Join the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs for the 2020 Tribal Relations Training in Helena, Montana, February 19th from 8 am-4:30 pm.

This year, the training will feature two keynote speakers.

Carol “Starlight” Mason, a fashion designer from the Blackfoot and Kainai Nation in Canada will share her 30-years of experience in indigenous fashion and how issues like cultural appropriation have affected her art. Mason’s exquisite Indigenous Fashion Designs of jackets, coats, ribbon skirts and traditional camp/tea dresses have garnered global attention. In 1993, she was named one of Canada’s Top Ten designers and was presented at the Genie Awards with a gown designed specifically for actress, Tantoo Cardinal. She will be sharing fifteen of her designs on stage.

Closing the first half of the day will be Executive Director of the Division of Community Development for the Navajo Nation, Pearl Yellowman. Yellowman’s work focuses on Infrastructure Management, Rural Addressing, Community Housing and Infrastructure, and the 110 Chapter Governances. She has consulted with multiple Montana education institutes, including the University of Montana.

Throughout the day, attendees will hear from the past Directors of the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs to dive into the strategies of intergovernmental success throughout the years. Governor Steve Bullock will sit down with Chairman Gerald Gray of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians for a fireside chat to hear about the process he and his tribe underwent in seeking federal recognition, which they finally obtained in December 2019.

There will be two breakout sessions, a new element called, “Indian Country Interactive Workshops” which will provide attendees an opportunity to learn from Montana tribal artists and the history behind their craft in a hands-on experience.

This is an event not to be missed!

Registration closes February 14th.
Tickets: $125
REGISTER NOW: https://tribalnations.mt.gov/annualtraining