July 23, 2026 Park & Market: Indigi-con Panelists
program
february 7,2026 HArrahs Rincon: Indigi-con - creators symposium
Featured Panels
Shuuluk Wechuwvi - Where Lightening Was Born
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Can Native American creation stories help revitalize cultural and environmental stewardship?
Join our panelists in exploring this topic as they discuss the multimedia play and comic project “Shuuluk Wechuwvi – Where Lightning Was Born.” A ‘Creation Story’ guided by nature, built by knowledge and tradition, for the next seven generations. Ancient, indigenous knowledge has much to offer as we seek to understand best practices for stewardship of our world at large and with regard to such local challenges as the revitalization of the Tijuana River Valley.
Our stellar gathering of expert panelists including Dr. Zulema Reynoso (Comic Artivist and Educator), Bobby Wallace (Kumeyaay, Activist and Cultural Bearer), Dr. Mabelle Reynoso (Playwright and Teaching Artist), Johnny Bear Contreras (Kumeyaay Sculptor and Culture Bearer), and Shanaysia Sylman (Cornell Fellow) takes us on a journey through time immemorial to the present day for cultural preservation and environmental stewardship.
How Indigenous and ancestral story serves as a bridge between people, generations, and cultures, in the physical and digital space
Panel: Chris Alvarado, Matthew Alvarado, Jacob Alvarado & Bruce Calac
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The Yumans and Waipuk is rooted in creation stories, lived experience, and community gatherings that center inclusion, connection, and shared humanity. At its core, this panel is about how story—especially Indigenous and ancestral story—can serve as a bridge between people, generations, and cultures, both in physical spaces and digital ones.
Rather than a lecture or performance, our intention is to create a welcoming, reflective space that weaves together:
Creation stories and their relevance today
Recorded gatherings and lived moments of community
Reflections on belonging, identity, and continuity
How digital spaces can be used intentionally to foster light, love, and connection
We approach technology not just as a tool, but as a space that can hold memory, ceremony, and community when used with care. The goal is to meet people where they are—Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike—and invite them into a shared conversation about how we care for one another and carry stories forward. Last but not least we are making a digital space for the future.
We do have a couple of working title’s we’re excited about is:
“We Are Still Here: Story, Technology, and the Power of Belonging”
“Digital Ceremony: Reclaiming Story, Space, and Community Online”
“Stories That Hold Us: Building Community Through Memory, Media, and Love”
Yáamay: An Anthology of Feminine Perspectives Across Indigenous California
Film and sequential art workshop by Yamaay editor/writer Camaray Davalos & guest presenters
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Yáamay: An Anthology of Feminine Perspectives Across Indigenous California is a collection of Indigenous poetry, artwork, and essays specific to what is now known as Southern California. The lead authors separated these pieces into the four natural parts of our story: Tówla (Root), Kúp (Sleep, Dormant), Wólnish (Cultivate), and $ó’a (Bloom), with each section exploring the eras of pre-contact, post-contact, present, and future.
Collectively, these pieces portray the multifarious effects of colonization on Indigenous people of this area, from the California Mission system, to the traumatic assimilationist policies that are still felt today. At the same time, a focus on ancestral teachings, the nostalgia of growing up on the rez, and the joys of (self)love and independence can be found in a way that defies these wounds.
“Now is the time for us to tell our stories before they are written for us by anthropologists, archeologists, historians, or non-Indians. When we write for ourselves and tell our own stories, we remind the world that we are still present, existing, and resisting. We are not a part of history, but rather a continuously flourishing community of modern Indigenous people who march defiantly into the future.”
2025 Indigi-Con - panelists & workshops
weshoyot alvitre
Weshoyot was born in the Santa Monica Mountains on Satwiwa, a historic Indigenous territory and later the site of a cultural center
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founded by her father, Art Alvitre. She grew up close to the land, raised with traditional knowledge that inspires the work she does today, which focuses on an Indigenous lens and voice in projects ranging from children’s books to adult-market graphic novels.
chag lowry
Chag Lowry, M.Ed. is of Yurok, Maidu, and Achumawi Native ancestry from northern California. His imprint Original Voices produces comics and books with a focus on Native stories
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and history. He is the writer of the science fiction comic book, Reflections, with art by Eli Hyder, the writer of the water advocacy comic Where the Water Flows Strong with art by Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva), the co-writer of the basketry comic My Sisters with art by Weshoyot Alvitre, the writer of the western comic Follow the Water with art by Rahsan Ekedal, and the writer of the award-winning graphic novel Soldiers Unknown with art by Rahsan Ekedal and published by Great Oak Press. Soldiers Unknown is endorsed by the Yurok Tribe, the United States World War One Centennial Commission and the American Indian Veterans Association of Southern California. Chag directed multiple programs for the PBS documentary series titled Indigenous Living Biographies and is the author of The Original Patriots: Northern California Indian Veterans of World War Two and The Original Patriots: California Indian Veterans of the Korean War. He has presented numerous times at the San Diego Comic-Con and is currently working on a World War Two comic anthology and a Native horror comic anthology.
