Farina King, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is the Horizon Chair of Native American Ecology and Culture and Professor of Native American Studies (NAS) at the University of Oklahoma (OU). She received her Ph.D. at Arizona State University in History. King specializes in twentieth-century Native American Studies, especially Indigenous experiences in boarding schools. She is the author of The Earth Memory Compass: Diné Landscapes and Education in the Twentieth Century; co-author with Michael P. Taylor and James R. Swensen of Returning Home: Diné Creative Works from the Intermountain Indian School; and author of Diné dóó Gáamalii: Navajo Latter-day Saint Experiences in the Twentieth Century. She is one of the series editors for the Lyda Conley Series on Trailblazing Indigenous Futures of the University Press of Kansas; co-editor of the Palgrave Studies in Oral History; and Editor in Chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Indigenous Studies. She co-hosts the Native Circles podcast with Dr. Davina Two Bears and Eva Bighorse. She is the past President of the Southwest Oral History Association (2021-2022).
The University of Oklahoma is on the homelands of the Hasinais (Caddo Nation) and Kirikirʔi:s (Wichita & Affiliated Tribes). Apache, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Osage, and diverse peoples converged in these lands as well for generations. This land has also been part of the Muscogee and Seminole Nations. Thirty-nine Native Nations dwell in Oklahoma following colonial policies designed to remove, confine, and forcefully assimilate Indigenous peoples.
See the University of Oklahoma Land Acknowledgement Statement.
UPCOMING EVENTS
American Indian Studies Association Annual Conference, February 5-6, 2026, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Oklahoma History Symposium, May 2, 2026, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City.
Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Annual Conference, July 22-24, 2026, Temuco, Chile.
Oral History Association Annual Conference, October 14-17, 2026, Portland, Oregon. CFP due in February 2026.
Western History Association Annual Conference, October 21-24, 2026, Portland, Oregon.
Read more about Farina King’s recent events.
Dr. Rachel Caroline (“Callie”) Eaton’s “A History of the Cherokee Nation” is Now Published 87 Years After Her Passing
ᎣᏍᏓ! Osda! I just ordered this incredible book, A History of the Cherokee Nation, that the Great Aunt of Martha Berry and Dr. Patricia Dawson -the remarkable professor Dr. Rachel Caroline (“Callie”) Eaton (1869-1938)- wrote about the history of her people, the Cherokee Nation. ᏩᏙ (Wado), many thanks to Martha and her husband Dave Berry,…
TIME-SENSITIVE: Invitation to Submit Proposals to Upcoming NAIS-Related Conferences (Please Share Widely!)
Yá’át’ééh! I hope this message finds you well. As we look ahead, I wanted to send a warm invitation and reminder about several exciting conference opportunities coming up that are especially meaningful for scholars, students, and community partners working with Native American and Indigenous Studies. If you are considering proposing a paper, panel, roundtable, workshop,…
Honor Veterans Day & the Choctaw Code Talkers: New Native Circles Episode and Voices of Valor Film Debut on November 11, 2025
Halito/Yá’át’ééh! I’m so happy to share the newest Native Circles podcast episode that I co-host featuring my wonderful colleague in the University of Oklahoma’s Department of Native American Studies, Choctaw language instructor Freddie Lewis. In this episode, Freddie shares inspiring stories about language, culture, and the legacy of the Choctaw Code Talkers. You can listen to the episode at Season…
Farina King, Ph.D. 
Thank you so much for speaking to our group last night, the Indian Territory Genealogical and Historical Society. You didn’t just speak to us. You made your Navajo people come alive and allowed us to
“meet” your family and understand a small part of what it meant to be Navajo in earlier times. Thank you again.
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Ahéhee’! Thank you, Diana, for coming and supporting this work and listening to my journey with family history. I appreciate your encouraging and kind words. Best wishes, Farina
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I’m pleased to let you know that the videos of our “Faith is Action, Stewardship and the Climate” symposium are on our YouTube channel. You may have already seen them shared on Facebook or other platforms. Thanks again for your excellent presentations.
We encourage you to share them on your social media and tag our organization @MormonStewards.
Hashtags you could include are:#ActOnClimate #MormonStewards #EverySaintASteward #FaithIsAction
Take care,
Marc Coles-Ritchie
board chair
Mormon Environmental Stewardship
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Thanks for sharing and inviting me to the symposium.
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Excellent meeting on Indigenous peoples of North America. thank you Dr King for your time and in-depth knowledge….alex thompson
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Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Alex!
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I’m Dine as well (Sage Brush Hill) and been Sr SW Engineer at Northrop Grumman for 20 years. Glad you shared info with my colleagues
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