Past Presenters
MONAH is honored to work with many talented presenters. Explore the incredible individuals MONAH has been fortunate enough to work with below.
Film and Stories
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/c5205fc6-20f4-46a2-b795-da6de234d69d/Gaby%2526Gayle.jpg)
Gayle Ross (Cherokee)
Gayle Ross is storyteller, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, and a direct descendant of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee during the infamous Trail of Tears. Her grandmother told stories and it is from this rich Native American heritage that Gayle’s storytelling springs.
Joseph Bruchac (Nulhegan Abenaki)
For over forty years Joseph Bruchac has been creating literature and music that reflect his indigenous heritage and traditions. He is a proud Nulhegan Abenaki citizen and respected elder among his people. He is the author of more than 120 books for children and adults.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/1609710578948-J2H2T8D3Q499HHNOC1N0/unnamed.jpg)
Tim Tingle (Choctaw)
Tim Tingle is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and an award-winning author and storyteller. Tingle has performed before audiences in 46 states, plus Mexico, Canada, Ireland, and Germany, sharing Choctaw traditional, historical, and powerful personal stories. He is the author of twenty-one books and has a wide range of stories for all age-levels, PreK-High school and adult audiences.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/f692f83b-9621-481d-90b8-50e084caa78b/IMG_6630.jpg)
Lera “Toni” Carter (Chippewa)
Alongside volunteering at MONAH on a regular basis, Toni was she formerly worked as a Child Life Specialist and was a lifelong staunch advocate for the rights of animals.
Science, History, and Scholars
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/a983d1a7-72da-45de-9b14-52f20bbf600e/Farina+King+Dec+21+%281%29.jpg)
Farina King Ph.D. (Diné)
Dr. King, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is Associate Professor of History and affiliated faculty of Cherokee and Indigenous Studies at Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She is also the director and founder of the NSU Center for Indigenous Community Engagement. She received her Ph.D. at Arizona State University in U.S. History. King specializes in twentieth-century Native American Studies, especially American Indian boarding school histories.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/1609711137414-UE26ROTJSF664JSWIXM2/196787196_Aaron-JOnes_ORIG_t800.jpg)
Aaron Jones (Muscogee (Creek))
Aaron works as an administrator at Arkansas Arts Academy in Rogers, Arkansas. His professional career has been arts education where he has served as a public school art teacher, university professor of art history and studio art, a museum educator and state arts administrator for the Oklahoma Arts Council. Prior to his position with the Academy Aaron served as the Interpretation.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/1609711955204-FLYWRCTNP2QFZIJ4SGCK/360574%2Ba2gagnonbwasis.jpg)
Gregory Gagnon (Chippewa)
Dr. Gregory O. Gagnon, Professor of Indian Law, Loyola University of New Orleans and Citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He has published extensively and has given presentations on Native American topics in several states. Professor Gagnon combines extensive day-to-day experience working and living on several reservations.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/6c5d4e2a-5f4b-4d98-86aa-a499230728c5/maryphoto+cba.jpg)
Mary Smith (Cherokee)
Chair and CEO of the Carolina and Ora Smith Foundation, which supports and trains Native American girls in STEM
Drew Shuptar-Rayvis (Accomac/Pocomoke)
Drew Shuptar-Rayvis (Pekatawas MakataweU “Black Corn”) holds a cum laude Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology from Western Connecticut State University and a Certificate Degree in Archaeology from Norwalk Community College. He honors all of his ancestors as a practicing living historian and regularly participates in colonial era reenactments, interpretations and public educational events.
Don Dickson: Dickson is a prominent authority on Native American archaeology and prehistory of the Ozarks regions and is known for his excavations at Calf Creek Cave and Albertson Shelter, as well as authoring several archaeological publications.
Artists
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/2682283a-ee92-4543-806a-21413c27180d/IMG_20210317_153609039+-+weyodi+Squid.jpg)
Weyodi Oldbear (Comanche)
Weyodi has written 4 novels, hundreds of poems, numerous speculative fiction and science fiction short stories in addition to a historical play about her great-great grandparents Weckeah OldBear and Quanah Parker, and is one of the principal writers for the groundbreaking Indigenous Futurist tabletop Role Playing Game Coyote&Crow.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/f6be603d-083f-4c78-b7d6-37eaeaca4555/wanis+running+buffalo.jpg)
Wanis Running Buffalo (Arapaho)
Running Buffalo is a talented beadwork artist of numerous, beautifully designed, stitched beaded pieces of this generation artform. As a young aspiring Indigenous artist, he sought out and learned the Native artform from a premiere Native beadwork artist, Camille George, whom he lovingly referred to as “Cah-goo - grandmother.”
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/1606508183596-V7CWWWMP27JUTUK6MS4W/Screen+Shot+2020-11-27+at+2.16.07+PM.png)
Jay Benham (Kiowa)
Jay Benham is a member of the Kiowa Tribe. He has a BSE in Art Education from Henderson State University, a MA in Art Education at Northern Arizona University, and has studied American Indian Law at the University Of New Mexico School Of Law.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/1612802532361-D5V687CRDMWPJ1OGEMGR/RZS+2019.png)
Richard Zane Smith (Wyandot/Wendat)
Richard’s been a self-employed full-time ceramic artist since 1984. He’s active in Wyandot/Wendat language and culture revitalization, longhouse ceremonies, and spent seven years teaching Wyandot language and storytelling in the Wyandotte public schools. He is continually holding pottery workshops for First Nations peoples including Wyandot, Seneca/Cayuga, Mi’kmaq, Shawnee, Oneida, and Wendat and Innu in Canada.
Musicians
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/303d4fb1-ee24-4354-a588-239fe3d87c6d/Cherokee+Choir+NACC+2019.jpg)
Cherokee Choir
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/fc2d4774-6d96-4723-85d6-3174cd5a01d5/Mitch+Walking+Elk+Headshot.jpg)
Mitch Walking Elk (Southern Cheyenne & Arapaho)
Oklahoma born and raised, now residing in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mitch Walking Elk is an enrolled member of the Southern Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. He also is part Hopi. He has seven recordings to his credit and is the winner of 2005 Best Blues Recording, “TIME FOR A WOMAN” Indian Summer Musical Festival, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the 2013 Best Blues Recording, “UP FROM THE ASHES” Native American Music Awards, (NAMA OR NAMMY) Niagara Falls, New York. He believes his musical strengths to be his vocals and songwriting and at this juncture his endurance in the business.
Chefs
Cultural Leaders
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/1596310524131-JCLF5S7RQXCADNZRQL7M/Untitled+design.png)
Earth Guardians
Earth Guardians trains diverse youth to be effective leaders in the environmental, climate and social justice movements across the globe - using art, music, storytelling, on the ground projects, civic engagement and legal action to advance solutions to the critical issues we face as a global community.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/e0fa2f60-fb30-405b-9c41-78d49a12ef96/sddefault.jpg)
JP Johnson (Cherokee)
Cultural and Language Specialist at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a60f55d29f18717fce46ab8/1f3c0f69-a2d3-4c98-a99e-963d8fb7439d/JohnnieJ+-+Johnnie+Jae.jpg)
Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw)
Johnnie Jae is a journalist, speaker, podcaster, technologist, advocate, community builder, and entrepreneur that loves empowering others to follow their passions and create for healing and positive change in the world. She is the founder of A Tribe Called Geek, a platform for Indigenous Geek Culture and STEM as well as #Indigenerds4Hope, a suicide prevention initiative.