ethan banegas
Ethan grew up on the Barona Reservation. A BA in History, Religious Studies & Political Science
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and MA in History from the University of San Diego. The owner of Kumeyaay.com and Historian for the San Diego History Center. He was first published in 2017 (Indian Gaming in the Kumeyaay Nation) and in 2020 published the Kumeyaay Oral History Project. In 2024, he published two comics – “Beyond Gaming” and “Our Past, Present, and Future” – and served as project director and author of the Kumeyaay Visual Storytelling Project.
Dr. Courtney Lewis
Professor Courtney Lewis is Duke University's inaugural director of the Native American Studies Initiative/Research in US Indigenous
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Studies and Engagement (RISE) program. And the Crandall Family associate professor in cultural anthropology. A lifelong “Indiginerd,” she has been formally teaching about American Indians in comics and graphic novels for the past five years.
jackie fawn
Jackie Fawn is a graphic illustrator currently residing in Akwesasne, Mohawk Territory. Her art
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has been recognized in Indigenous spaces by her vivid depictions of warrior women defending the land and people against modern day colonialism. In recent years, Jackie’s work has begun to enter educational curriculum, environmental organizations, and health campaigns to uplift Indigenous resiliency and healing.
Dr. Darcie Little Badger
Dr. Darcie Little Badger is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in
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Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Nebula Award, an Ignyte Award, and a Newbery Honor and is on the National Book Awards longlist. She was the co-author of the comic series Strangelands and is currently working on an original comic series. Darcie is married to a veterinarian named Taran.
theo tso
An enrolled member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe who at a young age taught himself how to read and how to draw from comic books. As he
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got older he did his civic duty and sat on the tribal council for two consecutive terms. He created his comic book character, Captain Paiute as a necessity for our youth to have a hero that looked just like them. Some who they could relate to that also lived on the reservation and deal with everyday life as a Native American. While reading the many comic books over the years he noticed that there were no Native Americans in lead roles in any of the comics that he was reading. He also realize that Batman or Superman wouldn’t come onto the reservation to deal with any of the cultural issues that we as Native Americans must face. This was a huge driving force into creating Captain Paiute. He’s currently rebooting the storyline along with new art!
Xatimniim Drake
Xatímniim Drake is a Karuk tribal member with Hupa and Shasta background as well. She is a native artist, her culture and homelands help inspire her art.
Roy Boney Jr.
Roy Boney, Jr. is an award-winning Cherokee Nation artist, filmmaker, and language revitalization activist from Tahlequah, OK. He is also a designated Cherokee National Treasure
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for painting and Master Artist by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. His work combines Cherokee language and culture with influences from popular culture. He served as Cherokee Nation language program manager for over a decade before transitioning to Cherokee Film as a Cherokee Language Revitalization Manager. His work has been widely exhibited and published in various outlets, including Indian Country Today, The Cherokee Phoenix, First American Art, Oxford University Press and Marvel Comics.
Friday, July 25: Native Comic Book Artists and Writers
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Creators Roy Boney, Jr. (Cherokee Nation), Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache), and Theo Tso (Las Vegas Paiute) discuss how comic books have influenced their visual art and writing. Panel moderated by Prof. Courtney Lewis (Cherokee Nation).
Friday, July 25: California Native Women Artists
6:15 PM – 7:15 PM
California Native artists Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva), Xatímniim Drake (Karuk, Hupa, Shasta), and Jackie Fawn (Yurok, Washoe) discuss how sequential art helps them tell California Native stories and envision Indigenous futures. Panel moderated by Chag Lowry (Yurok/Maidu/Pit River).
Friday, July 25: Indigi-con Mixer with the Afrofuturism Lounge
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
We’re ending the evening with a Indigi-Con mixer, co-sponsored by the Afrofuturism Lounge, where Afrofuturist and Indigenous Futurist enthusiasts can come together. There will be a DJ, light refreshments, cash bar, vendors, and a raffle giveaway.
Sunday, July 27: Making Comics with Native California Creators
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva) and Ethan Banegas (Kumeyaay, Luiseño/Payómkawichum, and Cupeño/ Kuupangaxwichem) will discuss the process of creating comics and the power of comics to share personal and community stories. After the discussion, attendees are invited to create their own comics (supplies provided). This panel is geared towards youth and children of all ages are especially encouraged to attend!
Connect & Engage
Share, learn and egage at the first-ever California 2025 Indigi-Con!