January in Tucson 2026 attracts over 60 students from five countries to the annual in-person Indigenous governance education event
Every January, while much of the country is still shaking off the dust from the previous year, dozens of students, scholars and Tribal professionals gather at the University of Arizona for an intensive three-week learning experience focused on Indigenous governance. The program, known as January in Tucson (JIT), wrapped up this year on Jan. 24 after bringing together more than 60 participants from five countries for accelerated, advanced-level courses in law, policy and Native Nation Building. This year’s program was held entirely in person. Participants included 41 Indigenous students representing 25 individual Native nations.
The annual JIT event is the flagship offering of the U of A’s Indigenous Governance Program (IGP), which is managed in partnership between the Native Nations Institute (NNI) and the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the James E. Rogers College of Law. Over the course of three weeks, JIT serves as a hub for a diverse and engaged student cohort, distinguished faculty, Tribal leaders, policy experts, and community members who showed up for a fast-pacedlearning experience keyed on strengthening Indigenous governance in the U.S. and around the world.
Unique Format
JIT is well known for its unique format, offering three-day, one-credit courses that provide detailed insights into topics central to Native Nation Building in small classes led by world-class faculty who “literally wrote the book on Indigenous governance,” in the words of IGP Manager Torivio Fodder (Taos Pueblo / Cherokee). All 2026 courses were offered on campus, with all class materials accessible through the university’s online course platform.
This year’s JIT program featured seven courses which each ran for four hours per day over three consecutive days between Jan. 5 - 24, 2026. Course offerings included a revival of the Indigenous Food Sovereignty course with new instructors Assistant Professor Michael Kotutwa Johnson (Hopi) and Director of the award-winning Indigenous Resilience Center Professor Karletta Chief (Diné), along with several other offerings centered squarely on governance such as Rebuilding Native Nations, Comparative Legal Systems, Indigenous Peoples and the Environment, and more.
Peer Learning Experience
Assistant Professor Michael Kotutwa Johnson (Hopi) speaks with a student in the 2026 JIT Indigenous Food Sovereignty course.
Indigenous Food Sovereignty course instructor Johnson is also an assistant specialist at the U of A’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. He said that the 2026 cohort of students came from a wide variety of backgrounds and that this diversity helped make the learning experience all the more relatable for those in his course.
“It’s a strong cohort,” said Johnson. “We come from numerous tribes and we all have different ideologies. It’s good to see the variation, but it’s also good to see some of the commonalities that we have together.” Johnson points out that, despite the diversity between Native nations, many share interest in things like a desire to exercise their sovereignty to the extent possible and the need to ensure that the U.S. is upholding its trust responsibilities to tribes.
A Welcoming Space for All
The students that take part in these accelerated three-week-long courses commit to applying Indigenous knowledge systems to real-world challenges, ultimately bringing those skills back to support the communities they serve.
Nichole Lumadue is a senior project coordinator at the University of Wyoming’s High Plains American Indian Research Institute (HPAIRI) which works to ensure that research at the university involving tribes and Tribal Peoples respects the sovereignty of those Peoples. As a non-Native professional working in an Indigenous academic space, Lumadue praised the event for its community-centered atmosphere and the opportunities it offered for connection and exchange. “As somebody who works in spaces with groups of people that have different lived experiences than me, I'm always looking for opportunities to learn from Indigenous leaders and people at other institutions doing similar work so that we don't find ourselves in a silo or in a vacuum of information.”
Lumadue says it is “(her) job to keep learning” how to operate in Indigenous spaces with respect and understanding of diverse cultures and ways of knowing. But, she says, it can be difficult to find ways to engage in that learning without feeling like she is putting the onus of her education on Indigenous individuals.
“I feel grateful that this space was open to me and that triggered more curiosity and deeper reflection,” Lumadue said. “To have these spaces where non-Natives… can learn in a safe place, where they can ask these questions and be with other like minded people I think is really important.”
Building a Lifelong Network
Dillon Shije (Zia Pueblo)
Beyond individual sessions, JIT also served as a hub for broader networking and professional development. Attendees interacted with Tribal leaders, scholars and other fellow students, forming relationships that extend beyond the classroom.
As Deputy Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Albuquerque, Tribal Councilman for the Pueblo of Zia, and an appointee representing Tribal Nations on multiple federal advisory committees within the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dillion Shije’s life revolves around governance. Shije is also a member of NNI’s 2026 Tribal Professionals Cohort (TPC), a year-long professional development program for Indigenous professionals which kicks off with access to courses during JIT. Shije says he had wanted to apply to participate in the TPC for years but ultimately decided to take the plunge in 2026 following encouragement from Greg Cajete (Tewa Pueblo/Santa Clara Pueblo), a respected educator and member of NNI’s International Advisory Council.
“I'm always coming from a growth mindset where I want to learn and be informed as much as I can around the work that I do, the populations that I work with,” Shije says. He says that coming to JIT from a leadership perspective meant expanding his perspective on Native Nation Building and the toolset available to him to help his people. “The knowledge that each presenter brought was incredible,” Shije says. “Going into an academic setting, coming from sitting at the table and in Tribal consultations, it's a little bit different. So you get these new perspectives, new languages that you can pull into certain spaces and know they have the ability to see where the connections are and where the disconnects are. We don't always have the capacity to do that, otherwise.”
As organizers reflect on this year’s successes, they are already planning for the next iteration of JIT. Registration for the 2027 program will open in the fall of 2026.
With a commitment to equity, academic excellence and Native Nation Building education, JIT continues to set the standard for accelerated learning that is globally relevant yet deeply ingrained in Indigenous priorities.