S1E115 - Greg Sarris - Native American Identity

Michael Krasny interviewed Professor Greg Sarris, Chair of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. This was the fourth interview sponsored by the Bill Lane Center for the American West.

The dialogue began with Krasny asking Sarris his views on what separated Indians of the West from Indians of other regions in America. The conversation then moved into discussions about Indian casinos and the uses of their resources, online gaming, and the Wild West. They also explored Sarris's compelling personal story, including the influence of a remarkable medicine woman and basket weaver on his life. They discussed the effects of both personal and historic trauma.

The conversation turned to the challenges of legal rights, as well as the psychological and generational problems facing Native people. They examined the importance of storytelling and the work of various American Indian writers. Later, Krasny shared an anecdote about mentioning Native American writer Tommy Orange's name in Maui and sought Sarris's views on cultural appropriation.

Responding to a listener's question, Sarris discussed sovereignty and race versus treaties. He also addressed Indian poverty, life expectancy, and life on the reservations. Their discussion covered Indian stereotypes, and Sarris elaborated on the effect of nature on Indians and their need for connection.

Krasny inquired about Sarris's role on the U.C. Board of Regents and his Jewish identity through his mother. The two concluded this rich and manifold dialogue with a discussion of Indians, the American West, and environmental stewardship.

Biography

Greg Sarris received his Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University, where he was awarded the Walter Gore Award for excellence in teaching. He has published several books, including Grand Avenue, an award-winning collection of short stories, which he adapted for an HBO miniseries and co-executive produced with Robert Redford. He is serving his seventeenth consecutive elected term as Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. In addition to serving as Chairman of his Tribe, he serves as President of the Tribe’s Economic Development Board, overseeing all of the Tribe’s business interests, including the Graton Resort and Casino. Formerly a full professor of English at UCLA, and then the Fletcher Jones Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Loyola Marymount University, Greg now holds the title of Distinguished Emeritus Graton Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University, where he taught a number of courses in Creative Writing, American Literature, and American Indian Literature. His book How a Mountain Was Made, a collection of stories was published in October 2017 and was awarded a Bronze Medal from Independent Publisher Book Awards. His book Becoming Story: A Journey among Seasons, Places, Trees, and Ancestors was released in April 2022. He is executive producer of I Am A Noise, a Joan Baez documentary film, appointed as Chair to the Board of Trustees for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Co-Chair of Smithsonian Campaign, and elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Conversation recorded on January 24, 2025.