Sterlin Harjo and Jhane Myers Among Honorees at IllumiNative’s First Indigenous House: LA (Exclusive)

IllumiNative is honoring Native American leaders and artists at the inaugural Los Angeles edition of its Indigenous House.

Reservation Dogs showrunner Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee Creek) and Prey producer Jhane Myers (Comanche/Blackfeet) are among the recipients of the first Native Power Builder Awards, alongside NDN Collective director of policy and advocacy Jade Begay (Diné/Tesuque Pueblo), U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk) and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

The ceremony will take place on Friday, Oct. 13 at NeueHouse Hollywood as part of a larger celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (which is actually Oct. 9, but who wants to party on a Monday night?). The evening will open with a blessing song from Kahara Hodges (Diné) and also feature a presentation from the Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo (Shoshone/Hopi/Mexican) as well as music from Doc Native and Spencer Battiest (Florida Seminole/Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), PJ Vegas (Yaqui) and DJ Emcee One (Osage/Potawatomi) throughout the night. The event also will include an Indigenous pop-up market showcasing Native art, food and innovation. Writers and performers Jana Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota/“New York Magazine’s Most Mediocre Woman of 2021”) and Bobby Wilson (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota/“judgey NDN dad”) will host.

“Our goal with these events is to create and build community. Native peoples are breaking barriers left and right, and we want to celebrate these accomplishments, share wisdom and uplift one another,” IllumiNative founder and executive director Crystal Echo Hawk said in a statement. “Our hope is for the Indigenous House to serve as a model for celebration and education, and we look forward to coming together to recognize our accomplishments and work towards a future of justice and opportunity.”

Indigenous House: LA is supported by the Pechanga Band of Indians, Poarch Band of Creek Indians, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Amazon, Christensen Fund, Disney, Earthjustice, MNTN and Warner Bros. Discovery. The event comes nine months after the inaugural Indigenous House outing in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival.