Southeast Native Studies Conference, BraveNation Powwow Highlight Indigenous Showcase

The week of March 16-21, 2026, UNC Pembroke's campus will be filled with events and activities showcasing the history, culture, accomplishments and contributions of American Indian people.

Everyone is welcome to attend the weeklong celebration.

March 16-21: Lloyd Oxendine Artist-in-Residence featuring Tonya Holk Elk

The Museum of the Southeast American Indian will host the Lloyd Oxendine Artist-in-Residence featuring author Tonya Holy Elk. The weeklong residency celebrates contemporary Southeastern American Indian art while honoring the legacy of Lloyd E. Oxendine, a trailblazer who devoted his life to elevating Native artists.

Holy Elk is an Indigenous author, poet, scholar and storyteller from North Carolina. She is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, with family ties to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Her work reflects the strength of Native communities and the deep connection between land, memory and spirit.

Through poetry, workshops and public readings, Holy Elk preserves cultural memory while empowering others to find and use their voices. Her poetic memoir, Roots & Blooms, and her upcoming poetry collection, Soul Food, explore themes of ancestry, resilience and renewal within the contemporary Indigenous experience.

Lloyd Earl Oxendine (1942-2015), who was Lumbee and from Pembroke, devoted his art career to raising the profile of Native American art while fighting for its place within the American art canon. In 1972, he opened one of the first art galleries in SoHo in New York City, devoted exclusively to showing contemporary American Indian art. Oxendine later served as the director of Native North American Artists and curator for the American Indian Community House, where he curated more than 40 art shows.

Residency Events

Wednesday, March 18
6:30–8:30 p.m.: Reception and Poetry Reading featuring selections from Roots & Blooms in the Museum of the Southeast American Indian in Old Main.

Saturday, March 21
Special honoring during the BraveNation Powwow and Gathering in the Jones Athletic Center

To learn more about the Lloyd Oxendine Artist-in-Residence, visit uncp.edu/museum.

March 19-20: Dr. Linda E. Oxendine Southeast Native Studies Conference

The 21st annual Dr. Linda E. Oxendine Southeast Native Studies Conference will be held March 19-20 in James A. Thomas Hall.

The conference provides a forum for discussing the cultures, histories, and contemporary experiences of Native Americans in the Southeast United States. It is a critical venue for scholars, students, community members and all persons interested in American Indian/Native American studies in the region.

On March 20, keynote speaker Dr. Elizabeth Ellis will discuss her book The Great Power of Small Nations: Indigenous Diplomacy in the Gulf South. She is a citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and an associate professor of history at Princeton University in New Jersey. The Great Power of Small Nations won numerous book awards in 2024, including the Donald Fixico award, the John C. Ewers award, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association's (NAISA) Best First Book Prize, and the Humanities Book of the Year.

The following day, on March 21, participants will hear from Dr. Daniel LaDu, the Adolph Dial Endowed Professor in American Indian Studies, and a roundtable of leaders from tribal and state government as well as urban organizations.

To learn more about and register for the conference, visit uncp.edu/snsc.

March 21: BraveNation Powwow and Gathering

The BraveNation Powwow and Gathering (BNPG) will be held on Saturday, March 21, in the Jones Athletic Center.

Grand entry is at noon. Doors open to the public at 10 a.m.

Join BraveNation as we celebrate America's Indigenous peoples' rich history and culture. The powwow and gathering features competition dancing and approximately 50 art, food and information vendors. Last year, the BNPG, the largest college powwow in North Carolina, had over 2,000 people in attendance and 150 dancers.

The American Indian Heritage Center and the BraveNation Powwow and Gathering Planning Committee host the BNPG. To learn more about the BNPG, visit uncp.edu/powwow.