2025 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellows

In 2019, First Nations, in partnership with the Henry Luce Foundation, launched the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship to honor and support a select cohort of fellows as they work to further Indigenous knowledge creation, dissemination and change in Indigenous communities.

The Fellowship continues with the selection of 10 new Fellows for the 2025 Cohort – each one chosen for their work in their knowledge fields, as well as their contribution to this growing Fellowship.

Selected fellows receive a monetary award of $75,000 and access to additional resources for training and professional development. They also commit to convening three times during the first year of the two-year Fellowship to share and grow their knowledge, projects, and drive to achieve their personal and community goals.

The 2025 cohort of Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellows was selected by an Indigenous advisory committee. 10 candidates were selected in a competitive, two-phase application, peer-reviewed process.

Learn more about the fellows below, and check back for updates as we share news of their Fellowship projects, accomplishments, and impact they’re making on the health and futures of their Native communities.

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2025 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellows

Abra Nungasuk Patkotak
Knowledge Field: Iñupiaq Birthworker and Student Midwife  

Nungasuk Patkotak will work to deepen her ability to further learn Iñupiaq birthing practices, and create lasting change for birth work and Iñupiaq traditional birth knowledge across Alaska and beyond. She will offer prenatal care to Iñupiat families from her home community of Utqiaġvik and the North Slope communities of Alaska, as well as share her knowledge at the Iñupiaq Birth and Birthworker Summit held in Utqiaġvik.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

Being selected as a Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow is a great honor. Iñupiaq birthwork in Alaska has been quiet for over a generation now, and I’m looking forward to learning what I can from other Inuit midwives and birthworkers to ensure that this cornerstone of our culture does not slip away. Birth deserves to be uplifted as a ceremony at the center of our culture, and I am humbled and honored to receive the funds and time needed to learn from others. The opportunity to be a part of this fellowship will deepen my ability to further my learning of our Iñupiaq birthing practices and create lasting change for birthwork and Iñupiaq traditional birth knowledge across Alaska and beyond.

Chato Gonzalez
Language Warrior

Gonzalez will continue to enhance Ojibwe Language revitalization work, continuing his doctoral studies at the University of Hawaii Hilo in the Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization program. He will create a body of language documentation with first language speakers of Ojibwe as an accessible resource for language learners.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this fellowship. This fellowship will give me the opportunity to enhance my past and current Ojibwe Language revitalization work and my current doctoral studies, and be able to learn and network with other motivated Indigenous people.

Denise Davis Matejkova
Knowledge Field: Artist, Basket Weaver, Designer  

Davis Matejkova will share her knowledge in basket weaving information and techniques, creating long-lasting connections and a network of support. She will host public presentations for communities and teach the basics of proper care for materials.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

Being selected for the fellowship means very much to me. I am excited to begin new levels of teaching through sharing my work and accomplishing projects I have worked toward for many years. I am honored to be able to participate with the other fellows.

Gordon Umialiloalahanauokalakaua King Kai
Knowledge Field: Traditional Implement Maker  

Umialiloalahanauokalakaua King Kai will teach the next generations of Hawaiian traditional implement makers, expanding the number and reach of workshops that range from traditional weapons, food preparation, hula, fishing, Kapa, Lauhala, and more.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

I am very honored to be selected from a large list of worthy applicants. It means that the Hawaiian traditional implement makers are being recognized for their work and will be able to pass on the designs and materials once used by the people of these island long before western influences. The pride in this recognition extends to all whom I share my experiences with and confirms the knowledge I pass on to them.

Herb Lee, Jr.
Knowledge Field: Cultural Steward/Educator 

Lee Jr. will continue work in the restoration and revitalization of a 400-year old ancient Hawaiian fishpond. He will apply ancient wisdom across the generations, embracing new extant knowledge to solve issues around water quality, food security, and more.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

I recently retired from the position as President & CEO but not retired from the mission.  I continue to be passionate about serving my community as long as I am able.  This fellowship was an unexpected gift and a blessing for me to focus my time on mentoring, serving, and giving back. There is so much more to learn and share.  Mahalo Ke Akua, my mentors and ancestors, for guiding my path and allowing me to be the light by which future generations may follow.

