Indigenous Peoples' Day 2024
Speaker Bios
Geraldine Barney’s music explores the relationship between the traditional Navajo values and beliefs she grew up with on the Navajo Reservation in Northwest New Mexico with contemporary city life off the reservation. Living in two cultures is a prominent theme in her music and visual art.
Geraldine, singer and song writer’s work is included in two Smithsonian Folkways CD’s; “Music of New Mexico: Native American Traditions” and “Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women”.
Maria Turner is the Director of the Indian Child Welfare Act program for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe after a notable 24-year career at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, where she advanced to the position of supervisor. Her deep commitment to community welfare was reflected as the School Wellness Counselor for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. Additionally, Turner serves as the Chairwoman of the Natick Nipmuc Tribe, representing the Nipmuc Nation Confederacy with distinction.
Her leadership extends to her role as a representative for the American Baptist Church Indian Ministries in the Eastern Region, alongside chairing the Mashpee Indian Education Parent Committee and the Massachusetts DCF Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Minority Affairs. Turner, who also co-authored the”Me, Naturally” booklet, addressing the unique care needs of DCF foster children of color, holds a Master of Education in Counseling from Bridgewater State University, underscoring her dedication to enhancing Indigenous and foster care communities’ welfare and education.
Roaming Buffalo is a descendant of the Wabanaki people who was born and raised in Massachusetts. Roaming is a citizen of the Abenaki nation and an active member of the North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB). They are advocates for Indigenous justice and are studying Indian law through the University of Oklahoma School of Law.