معرفی
Farina King is an Associate Professor and Horizon Endowed Chair of Native American Ecology and Culture at the University of Oklahoma’s Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Native American Studies. Her work bridges Indigenous histories, education, and environmental justice, with a focus on Diné (Navajo) experiences. She holds a Ph.D. in History from Arizona State University, an M.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in History and French Studies from Brigham Young University.
King specializes in colonial and post-colonial Indigenous education systems, particularly federal boarding schools, and employs oral history and hybrid Diné methodologies. Her book The Earth Memory Compass (2018) examines Diné educational experiences, while Returns Home (2021) co-edited with Drs. Michael Taylor and James Swensen, features Diné creative works from the Intermountain Indian School. She has led numerous projects, including the Mapping Tahlequah History initiative and the Indigenous History Literacy Project. Her research also explores Mormon-Indigenous intersections, including a forthcoming book on Diné Latter-day Saint experiences.
- Research focuses: Boarding school trauma, Diné ecological knowledge, Indigenous public history, and colonial religious interactions
- Key collaborations: Global Mormon Studies Center, Utah State Historical Society, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe
King has received over a dozen awards, including the NEH Grant for Mapping Tahlequah History and the Albert Lepage Center’s History Grant. She previously directed the Center for Indigenous Community Engagement at Northeastern State University (2017-2022) and serves on the steering committee for Global Mormon Studies.
Her current projects include a book on Diné medical histories and an edited volume on Indigenous perspectives of the “Lamanite” concept. King’s work emphasizes community collaboration, oral testimony, and decolonizing methodologies to center Indigenous voices in historical narratives.
