Indigenous Women’s Leadership with NMAI Director Cynthia Chavez Lamar and co-hosts Kahstoserakwathe and Taiawentón:ti'
It’s an Awesome Auntie co-hosting collaboration this month as Taiawentón:ti' Chelsea Sunday (Kanyen’kehà:ka) joins Kahstoserakwathe to visit with Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Director Cynthia Chavez Lamar (San Felipe Pueblo, Hopi, Tewa, and Navajo).
Cynthia is the first woman director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, including its three locations in Washington, D.C., New York City, and the Cultural Resources Center in Maryland.
Taiawentón:ti' and Kahstoserakwathe first met Cynthia last summer at the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Taiawentón:ti'’s land-based language revitalization organization, Ionkwahronkha’onhátie’, was one of four groups featured for their language, place, and ways of learning. Kahstoserakwathe was there co-producing a documentary about their work.
When Cynthia came to visit the group on the National Mall, Taiawentón:ti' noticed her openness and the path she has taken as an Indigenous woman in leadership. That moment sparked this conversation.
In this episode, the three talk about leadership, creative direction, and building institutions that remain accountable to Indigenous communities.
Cynthia is a curator, author, and scholar whose work focuses on Southwest Native art and collaborative practice with Indigenous communities. She has served on national arts and cultural boards, including the Institute of American Indian Arts and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development and the New Mexico Arts Commission.