Nakia Williamson-Cloud

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The 2024 Northwest Anthropological Conference is pleased to announce our Keynote Speaker Nakia Williamson-Cloud of the Nez Perce Nation. Nakia graduated from Lewis Clark State College with a B.S. in Social Science.

 

He gained much of his knowledge and education concerning the traditional ‘Way of life’ of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) from Nimiipuu Culture Bearers over a lifetime. He has worked in Cultural Resource Management for 20+ years and currently serves as Program Manager for the Nez Perce Tribe Cultural Resource Program. He conducts and coordinates technical consultation with various federal/state agencies such as: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration, 13 National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management, to name a few.

 

Nakia is a multi-talented individual with his hands on many different projects including painting, beadwork, quillwork, and hide work. He has also invested his time into learning the traditional method of carving and painting drums. He has vast knowledge about the Pacific Northwest Indigenous Communities and has been a representative for the Native American Indian Grave and Reparation Act (NAGPRA), helped with the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, and is currently helping a friend complete a book about Native American Horsemanship.

 

Nakia is also known for being an ethnographer for the Nez Perce Nation. He collaborated with Washington State University to create a repository of videos where he interprets different artifacts, military conflicts, and lifeways of the Nez Perce Nation which can be found at the link here.

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We are excited to have him speak at the 77th Northwest Anthropological Conference in Portland and hope you will be able to attend. Be sure to visit our registration page to get your tickets if you haven't already.