former Chairman
Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation
Bio:
Darren Parry is the former Chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation and an influential voice in Native American leadership, history, and environmental stewardship. He serves on the Board of Directors for Utah Humanities and PBS Utah. Darren earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Weber State University and, in 2024, received an Honorary Doctorate in Education from Utah State University.
He is the author of The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History and Tending the Sacred: How Indigenous Wisdom Will Save the World. He teaches in the Environment, Society and Sustainability department at the University of Utah and lectures nationally and internationally on Native American history, Indigenous perspectives on sustainability, and climate resilience. In recent years, he has spoken at institutions including Harvard University and the University of Copenhagen, sharing Indigenous insights on climate, environment, and land stewardship.
Darren’s work centers on ensuring that the stories, wisdom, and sacrifices of those who came before are honored and remembered, and that Indigenous knowledge continues to inform solutions for a sustainable future.
Title: Whose Water? Whose Responsibility?
Abstract: As Great Salt Lake faces unprecedented decline, we are forced to ask difficult questions about ownership, use, and obligation. But from an Indigenous perspective, the first question is not “Who owns the water?” — it is “How are we related to it?”
