For many Native American communities, resilience has been key to sustaining their diverse cultures and treasured ways of life in the wake of disease, genocide, and other terrible realities wrought by centuries of colonialism and social injustice.

Join a conversation with three inspiring Native artists and cultural leaders: Siletz basket maker and language teacher Alfred “Bud” Lane of Oregon, Hawaiian musician and singer Aaron J. Salā of Hawaiʻi, and Penobscot basket maker Theresa Secord of Maine. Together they share the creative ways in which they have met the many challenges posed by the pandemic and reflect on their increased sense of urgency to be “good ancestors,” working tirelessly to pass on their cultural knowledge to younger generations in their communities and taking action to bring about positive change at the institutional level in American society.

This digital program will stream live on the Folklife Facebook page, the Folklife YouTube channel, and the Festival website.