Autumn Powell

Yá'át'ééh shik'éí dóó shidine'é, Shí éí Autumn Powell yinishyé, Naakai Dine’é nishłį́, Na'ahiłii bashishchiin, Tsi’naajinii dashicheii, Naahiłií dashinalí. Ákót’éégo Diné Asdzání Nishłį. Tségháhoodzání déé’ Naashá. Hello, I am Autumn Powell, born to the Mexican People (mother’s clan), born to Black/African American (father’s clan), my Cheii (maternal grandfather) is from the Black Streak Wood People, and my Nalí (paternal grandfather) is Black/African American. I’m a Diné woman from Window Rock, Arizona. 

I grew up in Diné Bikéyah, and I attended Window Rock School District in Arizona, where I started to obtain my educational knowledge. After I successfully graduated from Window Rock High School, I began my academic journey at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) in 2016, eager to explore my career interests. HINU was a good building block for connecting with fellow Native scholars and mentors, all representing various Tribal Nations across the country. In 2018, I discovered my true calling: advocating for Indigenous lands and their ecological integrity through the transformative Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) program, led by Dr. Daniel Wildcat, Dr. Joseph Brewer, and Dr. Jay T. Johnson. During the eight-week internship, I gained invaluable insights into how climate change affects Tribal communities and how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) serves as a vital framework for environmental stewardship. 

I also learned to conduct research rooted in Indigenous methodologies, create research proposals, design posters, and present academic findings. The program equipped me with practical skills for academic success, such as developing impactful research questions, building a LinkedIn profile, finding scholarships, navigating conferences, and using credible sources to ensure ethical integrity in my work. This experience solidified my commitment to protecting Indigenous lands and shaped my identity as a scholar, providing me with the tools to advocate for environmental justice and Indigenous knowledge systems, ultimately enhancing both my research capabilities and professional development.

After graduating from Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU), I joined the University of Kansas's Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), an NIH-funded initiative designed to support underrepresented graduates pursuing biomedical PhDs. This program provided me with the foundation to explore graduate opportunities, leading to my acceptance into the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and its Interdisciplinary Consortium for Applied Research in the Environment (ICARE) program, which focuses on environmental justice in the Baltimore region. At UMBC, my thesis, “A State That Leaves No One Behind? Erasure of Native Peoples in Maryland & How This Limits Inclusive Environmental & Climate Action,” centered on documenting the experiences of Tribal Peoples in Maryland through interviews, uncovering the systemic discrimination that excluded them from climate policy initiatives. By exploring their historical and contemporary ecocultural practices, my research aimed to challenge the systemic biases that erase Indigenous histories and to advocate for more inclusive environmental action. Aligned with the "We Are Still Here" movement, this work sparked critical conversations about the credibility of Indigenous sources and the ethical responsibilities of researchers, emphasizing the importance of valuing lived experiences as legitimate knowledge.

I am a PhD student in the Geography and Atmospheric Sciences program at the University of Kansas (KU), specializing in Indigenous Geography under the mentorship of Dr. Melinda Adams. In Dr. Adams’s Indigenous Environmental Science lab, I utilize decolonizing methodologies to explore critical issues of land, sovereignty, and environmental justice, conducting research that prioritizes the needs of Indigenous communities. I also receive support from the Indigenous Stewardship Club, the Indigenous Studies Program, the Indigenous Student Coalition, and the Haskell Greenhouse, with the support of the Sloan Scholar Foundation, a prestigious fellowship that selects Native scholars from across the nation.

My dissertation project will focus on the Haskell Wetlands, a historically and culturally significant site in Lawrence, Kansas, that has been overlooked by local governance. Originally purchased in 1884 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to establish Haskell Institute, a boarding school designed to erase Native children's cultural identities, the wetlands embody a dual legacy. While efforts were made to drain the land and force students into labor, the wetlands became a sanctuary where children preserved their heritage, practiced traditions, and maintained connections with family. Today, Haskell Indian Nations University stands as a testament to resilience, empowering Native students and honoring a complex history of overcoming historical trauma, while continuing to be culturally rooted in professional academia. 

A'hé’héé’ Nizhónígo nee ʽadoo’ááł