Native American Awareness Week set at MSU
Native American Awareness Week will be held Nov 17-21 at Minot State University. All activities, except for the Indian taco sale, arts and crafts display and the presentations by Mark Hamilton and Alyce Spotted Bear, will be held in the MSU Conference Center, located on the third floor of the MSU Student Center.
"We have arranged to have presenters from area reservations (Fort Berthold, Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake) and the United Tribes Technical College to speak during our Native American Cultural Awareness Week," said Wylie Hammond, director of multicultural support services and the Native American Cultural Center. "Faculty, students, staff and the community are encouraged to take advantage of this ‘insight’ into Native American people and culture." The activities will begin Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. with the opening ceremony, prayer and Sun Dance songs by the Missouri River drum group.
Events continue Nov. 18 with Phil Baird speaking about "Indian Homelands, Tribal Citizenship and the U.S. Constitution" at 10 a.m. and Kandi Mossett discussing "Campus Climate Challenges: a Native American Perspective" at 1 p.m.
On Nov. 19, an Indian taco sale will be held on the first floor of Old Main from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., where arts and crafts will also be displayed. At 2 p.m. in the Multicultural Center on the first floor of the Student Center, Mark Hamilton will lecture on "Wotah, the Spiritual Leader to Crazy Horse.
Activities on Nov. 20 include Nelrene Yellowbird, assistant professor of social work, and Harry Hoffman, associate professor of sociology, discussing "Cultural Competency and Cultural Trespassing: Finding the Boundary" at 10 a.m. At 1 p.m., Dr. Monica Mayer will speak about "The Medicines of Lewis and Clark and the Three Affiliated Tribes." As part of the Northwest Art Center lecture series, Alyce Spotted Bear, an English instructor at Fort Berthold Community College, will present "The Long-term Effects of Government Boarding School Policies on Native Culture" in Aleshire Theater at 7 p.m.
On Nov. 21, Vernon Lambert, will discuss "Spirit Lake Tribal Constitutional Law" at 10 a.m.
The five days of free cultural events and presentations are open to the public and sponsored by the MSU Native American Cultural Awareness Club. The dates and times of events are subject to change. For questions, contact Hammond at 858-3365 or wylie.hammond@minotstateu.edu.
11/14/08