Dina Gilio-Whitaker facts for kids

Dina Gilio-Whitaker is an American expert, writer, and journalist. She studies Native Americans in the United States, how people can regain control of their lands and cultures (called decolonization), and fairness in environmental issues (called environmental justice). She is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes. In 2019, she wrote a book called As Long as Grass Grows.

About Dina Gilio-Whitaker

Dina Gilio-Whitaker is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes. She grew up in Southern California. In 1980, she moved to the North Shore in Hawaii. Later, she came back to California, got married, and moved to San Clemente. She is also a surfer.

As an adult student, Gilio-Whitaker went to the University of New Mexico. She first planned to become a lawyer. Her master's degree project was about Native American protests. They were fighting against a toll road being built on sacred land. This land was also an important place for surfing.

Dina Gilio-Whitaker's Work

In 2016, Dina Gilio-Whitaker helped write a book. It was called "All the Real Indians Died Off" and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans. She wrote it with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. In 2017, she wrote a chapter in another book. This chapter was about how surfing was taken by others and the idea of true Native identity.

Since 2017, Gilio-Whitaker has taught at California State University San Marcos. She teaches about American Indian Studies. She travels there from San Clemente, California. She believes in a way of thinking called "indigenized environmental justice". This means that when we talk about protecting the environment, we must also think about how Native peoples lost their lands. This helps us understand why Native people are still fighting for their rights today.

In 2019, Gilio-Whitaker published her book As Long as Grass Grows. This book explains how American settlers affected Native Americans since 1492. It also talks about the modern environmental movement. And it shares how Native people have traditionally cared for the environment.

Gilio-Whitaker also works as a senior researcher. She is a policy director at the Center for World Indigenous Studies. She also runs her own company, DGW Consulting. She has volunteered for groups like the Institute for Women Surfers and Native Like Water. She also helps the San Onofre Parks Foundation. She writes a blog called Ruminative.