Nichole Vasquez-Sutter (Payómkawichum) is an artist and an author from the Pechanga Band of Indians in Southern California.

Born and raised in the Inland Empire of Southern California, Nichole spent her weekends and summers with her dad’s family on their tribe’s reservation and participated in the tribal youth summer programs, where she began her formal education in the Luiseño language. In 2013, she and her husband fell in love with Humboldt County and moved north to attend the local university while raising their two children as guests of the Wiyot and Yurok land and culture.

While working on her bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Humboldt State University, she minored in Native American Studies and Studio Art, fusing her studies in Western and Indigenous philosophies concerning ethics, political philosophy, and Luiseño metaphysics. In 2020 she established Holy Qéengish as a business and began attending the Sol Price School of Public Policy to earn her Master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of Southern California.

She served a 4-year term as an alternate delegate representing her tribe on the Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health Board, worked at the United Indian Health Services in Arcata, and served her tribe for a year as Tribal Secretary for the Pechanga Tribal Government.

Her children’s book “Polóovi Temét was published by the Great Oak Press, and she contributed poetry and artwork to “Yáamay: An Anthology of Feminine Perspectives Across Indigenous California.” In her free time, she attends tribal events and visits elementary schools to perform public readings.

Academia:

• M.A. Public Administration - University Southern California (2024)

• B.A. Philosophy - Humboldt State University (2018)

• A.A. Fine & Studio Arts - Riverside City College (2013)

• A.A. Humanities, Philosophy, and Arts - Riverside City College (2013)

• A.S. Social & Behavioral Sciences - Riverside City College (2013)