NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Highlighting Indigenous Identity & Student Voices
By: Taylor Notah
Tribal Affiliation: Navajo
Major(s): Journalism
Frybread. Music. Dancing. Celebration. All of this and more are returning this November as Arizona State University campuses welcome the festivities of Native American Heritage Month (NAHM).
This fall semester, student organizations campus-wide are gaining traction with the help and guidance from the American Indian Council (AIC), a student-led and staff-supported coalition whose mission is to promote diverse cultures and offer various resources for academic student success.
Led by current AIC president Laura Medina (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians/Ojibwe), AIC co-facilitator Shandiin Yessilth (Diné), and Student & Cultural Engagement coordinator Kiara Lee Weathersby (Diné), AIC will collaborate with student organizations and will be the driving force behind this year’s NAHM and Indigenous Peoples Day.
Since its passage in 1990 by former United States President George H.W. Bush, Native American Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide to recognize the unique cultures, traditions, languages and stories of the Indigenous peoples.
“I think we’re Indigenous every day,” Weathersby said, “but without identity-based coalitions and student organizations… we would go on through life learning only what history has written about us rather than our own stories. When it is student-led, then initiatives like Indigenous Peoples Day can be recognized and passed here at the university.”
AIC runs on the fuel of Sun Devils who lend their voice and support by raising exposure across the four ASU campuses. It is the combination of collaboration and participation that helps to create a unifying ASU community, according to Medina.
“We definitely want to build a big supportive community so when future Natives come on board at ASU, they know that they’re going to be taken care of,” Medina said. “We really want to reiterate that to all Natives that we are here, and we are available for them.”
Weathersby says that building a strong community will empower students to learn more about their own background and the identity of their peers. In her role as coordinator, Weathersby says, it is her responsibility to see to it that innovative ideas come to life, which can happen when students express their thoughts on how their ASU experience can be better.
Because the state of Arizona is home to 22 of the 578 federally-recognized tribes in the country, one of AIC’s goals this year is to raise community awareness about issues that local Tribes are facing today, such as the Loop 202 movement. The Loop 202 freeway expansion project is a 22-mile, eight-lane freeway that would cut into the Gila River Indian community and South Mountain.
Student involvement in localized movements, says Medina, will help to educate and advocate for respect and acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples within the community.
“It’s really important that we get the people who occupy this space, who actually live here, to see and acknowledge the space that they occupy,” Medina said. “We’re on Akimel O’otham/Onk Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh/Piipaash territory. There’s a wealth of knowledge that exists here just based on that fact alone.”
While issues such as surrounding land destruction continue to occur throughout Indian Country, Medina is optimistic that the Sun Devil community can make progressive changes in the future.
“For me, it’s about bringing the community together,” Medina said. “I really want a better future for my brother, my sisters, my son and my future children and all future generations. The only way to do that is to really bring Indigenous ideology to the forefront…it’s only possible by gaining more awareness and gaining more respect toward our cultures.”
In anticipation of this year’s Heritage Month, Medina and Weathersby say students can expect signature events such as the Kick-Off and the Annual Cal Seciwa Feast and Fest Banquet. AIC will also provide food, entertainment and a speaker series that will highlight many Indigenous community leaders.
The AIC executive board reiterates that this fall’s celebrations are open to all Native and non-Native students and will continue to instill Indigenous identity and resilience on and off campus.
“We’re more than just the beautiful regalia, we’re more than just the beautiful music and the dancing,” Medina said. “We have issues, we have politics, we have things that are going on within our communities that hurt us that maybe we can turn around in the future.”
For students who wish to lend their voices and ideas directly to the American Indian Council, visit AIC’s Facebook or Instagram social media pages or email them at asuaic@outlook.com. A new ASU Student Pavilion opened in October where students can meet with AIC board members and schedule appointments during their office hours. The new pavilion is located on the northeast side of the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus at 400 E. Orange St. and will serve as an additional center for resources and encouragement for Native American students to thrive in their studies at ASU.
