Octaviana Trujillo

Octaviana (Yaqui) is a researcher, educator and advisor who has worked for 30+ years in educational program development and advocacy for Indigenous Peoples. She is the former chairwoman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona. Octaviana is Founding Chair and Professor Emerita in the Department of Applied Indigenous Studies at Northern Arizona University. Octaviana is the 2023 chair of the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee for the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation, having first been appointed by US President Barack Obama. In 2023, she was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame. At Mesa Refuge, Octaviana wrote on the topic of Historical, Cultural and Language Knowledge: Guadalupe Yaqui Empowerment & Spiritual Foundation.