Native American & Indigenous Heritage Month

November 2024

Historical Context:

Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, celebrated each November, honors the rich cultures, traditions, and contributions of Native Americans and Indigenous peoples while raising awareness of their ongoing struggles. It offers an opportunity for all people to learn about the diverse Native nations that have lived on the lands now known as the United States for thousands of years, well before the arrival of European settlers. Originating in the early 20th century and officially designated in 1990, the month recognizes the resilience and cultural heritage of Indigenous communities. Through educational programs and cultural events, the month addresses important issues like sovereignty, environmental justice, and language preservation, ensuring Indigenous voices are heard and valued in broader cultural conversations.

Learning Outcomes for Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month 2024

1. Understanding Cultural Resilience: Students will explore the concept of cultural resilience by examining how Native American and Indigenous communities have maintained and revitalized their traditions, languages, and identities in the face of historical and ongoing challenges, fostering a deeper appreciation for the strength of cultural continuity.

2. Empowering Through Identity: Students will gain confidence in their own cultural identities and histories, recognizing how embracing their heritage can serve as a source of empowerment and strength in overcoming personal and community challenges.

3. Healing-Centered Practices: Students will learn about healing-centered approaches rooted in Indigenous knowledge and practices, focusing on how these frameworks promote emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being in both personal and collective contexts.

4. Building Community and Advocacy: Students will develop skills in advocacy and leadership by engaging with the principles of cultural resilience and healing-centered approaches, enabling them to contribute positively to their communities and support the well-being of others through culturally-informed actions.

Heritage Month Events:

