Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Since time immemorial, indigenous tribes have lived on the lands we live and work on in our daily lives. The federal government, beginning in the late 1700s, have struggled to manage what they defined as “The Indian Problem,” (language used by the federal government to describe the issue of indigenous people living on lands the federal and state government sought to take over). Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court. In her talk, "Descendant Daughter", Justice Montoya-Lewis will describe how a variety of federal Indian law policies towards tribes have impacted generations of her own family. Using her family history, photographs, and her own life story, she will elucidate the impact of the federal government on the lives of indigenous people, present, past, and future.
Featuring:
Raquel Montoya-Lewis, J.D.
Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an Associate Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court. She was appointed by Governor Inslee in 2019 and won a full term in a contested election in 2020. Prior to that, she was a trial judge for 20 years, serving as a Whatcom County Superior Court judge and a tribal court judge for tribes in Washington and the Southwest. From 2003-2015, she was an Associate Professor at WWU’s Fairhaven College. Justice Montoya-Lewis holds a B.A. degree from the UNM, and J.D. and M.S.W. degrees from UW. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court.
Brought to you by:
Political Science Department, College of Humanities and Social Science, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
Since time immemorial, indigenous tribes have lived on the lands we live and work on in our daily lives. The federal government, beginning in the late 1700s, have struggled to manage what they defined as “The Indian Problem,” (language used by the federal government to describe the issue of indigenous people living on lands the federal and state government sought to take over). Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court. In her talk, "Descendant Daughter", Justice Montoya-Lewis will describe how a variety of federal Indian law policies towards tribes have impacted generations of her own family. Using her family history, photographs, and her own life story, she will elucidate the impact of the federal government on the lives of indigenous people, present, past, and future.
Featuring:
Raquel Montoya-Lewis, J.D.
Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis is an Associate Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court. She was appointed by Governor Inslee in 2019 and won a full term in a contested election in 2020. Prior to that, she was a trial judge for 20 years, serving as a Whatcom County Superior Court judge and a tribal court judge for tribes in Washington and the Southwest. From 2003-2015, she was an Associate Professor at WWU’s Fairhaven College. Justice Montoya-Lewis holds a B.A. degree from the UNM, and J.D. and M.S.W. degrees from UW. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American on the Washington State Supreme Court.
Brought to you by:
Political Science Department, College of Humanities and Social Science, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
