PLU hosts the 14th Annual Lutheran Studies Conference: Celebrating Cecelia Svinth Carpenter, Indigenous education and tribal sovereignty

The 14th Annual Lutheran Studies Conference is titled “Where the Waters Begin: Indigenous Education, Tribal Sovereignty, and the Legacy of Cecelia Svinth Carpenter.” This year’s conference will honor the life, work, and commitments of PLU alumna Cecelia Svinth Carpenter, connecting PLU’s past, present, and future with the Nisqually, Puyallup, and other Coast Salish people and tribes.

Cecelia Svinth Carpenter, the daughter of a Danish Lutheran pastor and a Nisqually woman, received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from PLU before teaching in Tacoma Public Schools. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for her Nisqually people and other Salish tribes, focusing on Indigenous education, preserving Indigenous history, and revitalizing Nisqually culture, spirituality, and arts. Svinth Carpenter’s work was deeply rooted in this region, located in the watershed of Mount Tacobet/Tahoma/Rainier — the Mother of All Mountains — which also served as the inspiration for one of her books, Where the Waters Begin: The Traditional Nisqually History of Mount Rainier.

This year’s conference is the culmination of a collaborative effort planned in partnership with tribal leaders and elders, faculty from PLU’s Department of Education and the Native American and Indigenous Studies program, and the PLU Center for Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability. Additional partnerships include members of PLU’s Indigenous Community Advisory Network and the ELCA’s Southwestern Washington Synod Native American Work Team, all working together to document our history with tribal people to better discern our future obligations to this place and its people.

Significant Anniversaries and Celebrations

The 2024 conference coincides with many important anniversaries, including the 120th anniversary of the 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty, the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Native American Voting Rights Act, the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Boldt Decision, and the 20th anniversary of Chief Leschi’s exoneration in 2004. This year also marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Cecelia Svinth Carpenter. Additionally, this conference will honor the upcoming National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools on September 30, 2024, and Indigenous People’s Day on October 14, 2024.

As part of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU), PLU acknowledges statements from the ELCA, including the 2021 “Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to American Indian and Alaska Native People.” The conference will welcome candid discussions about the ELCA’s work in the Truth and Healing Movement. The conference website highlights that the Lutheran tradition “lifts up radical love while also encouraging honest acknowledgment of the ways we harm ourselves, each other, and the Earth, and this conference likewise combines celebration and accountability.”

Conference Highlights

The day will feature panels, presentations, guest speakers, and the sharing of food, song, and dance, all celebrating Cecelia Svinth Carpenter’s legacy in Indigenous education, tribal sovereignty, and cultural revitalization. This conference is free and open to the public, but we ask that participants register ahead of time so that we can provide appropriate accommodations.

For more information on the event and to register, visit the PLU Lutheran Studies Conference page.