burmese and Thai citizenship.

The audience was actively involved and encouraged to ask questions. Questions about fishing rights of Native Americans in Minnesota, the struggle with bureaucracy to establish indigenous peoples’ rights of self-determination and the effects of casinos concerning economic development allowed the majority of the panel to give a variety of feedback.

“I asked a question about whether indigenous people pursuing higher education are discriminated against by their own people,” said Lauren Goldstein, resident assistant professor in the English department. “I have students who have written papers about such topics and was curious whether these incidents were common or isolated.”

A third day of the event will include a trip to the Winnebago and Omaha Indian reservations for several members of the discussion panel, where they can see the current living conditions of Native American tribes.

Bucko hopes to organize another event in the future, with proper funding and attendance.