Hi, my name is Christina Dawa Kustmana Thomas! I'm Numu [Northern Paiute], Newe [Western Shoshone], and Hopi [Tobacco Clan]. I grew up on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation in Wadsworth, Nevada and am an enrolled member of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. I'm an Indigenous scholar, vocalist, dancer, cultural activist, language warrior, and mother, one of my greatest titles. I graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in music and a minor in biology. I then attained my Master’s Degree in Native American Studies from UC Davis in 2021. I currently attend the University of California, Davis as a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Native American Studies Department and earning a Designated Emphasis in Performance and Practice Studies. My practice is rooted in the Great Basin, more specifically Northern Nevada. My primary fields of study are historical musicology and language regeneration of Numu Yadooana [Northern Paiute language]. My research amplifies Numu ways of doing music history — privileging Numu knowledge, languages, and performance — as a means to Indigenize music studies curriculum.
As a recognized community leader, I'm always a part of community-based Numu arts and language regeneration projects for over a decade, primarily through documenting and performing Paiute songs and stories to (re)awaken. I won several recognitions through my volunteer work and passion for language and cultural regeneration, including my work with Native youth. I look forward to teaching you all about my language research from the Maori community.
Penawka Mu Poonedua! Talk soon!
