UW-Eau Claire’s month-long celebration of Native American Heritage Month began on Nov. 4 with a ceremony in the Ojibwe Ballroom of the Davies Center and will conclude on Dec. 2 with a 5 p.m. ceremony in Room 1108 of Centennial Hall.
In between, a varied series of programs is on the schedule, including UW-EC’s 37th annual Powwow on Nov. 9 as well as speakers, discussions, workshops and various other events. A complete list of events can be found on the downloadable Native American Heritage Month poster 2019. The public is invited to attend all events.
UW-EC’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), the Inter-Tribal Student Council and the American Indian Studies program are partnering to sponsor and curate the series of events that will be offered to the campus and general communities as part of the month-long celebration.
Gary Garvin, an OMA student intern, said the month will help people on and beyond the campus learn about and better understand and appreciate Native American cultures and histories. Garvin was one of the people who played key roles in developing this year’s events.
‘. . . a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures. . .’
“It’s a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures and histories, to acknowledge the contributions of native people, and it serves as an opportune time to educate the public about tribes and the different challenges we face, historically and today,” Garvin said.
This year’s schedule will emphasize the vibrancy and energy of contemporary native lives, with a special focus on the arts and artists.
Heather Ann Moody, an assistant professor of American Indian studies at UW-EC, said that this year, the Inter-Tribal Student Council wanted to showcase the artistic elements of native culture, “the living artists and artwork of today rather than the more common attention to native art as artifact.”
Moody, the advisor to the university’s organization for native students, added that “from a beading workshop, to poetry, pottery, music, dance and film, the events of the month are a celebration of native arts.”
She also noted the significance of having this year’s Heritage Month follow last month’s Indigenous Peoples Day event, as well as the university’s public recognition that it is built on Ojibwe land and the permanent installation of the 12 Wisconsin tribal nations’ flags in Davies Center.
This “is all helping students to feel more represented. They feel that they’re being seen and heard,” she said.
Annual Powwow to honor veterans on Nov. 9
Zorn Arena doors will open at 10 a.m. on Nov. 9 for the “Honoring Veterans Powwow.” Grand Entries will be at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the feast will begin at 5 p.m. Admission is $2 for students with ID, $4 for adults, and free to children under 5 and seniors 55 and over.
While the history, purpose and cultural significance of the powwow tradition varies from one native nation to another in the United States, there also are many consistencies, according to the event’s organizers.
“In all tribes, a powwow is a traditional celebration of native heritage and culture,” said Skye Kujawski, associate student services coordinator in the Multicultural Affairs office. “There is dancing, drumming, singing and lots of food.”
Kujawski, a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation of New York who joined the OMA staff in July, will take part in her first UW-Eau Claire powwow this year.
“After one year on upper campus,” she said, “we have brought the powwow back to Zorn Arena and are expecting high turnout once again.
“Our main objectives have remained the same for the powwow, which are to raise awareness about native culture, to share traditions with the members of our native communities along with non-natives, and most importantly, to bring the comforts of home to our native students.”
Garvin echoed that comment, noting how important the powwow is for native students who are away from home and missing their communities and culture.
“Being at college can be isolating for native students whose lives at home are so surrounded by family and tribal people,” he said. “This is a day to look forward to feeling less isolated, less alone. It’s always great to bring people together from our communities.”
Kujawski and Garvin have worked to make the 2019 powwow event more inter-tribal than in past years. For example, they invited drum groups from multiple nations. They expect drum groups from Potawatomi, Ojibwe and Ho-Chunk nations, as well as individuals who also may bring their own drums.
Vendors will sell crafts, clothing, food
Along with the drums and dancers, people attending the powwow will find a variety of vendors selling crafts, clothing and food. The Inter-Tribal Student Council will sell fry bread and fry bread tacos, among other things.
A star quilt sewn by the mother of a Blugold Inter-Tribal Student Council member will be the prize in a raffle.
“The theme of her quilt was to bring attention to the issue of murdered and missing indigenous women in the U.S. and Canada, where two out of three indigenous women will be assaulted in their lifetime,” Moody said. “We need to bring more focus to the native issues of today, this issue as well as the environmental crisis and native sovereignty rights. Native struggles are contemporary, not just historical.”
Garvin encouraged people from the campus and Eau Claire communities to attend.
“I would say that the most important thing is just to practice respectful participation, to ask questions if you’re interested,” Garvin said in regard to non-native people attending the powwow. “Giving compliments is great if you see or hear something that you like, someone’s beading or regalia (it’s not called a costume), so feel free to tell them you like that. And it’s okay to take pictures, or to ask for a picture with a dancer or drummer, but just ask first.”
Other highlights
Other programs during November will include:
Poetry reading, Nov. 11, 5:30 p.m. in the Foster Art Gallery of the Haas Fine Arts Center. The event will feature the poetry of Jennifer Foerster, a member of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma.
Blugold Dialogue, Nov. 13, 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall Room 2304. Tony Boerger, a social studies and psychology teacher in the Black River Falls School District will discuss generational trauma from the boarding school era and the concept that trauma is internalized at a cellular level and passed down through generations in various manifestations, including PTSD.
“The Truth About Thanksgiving,” Nov. 14, 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall Room 1924. Andrew Sturtevant, an assistant professor of history and American Indian studies at UW-EC, will discuss myths surrounding this iconic American holiday.
David O’Connor, a consultant to the state Department of Public Instruction on American Indian studies, will speak at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21 in the Woodland Theater in Davies Center. O’Connor is an expert on the legislation designed to help Wisconsin citizens understand American Indian history, culture and sovereignty, and is a member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe).
He will talk about Native American history and culture education in K-12 schools as a “know your neighbor” concept that benefits all cultures. The presentation is geared toward native and non-native educators.
More information about Native American Heritage Month is available from Moody at moodyha@uwec.edu or 715-836-4690, or Kujawski at kujawssa@uwec.edu or 715-836-5187.
Note: the home page photo, provided by UW-Eau Claire, shows Native American drummers performing during the university’s Indigenous Peoples Day event in October.
This article is based on material written by Denise Olson, Integrated Marketing and Communications, UW-Eau Claire