Join Texas Lutheran University for a variety of events, performances, and special chapel services centered around Native American Heritage Month. The campus and surrounding community are invited to hear from influential local leaders who are using their platform to educate others about the history and traditions of indigenous cultures. All events are free and open to the public.
Honoring Comanche Chief Quanah Parker’s History, Sharing of Memorabilia, Lunch and Learn with Doug Parker, Descendent of Quanah Parker (Lunch Provided)
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 12PM at the Blumberg Memorial Library
Quanah was a war leader of the Quahadi band of the Comanche Nation. He earned recognition through business dealings with cattlemen driving their herds north through Texas and to other parts of the United States. Quanah charged white men a fee to graze their herds on the reservation. The revered chief’s reverence went beyond his business acumen and he is remembered for other notable accomplishments. Doug Parker is Quanah Parker’s great-great-grandson and Seguin native who has been collecting memorabilia all his life and sharing the history of his great-great-grandfather.
Chapel Talk – South Texas Indigenous Traditional Thanksgiving Blessing with Tecuancoatl Teodosio “Ted” Herrera
Tlaxcalteca, Chichimeca, Coahuilteco, Huichol
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 10 AM at the TLU Chapel
Growing up in rural Nueces County, Texas, from the late 40s to the late 60s, most of his neighbors were familiar with Curanderismo (traditional indigenous healers), and many could not afford Conventional Doctors. Nor could they explain “Susto” (shock, trauma), “Mal De Ojo” (evil eye), “Caida de la mollera” (fallen fontanelle), or a “limpieza” (cleansing) to conventional doctors.
At the time, there were at least four specialties in our area that people could need: a Yerbero (Herbalist), a Huesero (Bone and Muscle therapist), a Partera (Midwife), or someone like his mother, Maria Guadalupe Lara Herrera (Dona Lupita), a curandera with great empathy for the suffering who was sought after to help with Health and Spiritual issues.
Witnessing his mother help people was part of his growing up, and she constantly reminded him that he was given that “Don” (gift), and he was expected to take over her work. He resisted that path until her passing in 1994. And that’s when her spiritual influence became more vital than ever to him. Thanks to her spiritual connection and his father’s and grandparents, he’s been blessed with their influence in making good decisions, which has led to many gratifying accomplishments and experiences. And so, he hopes to please them by walking a good path.
Right Relations: Unsettling Colonial Culture & Building Kinship with Indigenous Peoples
Lunch and Learn (Lunch Provided)
Thursday, November 6, 2025 12PM
Alumni Student Center Conference Room A & B
Emi Aguilar (Coahuiltecan) (they/she) is a facilitator, researcher, culture-bearer, community organizer, multidisciplinary artist, and most importantly, a mother. Emi is based among the homelands where the Coahuiltecan people have continuously resided for over 14,000 years (or, what is recently known as Central Texas to Northern Mexico). She is the Director of Membership & Radical Collaboration at BLIS Collective (Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty), the former Director of Research + Action for IllumiNative, and has led partnerships with Netflix, Apple, Disney, National Geographic, AGBO, NBCU, Warner Media, and Lionsgate, among others. Emi holds an MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin, a certificate in Arts and Cultural Management from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, a certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, and a BFA in Theatre (summa cum laude) from Niagara University. Previously, Emi served as the Assistant Director of Pop Culture + Media at IllumiNative, on faculty at Bowling Green State University, and has guest lectured at The University of Texas at Austin, Dallas College, Vassar College, Brooklyn Public Library, and New Jersey Performing Arts Center, among others. Emi is the creator of @IndigenizingArtsEd, through which she conducts speaking engagements and workshops on decolonization, Indigenizing arts education, the Land Back movement, repatriation, and compulsive settler-colonialism.
Chapel • November 1, 10 a.m. • Chapel of the Abiding Presence
Rev. Keats Miles-Wallace ’14
Rev. Keats Miles-Wallace
Rev. Keats Miles-Wallace is a descendant of a border band of the Coahuiltecan peoples, a 2014 alum of Texas Lutheran University and Pastor of Technicolor Ministries, a ministry of support for the LGBTQIA2S+ community and those who love them.
The Blanket Exercise • November 12, 7 p.m. • Chapel of the Abiding Presence
Led by Vance Blackfox ’99, the exercise is interactive and requires participants, as they are able, to stand and move throughout the first hour of the experience. The second hour allows for participants to process the experience and share what they may have learned and what they will take away. The Blanket Exercise was first created in Canada and has been adapted and used to educate general populations there, in the United States, and in many other parts of the world.
Chapel • November 13, 10 a.m. • Chapel of the Abiding Presence
Vance Blackfox ’99 (Cherokee)
Vance Blackfox
Vance is the founder and director of Other+Wise, a multi-site cultural education and cultural immersion program for youth and student groups from across the country. He has also served as the Director of Communications at the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, as the Director of Communications for Native Americans in Philanthropy and has held executive director positions at the Haskell Foundation, which supports Haskell Indian Nations University, and the Oaks Indian Mission. He presently serves as is the Director of Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is the creator and producer of the Vine Deloria, Jr. Theological Symposium at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and serves on the board of directors for the Charter for Compassion.
