Descendant Daughter
Event Details
When:
Tue, May 12, 2026, 4pm - 5pm
Location:
Online: Zoom
In-Person at WWU:
Academic West room 204
Price:
Free
Brought to you by:
Political Science Department, College of Humanities and Social Science, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
Description
Since time immemorial, indigenous tribes have lived on the lands we live and work on in our daily lives. The federal government, beginning in the late 1700s, have struggled to manage what they defined as “The Indian Problem,” (language used by the federal government to describe the issue of indigenous people living on lands the federal and state government sought to take over). Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court. In her talk, "Descendant Daughter", Justice Montoya-Lewis will describe how a variety of federal Indian law policies towards tribes have impacted generations of her own family. Using her family history, photographs, and her own life story, she will elucidate the impact of the federal government on the lives of indigenous people, present, past, and future.
Featuring:
Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an Associate Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court. She was appointed by Governor Inslee in 2019 and won a full term in a contested election in 2020. Prior to that, she was a trial judge for 20 years, serving as a Whatcom County Superior Court judge and a tribal court judge for tribes in Washington and the Southwest. From 2003-2015, she was an Associate Professor at WWU’s Fairhaven College. Justice Montoya-Lewis holds a B.A. degree from the UNM, and J.D. and M.S.W. degrees from UW. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court.
Questions and Accommodations
- Your point of contact for this event is the Political Science Department at email politicalscience@wwu.edu.
- Advance notice for disability accommodations and special needs is appreciated. Please mention your needs when registering.
- There will be auto-captions for the Zoom webinar.
Visitor Parking at WWU on Weekdays
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: limited paid parking is available at the south C lots and north 6V and 7G lots.
- Purchase your permit at the lot pay stations or use the Parkmobile app.
- More parking details for campus visitors are available online.
Parking at WWU on Weekdays for Visitors with Disabilities
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: both a WWU permit and state disability placard are needed.
- Purchase your permit at the pay stations in lot C or 6V or use the Parkmobile app (use Zone 1200). This allows parking in any disability space. If these are full, you can use a non-reserved space nearby.
- More parking details for campus visitors with disabilities are available online.
The views expressed by our speakers do not necessarily reflect those of Western Washington University.