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Sacred Breath May 2021 artists Christine Day and Jessica Dominy -
Sacred Breath Nov 2020 artists Traci Sorell, Michelle Jacob, and Fern Renville -
Sacred Breath May 2020 artists Sara Marie Ortiz and Gene Tagaban -
Sacred Breath Nov 2019 artists Tommy Pico and Lummi Island Blackhawk Singers -
Sacred Breath May 2019 artists Elissa Washuta and Sondra Segundo -
Sacred Breath Feb 2017 artists Raven Heavy Runner, Ernestine Hayes, and Elissa Washuta -
Sacred Breath Nov 2016 artists Roger Fernandes, Payton Bordley, Sasha LaPointe -
The Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Washington hosts an annual literary and storytelling series. Sacred Breath features Indigenous writers and storytellers sharing their craft and their expertise. Storytelling offers a spiritual connection, a sharing of sacred breath. Literature, similarly, preserves human experience and ideals. Both forms are durable and transmit power that teaches us how to live. Both storytelling and reading aloud can impact audiences through the power of presence, allowing for the experience of the transfer of sacred breath as audiences are immersed in the experience of being inside stories and works of literature.
Watch a Recording of our May 17th, 2021 event
On YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZjQ4-_2elcw
On Zoom: (requires a Zoom account and includes a transcript plus the comments from the chat: https://washington.zoom.us/rec/share/seGgCC-QLPfyh0AKstBjoMtreFrtkiMy61IP-a3rB5k1ohz1PJ-cyNNmaZYIBaML.mIqZm0mKcAVwOQwd?startTime=1621298990000
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Christine Day (Upper Skagit) grew up in Seattle, nestled between the sea, the mountains, and the pages of her favorite books. Her debut novel, I Can Make This Promise, was a best book of the year from Kirkus, School Library Journal, NPR, and the Chicago Public Library, as well as a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book, and an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. Her second novel, The Sea in Winter, arrived on shelves on January 5, 2021. She also wrote the forthcoming She Persisted: Maria Tallchief, an early reader biography in a new series inspired by Chelsea Clinton’s bestselling picture book. Christine lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
Jessica Dominy is an enrolled citizen of the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Tribes of Alaska and is a recent graduate of the University of Alaska Southeast where she completed her Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, focusing on Anthropology, as well as Alaska Native Languages and Studies. While in attendance at the University of Alaska, Jessica had the honor of an internship with the Huna Totem Corporation located in Juneau, Alaska for the village of Hoonah, Alaska. Over the last fifteen years Jessica has been a volunteer to her fellow tribal citizens who live in the Washington State area as a Delegate to Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. She also has been a lifelong advocate and volunteer for the Seattle Indian Health Board in a variety of roles. Jessica grew up in West Seattle and graduated with honors from Chief Sealth High School. She later moved to Kent, Washington. Jessica is a gifted Indigenous storyteller who has shared her knowledge with numerous schools and families over the years.
Save the Date - November, 2021
Sacred Breath will be back for our next event in November, 2021. With the University's plans to return to in person learning and on campus operations, we are hoping this event will be back in person at the beautiful wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House. You will always find details here first.
Can't get enough? View our event from November, 2020
Watch the full event recording of Sacred Breath from November 23rd, 2020. This event featured authors Traci Sorell (Cherokee), Michelle M. Jacob (Yakama), and storyteller Fern Renville (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate).
Do you love Sacred Breath and want to see more? Donate to our Friends of American Indian Studies fund to help us support indigenous authors and storytellers and bring you more amazing works.
Read about Sacred Breath in the A&S Perspectives newsletter.
These events are free and open to the public, but registration is required, as space is limited. wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House is located at 4249 Whitman Court, Seattle, WA.
Sacred Breath is sponsored by the Department of American Indian Studies, the Intellectual House Academic Programming Committee, the Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies, the UW Diversity Seed Grant, the Banks Center for Educational Justice, and the Squaxin Island Tribe.