Keynote: Manuelito Wheeler, Navajo Nation Museum

Thursday, April 15
Keynote Speaker

Manuelito Wheeler

A language is at the core of any culture it represents. In the United States, Native American languages go extinct almost on a yearly basis. The Navajo language is still spoken but is at a tipping point. Listen to the story of how the iconic movie Star Wars got dubbed into the Navajo language and how it gave new perspectives on saving it. 

Born and raised on the Navajo Nation, Manuelito Wheeler is currently the Director of the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, AZ. Since taking this position in 2008, he has worked with staff to see the completion of numerous exhibits which are 100% Native-built from concept, curation, and creation. Along with this, he has led his small team in creating innovative projects which influence and preserve Navajo culture.

In the pursuit of native language preservation, the Navajo Nation Museum has partnered with major motion picture studios like Lucasfilm Ltd. (Navajo Star Wars), Walt Disney Pictures and Deluxe Studios (Finding Nemo) to dub popular movies into the Navajo language (Diné Bizaad). Under Wheeler’s direction, the Navajo Nation Museum has also worked with world renowned artist Ai Weiwei, partnering him with Navajo artist Bert Benally to create a site-specific installation piece in a remote canyon on the Navajo Nation. Wheeler attended Arizona State University where he earned his BA in Art History. Navajo Star Wars will screen during the conference on Thursday evening. See the schedule for time and how to view.

Mr. Wheeler’s keynote kicks off a two days of the Borders and Borderlands stream of programming.