2025 ASWM Conference Recordings
2026 ASWM Symposium Recordings
Leah Dorion’s Artwork Graces our 2026 Symposium
Our thanks to Leah Marie Dorion for sharing her artwork with us for our 2026 Symposium, “Reimagining Goddess Scholarship:Â At the Edges of Sacred Knowledge.”
The program for this event reframes knowledge transmission and curation and promotes new connections and relationships among people, animals, and the green world. Leah’s painting, “Passing Water Forward” beautifully conveys the intention and spirit of our program, as sacred knowledge is passed from one generation to another..
Leah Marie Dorion is a Metis writer and artist currently living near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her artwork celebrates the strength and resilience of Indigenous women and families, and echoes the beauty found in traditional beadwork. Leah is also a published children’s book author and illustrator. Leah has a passion for early year’s education and is currently working with the Metis Nation of British Columbia (MNBC) to develop Metis cultural early years resources for children and families. She has also participated as a mentor and lead artist for the Mann Art Gallery Indigenous Residency Project. She is a proud member of CARFAC which is the national voice of Canada’s professional visual artists. Visit www.leahdorion.ca for more information about her artistic practice.
About this painting, Leah says “This artwork features Indigenous women gathering water from the river. The gathered water is carried within sacred vessels to represent the passing forward of knowledge about the land and water through the generations. There is a baby in a cradleboard on the mother’s back and a young girl helping to draw up the river water into her vessel to emphasize that water is necessary for life to blossom, grow, and flourish in this world.
“Holding a vessel of water in our arms, close to our heart, is representative of sharing your wisdom and knowledge to guide future generations. The Canadian Geese flying in the sky are a symbol about how important it is to find direction in life and work together as a community for the highest good of all.”
In this beautiful video, Leah discusses her artistic vision.
2026 Symposium to Feature Dr. Apela Colorado
Dr. Apela Colorado, along with two members of the Worldwide Indigenous Sciences Network “Dream Team” is our featured speaker for our upcoming symposium:
2026 Online Symposium, May 3 2026:
“Reimagining Goddess Scholarship:Â At the Edges of Sacred Knowledge.”
Apela Colorado, Ph.D. (Oneida-Gaul) is a renowned Indigenous scholar, educator, and cultural bridge-builder whose work centers on restoring Indigenous wisdom and forging ethical relationships between Western and Indigenous knowledge systems. A Ford Foundation Fellow, she earned her Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis University in 1982, with additional coursework in Federal Indian Law and Child Welfare at Harvard University.
In 1989, Dr. Colorado founded the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network (WISN), which she continues to lead. WISN fosters the revitalization and global exchange of traditional knowledge, protects endangered Indigenous cultural practitioners, and facilitates respectful dialogue between Indigenous science and Western disciplines. A major recent milestone in Dr. Colorado’s work is the establishment of WISN’s graduate program in Indigenous Science and Peace Studies at the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica.
In 1997, she was honored by the State of the World Forum as one of twelve women leaders selected from 52 countries. She has represented Indigenous perspectives at global events including the United Nations Earth Summit and the Conference on Religion and Environment hosted by the President of Indonesia.
Dr. Colorado’s publications explore sacred ecology, ancestral memory, and Indigenous methodologies. Her recent books include Woman Between the Worlds: A Call to Your Ancestral and Indigenous Wisdom (Hay House, 2021) and Journal des Rêves (WISN.org). She continues to mentor global leaders working at the intersections of culture, land, and spirit.
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