This episode of Native Circles, with co-hosts Dr. Davina Two Bears and Dr. Farina King, features a conversation with Dr. Wade Campbell on Indigenous archaeology, Diné (Navajo) deep history, and how Diné communities have navigated relationships with ancient sites, land, and story over generations. Wade reflects on growing up in the Four Corners, reconciling Diné teachings with archaeological practice, and why he approaches ruins and ancestral places with respect rather than fear. He discusses his work on 18th-century Diné defensive sites, the importance of recognizing mobile Indigenous lifeways in the historical record, and how archaeology, oral history, and community knowledge together illuminate longer-term Diné histories that stretch far beyond the written archive.

Dr. Wade Campbell (Diné, Kinyaa’áanii and Bilagáanaa) is an assistant professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Boston University. His research traces the historical relationships between Diné communities and other local groups in the US Southwest, including the Pueblos, Spanish, and Americans. Wade is engaged with a range of questions related to patterns of Diné settlement and economic activity across the greater Four Corners region, with a particular focus on incipient Indigenous pastoralism and related shifts in land-use, social organization, and diet/subsistence practices.

Resources:

Wade Campbell, assistant professor of archaeology and anthropology, Boston University webpage.

The Four Heavens: A New History of the Ancient Maya (2026) by David Stuart (see https://www.thefourheavens.com/)

Becoming Hopi: A History, co-edited by Wesley Bernardini, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, Gregson Schachner, and Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma (University of Arizona Press, 2023).

Campbell, Wade, Thompson, K. F., & Begay, R. M. (2021). "Naasgo: Moving Forward—Diné Archaeology in the Twenty-First Century." Kiva, 87 (3), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/00231940.2021.1951553

Campbell, Wade. (2024). "Collaborating with Diné communities: Reconsidering the 'pueblito' through a Diné-oriented archaeological lens." Archaeology Southwest Magazine, 36 (3&4), 24–27.

"Wade Campbell: Diné Pastoral Landscapes: A Lens on Power & Equity in the US Southwest" YouTube video (2023).

In this special episode of Native Circles, Dr. Farina King brings together Oklahoma-based contributors to COVID-19 in Indian Country: Native American Memories and Experiences of the Pandemic, co-edited by King and Dr. Wade Davies and published by Palgrave Macmillan. Their conversation reflects on the devastating effects of COVID-19 across Indigenous communities while centering stories of resilience, survivance, sovereignty, healing, humor, and the determination to carry culture and community forward.

King begins by remembering her Aunt Florence, a beloved Diné elder and bearer of language and culture who passed away during the pandemic. The episode then features contributors Dr. Kelly Berry, Midge Dellinger, and Jennifer Frazee, along with the voices and perspectives of RaeLynn Butler, Linda Dellinger, and Kiana Hamilton.

Kelly Berry reflects on working with Native elders and educators at Riverside Indian School during the pandemic, where teaching new technologies developed into opportunities for sharing food, humor, stories, and cultural knowledge. Midge Dellinger discusses her COVID-19 oral history work with Muscogee citizens and the importance of documenting the pandemic in Muscogee voices for healing and future generations. Jennifer Frazee, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, considers the effects of colonialism and intergenerational disruption on Native families while sharing how Indigenous “aunties,” language learning, and digital communities became sources of connection and resilience.

The episode also includes the reflections of Mvskoke elder Linda Dellinger and RaeLynn Butler, Secretary of Culture and Humanities for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and co-author of one of the book’s chapters with Dellinger, whose oral histories emphasize the importance of protecting elders, documenting Indigenous experiences, and caring for one another. Kiana Hamilton, an Osage and Cherokee graduate student in Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma, reflects on how the pandemic exposed longstanding inequities while also demonstrating tribal sovereignty, innovation, and the enduring strength of Native governance and community.

Together, these voices ask us to remember COVID-19 not only as a period of extraordinary grief and loss but also as a story of Indigenous presence and continuance. The conversation highlights the ways Native peoples continued to adapt, teach, remember, laugh, govern, preserve language, care for one another, and move forward during one of the most difficult times of the twenty-first century.

Resources:

COVID-19 in Indian Country: Native American Memories and Experiences of the Pandemic, edited by Farina King and Wade Davies (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024)

"COVID Recollections: 'Documenting COVID-19: A Panel Discussion on Community-Based Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic,' Now Available Online," Library of Congress Blogs (March 2025)

"A Twenty-First Century Pandemic in Indian Country: The Resilience of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Against Covid 19," Mvskoke National Library Archive

Riverside Indian School

School of Choctaw Language, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Diné Doctor History Syllabus by Farina King

In this episode, Dr. Farina King and Eva Bighorse sit down with Joseph Perez (who is of Nooksack descent), an actor, U.S. Army veteran, Bronze Star recipient, and law student, to discuss his inspiring journey of resilience, service, and purpose. Joseph reflects on his recent acting roles, including appearing alongside Emma Stone in The Curse, and his commitment to increasing Indigenous representation in the entertainment industry. He also shares how his studies in Native American Law and Entertainment Law, along with his new YouTube channel, JD Ready, are helping him advocate for Indigenous communities and mentor aspiring law students. Together, they discuss the power of pursuing dreams, overcoming adversity, and inspiring Indigenous youth and people from all backgrounds to embrace their potential and create positive change through storytelling, education, and perseverance.

Resources:

JD Ready on YouTube

@realjosephperez on Instagram

Joseph Perez on IMDb

Cupertino (TV Series 2026) on IMDb

"Q&A with Nooksack Actor Joseph Perez" by Kaili Berg

"Rising Star Joseph Perez On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry"