U of A College of Social & Behavioral Sciences presents

Four University of Arizona professors will examine the complex and varied ways that humans and animals interact and change one another in this year’s Downtown Lecture Series. Topics include surprising discoveries about the canine mind; how indigenous hunters treated bison as partners; the tradition of harvesting herring and challenges of climate change; and how the Navajo view horses as healers and educators.

Łįį’ (Navajo Horse) as Healer and Educator

Kelsey John

For the Navajo (Diné), the horse is central to their creation story, land management, entertainment, work, and k’e (family and clanship systems). In her talk, Kelsey John positions horses as knowers who can promote healing within their communities, even possibly by challenging the power structures inherent in colonization. Inspired by her own experiences riding and training Navajo horses, John reveals how horses teach us to relate to each other, the land, and other nonhuman animals.

About the Speaker

Kelsey John, who received her Ph.D. from Syracuse University, is a postdoctoral fellow in the UA’s Department of American Indian Studies. Her dissertation focused on the Navajo horse as a central point of indigenous decolonization. John’s research on “rez ponies” led her to organized a horse knowledge conference hosted by the Navajo Tribal University. She is a volunteer at both Four Corners Equine Rescue and the Sexual Assault Services of North­west New Mexico.

Admission

Free admission will be first come, first served. Tickets are not required.
Doors open at 6 p.m.