Lynn Mad Plume, Ph.D.  
Knowledge Field: Indigenous Horsemanship Practitioner and Indigenous Health Theorist

Dr. Mad Plume will continue preserving and revitalizing Indigenous horsemanship. She will build ancestral knowledge with modern therapeutic practices, creating spaces for healing and growth. Dr. Mad Plume will expand the work of Two Powers Land Collective and further develop the Ponokamiita Academy. She will also host the first-ever global gathering of Traditional Indigenous Horsemanship Practitioners, with the goal of establishing the International Council of Indigenous Horse People.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

Being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship is a tremendous honor and an invaluable opportunity to deepen my work in preserving and revitalizing Indigenous horsemanship. This fellowship allows me to bridge our ancestral knowledge with modern therapeutic practices, creating spaces for healing and growth. It is also a chance to remind our youth that, long before the cowboys of the Wild West, there were the Raiders of the Plains-The Amskapi Piikani. With this support, I aim to instill pride in our youth by reconnecting them to our heritage and showing them the strength and wisdom rooted in our traditions.

Natasha Smoke Santiago
Knowledge Field: Traditional Potter/ Artist  

One of three traditional potters from her community of Akwesasne, Smoke Santiago will revitalize Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse) Pottery. She will build a studio to be a community gathering space where she will host workshops, events, and activities, networking with Indigenous chefs and seed keepers.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

Being selected for the fellowship means the world to me. Being one of three traditional potters from my community of Akwesasne, I feel a deep sense of responsibility toward revitalizing it and carrying it on. With the support of the fellowship, I will be able to do just that. It has always been my dream to revitalize Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse) pottery across all of our territories. This includes not only the structure of the vessels, but also traditional cooking and seed-keeping responsibilities.

Roxanne Swentzell
Knowledge Field: Artist/builder/farmer  

Swentzell will share her permaculture knowledge. She will build a retreat center in Abiquiu, New Mexico, to express her creativity in a unique and environmentally aware place for people to gather and practice reverence.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

Being selected for the fellowship gives me confidence to continue doing my work. It allows me to step forward with support not just financially but with pride. I am so honored to receive this and feel humbled to do my best to be a positive energy in the world.

Shodzi’dzo:wa:’ (Damian Webster)
Language Director, Instructor, Curriculum Developer

Shodzi’dzo:wa:’ will produce more language videos, media, and materials for language learners. He will plan a Seneca Language Bowl, along with other engaging activities that make language accessible. His goal is to engage new teachers and speakers, and work on a local, regional, and national level to evolve existing language curriculum and best practices.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

I am honored to have been selected as a 2025 Luce Foundation Fellow. This selection signifies the work I am doing is making a difference in our language community. It is a continuation of the work done before me, and my responsibility to take it further until it is someone else’s turn. Hard work and dedication pay off. Anyone in this line of work understands how daunting it is, and how few and far the rewards are in between. We do this work because we love it, and it is really nice to be recognized by our peers as a significant contributor. We:so’ nya:wëh (Thank you very much!)

Valerie Shirley
Knowledge Field: Associate Professor of Indigenous Education and Co-director, Indigenous Teacher Education Program  

Shirley will work with Indigenous educators and knowledge holders to advance Indigenous sovereignty through the development of Indigenous curriculum. She plans to engage five Indigenous teacher education program teachers and five culture and language mentors in the process of co-developing critical Indigenous curriculum that is justice-centered and rooted in Indigenous knowledge, values, and languages.

What does being selected for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship mean to you?

Reconnecting to and sustaining Indigenous knowledge systems, values, and languages have been the driving force behind my goals and work within the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP) at the University of Arizona. This fellowship will provide the resources to work with Indigenous educators and Knowledge Holders to advance Indigenous sovereignty through the curriculum and pedagogy. I am looking forward to learning alongside the Indigenous educators and youth.