Indigenous Musician, Scholar, Poet & Community Advocate

Dr. Lyla June Johnston, known simply as Lyla June, is a multi-disciplinary Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), and European artist whose music, poetry, and scholarship are deeply rooted in the values of intergenerational healing and ecological wisdom.

As a musician and performance poet, Lyla June blends acoustic music, hip-hop, spoken word, and traditional song to craft deeply moving, multi-genre experiences. Through her music—often described as musical prayer—she carries forward ancestral teachings, offering audiences pathways toward ecological regeneration and spiritual reconnection. Her compositions and performances span personal, collective, and ecological healing, reaching hearts across the globe 

In her academic and activist work, Lyla June bridges Indigenous knowledge and contemporary solutions. She holds degrees in Human Ecology from Stanford University and Indigenous Pedagogy from the University of New Mexico. Her doctoral research sheds light on how pre-colonial Indigenous societies shaped abundant food systems across Turtle Island to support both human and non-human life—a vision she carries into her artistry and advocacy

Through her music, speeches, and scholarship, Dr. Lyla June Johnston offers a living model of compassion—one that invites us to learn, heal, and walk forward in kinship with each other and the planet.