Native American & Indigenous Studies at PennThursday, May 7, 2026 - 3:00pm
On Zoom, in English and Spanish: Link here: "The Four Corners Potato: Indigenous Subsistence and Agricultural Legacy on the Colorado Plateau"
The final 2025-2026 Indigenous Learning Forum from the American Philosophical Society's . Zoom presentation on "The Four Corners Potato: Indigenous Subsistence and Agricultural Legacy on the Colorado Plateau" will take place May 7, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. ET on Zoom. This talk will be given in English with Spanish translation.
Se ofrecerá interpretación en español/inglés.
The Four Corners Potato (), a 10,900-year-old native potato, is strongly associated with the archaeological complexity and ecological diversity of the Bears Ears region on the Colorado Plateau. The ecological legacy of past human behavior in subsistence lifeways significantly increases ethnographic species richness. Ethnographic accounts of S. Jamesii from Indigenous peoples provide evidence of use and long-distance transport throughout the Colorado Plateau.
Cynthia Wilson is a PhD Candidate at the University of California - Berkeley in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. She is Diné from the Navajo Nation, studying Indigenous Environmental Science related to the restoration of traditional agricultural practices and land conservation.
Alastair Lee Bitsóí is a senior narrative strategist, former journalist, and Diné land-based practitioner from Naschitti, Navajo Nation, whose work spans Indigenous governance, storytelling, and food sovereignty. His reporting has focused on policy, infrastructure, water access, climate, and community impact across the Colorado Plateau.