Lecture • November 21, 4 p.m. • Dunne Conference Center, Tschoepe Hall
Maria Rocha (Coahuiltecan)
Coahuiltecan Spirituality: Humanity’s Creation at the Sacred Springs
Maria Rocha
Maria Rocha, a member of the Miakan-Garza tribe that founded the nonprofit Indigenous Cultures Institute, offers a rare insight into the spiritual belief system of an Indigenous community. Through the creation story of her people, we journey with her to a 4,000-year-old rock shelter painting at the Texas border; learn about the origins of an ancient medicine ceremony still practiced today; and travel to the Coahuiltecan homeland in San Marcos, Texas, where humanity first emerged onto Mother Earth. Rocha informs about the world view of an Indigenous community and the significance of ancestral prophecies foretelling the future of humankind.
Chapel • November 25, 10 a.m. • Chapel of the Abiding Presence
Mark Keddal
Mark Keddal
Mark Keddal, a member of St. Andrews Episcopal in Seguin, will speak of the church’s collaboration with the Diné and their grounding as indigenous Episcopalians in both traditions; a commitment to the cross-fertilizing possible because of a deeply held belief in the sacred.
Texas Lutheran University is one of 26 colleges and universities associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). In August 2016 at the Churchwide Assembly, members of the ELCA adopted the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery. In September 2021 the ELCA Church Council adopted “A Declaration of the ELCA to the American Indian and Alaska Native People.” The ELCA is currently involved in a Truth & Healing Movement. You are invited to learn more about and get involved with this important work at https://www.elca.org/indigenous.
- Join Texas Lutheran University for a variety of events, performances, and special chapel services centered around Native American Heritage Month. The campus and surrounding community are invited to hear from influential local leaders who are using their platform to educate others about the history and traditions of indigenous cultures. All events are free and open to the public.Nov. 1 at 10 a.m.
Chapel with Vance Blackfox ’99 (Cherokee)Chapel of the Abiding PresenceVance Blackfox, an Indigenous Theologian and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is the founder and director of Other+Wise.
Vance Blackfox ’99The multi-site cultural education and cultural immersion program for youth and student groups from across the country. He serves the church-wide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as the director of Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations.
Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
The Blanket ExerciseChapel of the Abiding PresenceLed by Vance Blackfox, the exercise is interactive and requires participants, as they are able, to stand and move throughout the first hour of the experience. The second hour allows for participants to process the experience and share what they may have learned and what they will take away. The Blanket Exercise was first created in Canada and has been adapted and used to educate general populations there, in the United States, and in many other parts of the world.The exercise does engage participants both intellectually and emotionally and can in some instances affect individuals deeply. Due to the honest nature of the information included in the narration of the exercise, all participants are expected to be 15 years of age or older.Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
Film ScreeningWupperman Little Theatre, Schuech Fine ArtsNov. 16 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Mario Garza (Coahuiltecan)Indigeneity of Hispanics: How Ancient Indigenous People Came to be Erroneously Identified as HispanicDunne Conference Center, Tschoepe Hall
Dr. Mario GarzaDr. Mario Garza is an elder of the Miakan/Garzas Band of the Coahuiltecan, a state-legislature-recognized tribe of Texas. He has a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. from Michigan State University and he currently researches and presents educational lectures about Native Americans.Dr. Garza has decades of involvement in the Native American community, including repatriation of remains, successful development of indigenous nonprofits, re-establishment of ceremonial sites, Native arts and events, and political issues.Nov. 17 at 10 a.m.
Rev. Cornelia Eaton (Navajo)Chapel of the Abiding PresenceRev. Canon Cornelia Eaton serves as canon to the ordinary. She is dedicated to serving the beloved people of God and to encourage the laity to have active roles in the life of the Church, believing that we all live into our baptismal covenant.
Rev. Cornelia EatonRev. Eaton enjoys sharing God’s love, hope, and grace with all of God’s people through Holy Scripture and Navajo spirituality of Hozhó—Peace and Beauty Way. She is a storyteller and a writer of poetry with a particular focus on the Navajo way of life known as Iina Biké Hozhó–being in harmony with divine creation through spirituality, culture, tradition, and relationship.She has deep love and appreciation for the outdoors and enjoys mountain biking, fly-fishing, camping, hiking, and tending to her family sheep camp.Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Aaron Pyle (Choctaw) Native American Flute PerformanceAyers Recital Hall, Schuech Fine ArtsDr. Aaron Pyle is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and an active contributor in the Central Texas Intertribal community.
Dr. Aaron PyleHe is a member of the Four Winds Intertribal Society, serves as Co-Chair of the Sacred Springs Powwow, and is a member of the Indigenous Cultures Institute’s Board of Elders.He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Anthropology from Texas State University, a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on Native American experiences in education.Nov. 29 at 10 a.m.
Excerpts from Indigenous People Liturgical CelebrationChapel of the Abiding Presence
The Indigenous People’s Liturgical Celebrationwas created by Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy during her doctoral studies at Luther Seminary. Dr. Sherman-Conroy is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in Pine Ridge South Dakota and an active member of the American Indian/Alaska Native Lutheran Association Inc. board of directors. This liturgy was created to respect both Lutheran and Native Traditions.
The ELCA Truth & Healing MovementTLU is one of just 26 colleges and universities associated with the ELCA. In August 2016 at the church-wide assembly, members of the ELCA adopted the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery. In September 2021 the ELCA Church Council adopted “A Declaration of the ELCA to the American Indian and Alaska Native People.” The ELCA is currently involved in a Truth & Healing Movement. You are invited to learn more about and get involved with this important work at www.elca.org/indigenous.