Women of the Year: Margo Hill-Ferguson is an advocate for Native communities and the Spokane River
As Spokane celebrated the 50th anniversary of Expo ’74 this summer, Margo Hill-Ferguson saw it as an opportunity – as it was with the original fair – to tell the story of local tribes and the work they do for the environment.
“We let the community know we are still here and we are continuing to fight for Earth,” said Hill-Ferguson, a member of the Spokane Tribe who organized commemorative events for the Tribal Pillar, one of five themes from the 1974 World’s Fair.
Expo ’74 was the first world’s fair focused on the environment. But including the tribes was something of an afterthought, Hill-Ferguson said, after they campaigned for it in Washington, D.C.
“Native people are the original stewards of the land,” Hill-Ferguson said, so they insisted on participating.
Tribes including the Coeur d’Alenes, the Kalispels, Colvilles, Salish-Kootenai, Nez Perce and Umatillas organized the Tribal Pavilion, where they sang, drummed and danced in regalia.
Hill-Ferguson was 6 years old when she attended the expo. She remembers her great-grandmother Sadie Boyd telling oral histories in Spokane Salish with her grandmother Ida Peone-Boyd translating to English. One of those narratives was the creation story of how the Spqni came to live at Spokane Falls.
The highlight of the 50th anniversary was a powwow at the Spokane Convention Center in May that drew thousands of people.
A legislative summit in June brought Gov. Jay Inslee and West Side legislators to Spokane to discuss tribal and environmental issues. Afterward, the area tribes raced dugout canoes on the Spokane River and served a traditional feast with salmon, buffalo and camas.
Hill-Ferguson is a former Spokane Tribe attorney and Coeur d’Alene Tribal Court judge, now a professor of urban planning and director of Native American Studies at Eastern Washington University. Known for her leadership as an educator and a champion for the Spokane Tribe, she has been named a Woman of the Year.
“She is very engaged in the community, whether that is with the city of Spokane or the little town of Wellpinit on the reservation,” said Monica Tonasket, a Spokane tribal councilwoman.
Growing up poor on the Spokane Reservation, Hill-Ferguson said she was fortunate to have the loving influence of her grandmothers.
“To come from a line of strong Native women, it empowers and motivates you,” Hill-Ferguson said.
When she went to college, the tribe rallied around her and helped pay her way through scholarships and fundraisers.
“We’re counting on you, granddaughter,” the elders said.
She became the first member of the Spokane Tribe to obtain a law degree, which she earned from Gonzaga University in 1998.
“I knew I wanted to go to law school to fight for tribal sovereignty and protect our natural resources,” Hill-Ferguson said. “The Spokane Tribe really built me.”
It was a difficult road, but the love and support from her culture made her strong and gave her purpose.
Initially focused on Indian law, Hill-Ferguson went back to graduate school for a master’s in urban design. Her hope was to work on housing and economic development through land use.
When the Indian reservations were created, tribes were forced onto barren land no one else wanted, which she said led to a lack of job opportunities.
“Urban planning lit a fire in me,” she said. “It allows me to work on solutions for tribal communities to have a better quality of life.”
A visible sign of her impact was her push to get City Council to rename Fort George Wright Drive to Whistalks Way near Spokane Falls Community College after decades of previous attempts.
George Wright was a U.S. Army colonel who led a brutal campaign against the Plateau Tribes in 1858. Whis-talks was a woman warrior of the Spokane Tribe who fought against Wright alongside her husband, Chief Qualchan.
Hill-Ferguson published an academic article through Gonzaga’s Journal of Hate Studies that used the renaming as a case study in community organizing.
In other academic work, she has authored book chapters on environmental planning to protect the Spokane River.
Her work goes beyond the local community. Earlier this month, she presented on traditional ecology at a conference in Taiwan for the Society of Wetland Scientists.
But perhaps her strongest advocacy has been for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People movement.
As an Indigenous woman herself and an attorney, Hill-Ferguson understands how the complexities of federal and tribal jurisdictions make Native women vulnerable because violent crimes on reservations are difficult to prosecute. Native women are disproportionately likely to experience violent crime compared to the average American woman, and these crimes are underreported.
“Often, Native women are dismissed by law enforcement or the crimes against them are ignored,” Hill-Ferguson said.
Her research and advocacy informed recent legislation, including the formation of a task force and cold case unit last year in the Washington Attorney General’s Office. Another effort restored funding for Washington State Patrol to hire an Eastern Washington tribal liaison to investigate major crimes and disappearances on reservations.
These changes came from grassroots activism by Native women calling attention to the crisis, she said.
“She is not just an advocate,” EWU Provost Jonathan Anderson said. “She is a hands-on leader who embodies the spirit of generosity and commitment to making our communities safer and more inclusive.”
Those who nominated Hill-Ferguson admire her tireless service and willingness to help. Darlene Rickett, an instructor at Spokane Falls Community College, said Hill-Ferguson supports the Red Nations Club Rickett advises by giving talks.
“She is the busiest person I know,” Rickett said. “She has a lot of grace.”
Tonasket said she is encouraged by Hill-Ferguson’s “genuine heart to look out for others.”
As Hill-Ferguson explained it, “There is a lot of work we can do in our community to protect the environment, to help people on their journey – that’s what I tried to do.”