	Opening Ceremony with Diné (Navajo) Tribe Sacred Dance Presentation Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 Time: 12pm - 1pm Location: Building 410, Multiculutral Center Patio Join us in an Opening Ceremony as Tahnabah Whipple, a professional dancer, powwow dancer, model, actress, and makeup artist, leads us in a sacred dance for Native American & Indigenous Heritage Month. Tahnabah is Navajo, Oglala Lakota, and Santee Dakota. Her clans are Táchii'nii, Tábąąhá, Bįįh Bitoodnii and Oglala; from St. Michael’s, Arizona and Pine Ridge, South Dakota. She has strong experience in ballet, lyrical, hip hop, fancy shawl, jingle dress, hoop dance, eagle dance, and the Navajo basket dance. Tahnabah has also performed as a scare actor at Knott’s Scary Farm and appeared in Netflix’s film, Rez Ball.	First Peoples Native Center M-Th 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Fri 8:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. Building 16E (909) 274-4378 fpnc@mtsac.edu www.mtsac.edu/fpnc Make a Donation
	Native Culture and Resiliency Exhibit in collaboration with Mt. SAC Library and the Multicultural Center Date: November 1 - November 30, 2024 Location: Building 6, Library. For Library Hours, Click Here. Native American & Indigenous Heritage Month is a crucial time to honor and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of Native American communities. In collaboration with Mt. SAC Library, & the Multicultural Center, the First Peoples Native Center is raising awareness and educating the community through curated exhibits in the display cases. Through these visual presentations, we create a space for reflection, cultural appreciation, and a deeper understanding of the resiliency of Native American and Indigenous peoples.
	Giving Tuesday in collaboration with Mt. SAC Foundation Office Date: November 1 - December 3, 2024 Location: First Peoples Native Center Foundation Website In celebration of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, the First Peoples Native Center has partnered with the Foundation Office to highlight the need for donations that contribute to our scholarship for Native American students! Traditionally, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday. Celebrate with us all month long in donating to this important cause through our website and join us specifically on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, as this is the original day for Giving Tuesday. For more informaiton, please visit our First Peoples Native Center Foundation website.
	Can You Hear the Plants Speak? Collaboration with the Student Center and E.A.G.L.E. Date: Monday, November 4, 2024 Time: 1pm - 3pm Location: Building 410, Room 2030, Multicultural Center In collaboration with the Student Center, join us on a Native stroll as we learn from our plant ancestors guided by the student club, Environmental Action Group for a Livable Earth (E.A.G.L.E.). Learn about Indigenous Ways of Knowing and select pinecones, leaves, and flowers during our stroll to make your own sustainable centerpieces, bookmarks, or plant bouquet.
	Wisdom Wednesdays Dates: Wednesdays, November 6, 13, 20, & Dec 4th Time: 2pm - 3pm Location: Building 410, Room 2030, Multicultural Center *Note: Dec 4th presentation will be held in the Equity Center, Building 16E Native American Heritage Month is a vital time to recognize and celebrate the diverse cultures, histories, and contributions of Native American communities. The inclusion of Wisdom Wednesdays, where wisdom leaders from the community share their life experiences, is essential in this celebration. These events provide a platform for voices that embody the richness of intersecting identities, offering valuable insights that challenge stereotypes and misconceptions. By highlighting these lived experiences, Wisdom Wednesdays foster greater understanding, respect, and solidarity, helping to break down barriers and promote a more inclusive view of Native American identities.
	Miccailhuitl (Dia de Muertos) in collaboration with El Centro Date: Thursday, November 7, 2024 Time: 4pm - 7pm Location: Building 410, Room 2030, Multicultural Center In celebration of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, and in partnership with El Centro, the First Peoples Native Center invites you to join us in celebrating Miccailhuitl or Día de Muertos! There will be live music, Dj's, calavera face painting, food, and arts and crafts. Join us and learn the Indigenous significance of this cherished holiday and how it's celebrated today. This event is in collaboration with Mt. SAC Bridge Program and El Centro.
	I am 1st Gen Panel in collaboration with Native American Inter-Tribal Student Alliance (NAISA) Date: Friday, November 8, 2024 Time: 11:30am - 1pm Location: Building 61, Room 2312 In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, join us as we host a Native 1st Generation panel highlighting the lived academic experiences of Native American individuals who are the first in their families to attend college. This event will showcase the resilience, determination, and strength these individuals have demonstrated in overcoming challenges on their academic and career journeys.
	#RockYourMocs Date: November 10 - November 16, 2024 Location: Instagram Join us as we participate in a worldwide event of #RockYourMocs a social media campaign on our IG page @mtsac_fpnc to honor our ancestors, and Indigenous peoples worldwide. This is an opportunity for tribal soverienty and reclaiming tribal cultural wear under the threat of erasure from colonialism. Feel empowered to wear your moccasins, begin to heal from intergenerational traumas, and connect with the ancestors. Showcase your moccasins all week long and especially on November 15th, as this is the original day of #ROCKYOURMOCS. Tag us @mtsac_fpnc wearing your moccasins with #RockYourMocs and #RockYourMocs#2024
	Meet and Greet with PRIDE in collaboration with the Pride Center Date: Wednesdays, November 13 and 20 Time: 3pm - 4pm Location: Building 26A, Room: 1640, Pride Center Collaborating with the LGBTQ+ community during Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month highlights the intersection of identities and the rich contributions of Two-Spirit individuals, who hold a significant place in many Indigenous cultures. This collaboration fosters inclusion, celebrates diverse voices, and acknowledges the resilience and cultural wisdom of LGBTQ+ Indigenous people. Through dialogue, events, and shared stories, we can create spaces that uplift the LGBTQ+ community within Indigenous narratives, strengthening allyship and unity across communities. Join and learn to bead Indigenous bracelets within the Pride Center!
	Windtalkers Film Screening and Panel Discussion in collaboration with the Veteran's Resource Center (VRC) Date: Thursday, November 14, 2024 Time: 4pm - 6pm Location: Building 10, Founder's Hall In celebration of Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month, the First Peoples Native Center invites you to join us in film screening and panel discussion about how the Dine’ (Navajo) tribe helped the U.S. as Code Talkers during WWII. This event is in partnership with the Veteran’s Resource Center.
	Imagining the Indian Film Documentary and a Panel Discussion with filmakers, Yancey Burns and Ben West in collaboration with the Equity Center Date: Monday, November 18, 2024 Time: 3pm - 6pm Location: Building 13, DTC, Room 1700 In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, and in partnership with the Equity Center, please join us in a film screening and panel discussion of the documentary, Imagining the Indian. Panelists include filmmakers, Yancey Burns and Ben West, and Mt. SAC wisdom leaders who previously served on the Mascot Committee. Imagining the Indian is a comprehensive examination of the movement to eradicate the words, images, and gestures that many Native Americans and their allies find harmful, demeaning, and offensive.
	Dreamcatcher in collaboration with EOPS CARE Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Time: 4pm - 6pm Location: Building 10, Founder's Hall In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, EOPS Care students, please join us as we learn and make our own Dream Catchers. This sacred cultural practice allows us to connect in Native presence and learn to heal moving forward.
	Updated Event! Negra Yo Soy Bella: A Short Film Screening & Discussion on the Afro Latinidad and Intergenerational Healing Practices* in collaboration with El Centro and the Center for Black Cultural Student Success (CBCSS) Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Time: 4pm - 6pm Location: Building 410, Room 2030, Multicultural Center In collaboration with El Centro, the Center for Black Cultural Student Success (CBCSS), and in celebration of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, join us for a short film screening of Negra, Yo Soy Bella, and a discussion on intergenerational practices for wellness, including self care kits.
	Decolonizing Thanksgiving Dinner Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024 Time: 4pm - 6pm Location: Building 410, Room 2030, Multicultural Center In celebration of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, join us as Professor April Tellez honors us with a presentation as we review from a decolonial framework, a more accurate historical account of the relationship between European early settlers and Indigenous peoples during Thanksgiving. Join us in community as Native students, faculty, and staff, express what this holiday means to them as an Indigenous person and how they heal from the effects of settlerism going forward. The first 50 students will receive a free copy of the book, Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story Book by Alexis Bunten, Anthony Perry, and Danielle Greendeer as students learn of the 1st Thanksgiving as told by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.
	Meet Your Native American Inter-Tribal Student Alliance Club (NAISA) Date: Fridays, November 1, 8, 15, & 22 Time: 11:30am - 1pm Location: Building 61, Room 2312 In celebration of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, join us as we highlight Mt. SAC’s Native American Inter-Tribal Student Alliance (NAISA) student club! Students! Learn how to develop your leadership skills and learn about advocacy efforts being made for Native American communities.
	Sage Blessings Date: Fridays, Nov 8, 15, 22 Time: 1pm - 1:30pm Location: Meet in Building 61, Room 2312, and walk to ceremony space behind Building 7 Join us as Auntie Dr. Frances Borella leads us in a sacred Sage Blessing. This event is in collaboration wth the Native American Inter-Tribal Student Alliance (NAISA).