View events for the month: Events
HISTORY
Native American Heritage Month recognizes hundreds of different tribes and approximately 250 languages, and celebrates the history, tradition and values of Native Americans.
At the turn of the century efforts began to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the United States. Those efforts later led to a whole month of recognition when in 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.”
A Presidential Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month 2022
Learn more about history, policy issues, resources, events and news on the following sites:
Native American Heritage Month 2022
National Congress of American Indians
PBS Native American Heritage Collection
10 Most Important Dates in Native American History
Native American History Timeline
Native American History Documentaries
Smudging: A Sacred Native American Ritual
Indigenous Peoples: Language Guidelines
EVENTS
Diversity, Coffee & Conversations
Tuesday, Nov. 1 | 8:30-10 a.m. | Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Cultural Exploration/Educational Engagement/Social Enrichment)
*Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s monthly Diversity, Coffee and Conversations will highlight Native American Heritage Month, a celebration of the rich and diverse cultures, traditions and histories of Native American people. The month provides a time to acknowledge the contributions of Native American people, educate the campus community about various tribes, and raise awareness about the challenges Native American people have faced historically and presently, and how tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.
Presenters for this month are Katherine Johnston, a senior Kinesiology major whose tribes include Caddo, Mvskoke, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Pawnee (Skidi Band), and Delaware (Lenape), and Dr. Clay Nelson, director of Moundville Archaeological Park. Johnston is co-president of Bama Indigenous Student Organization Network, also known as BISON. She will discuss the history of the month, share her lived experience and talk about the role, importance and impact of BISON. Dr. Nelson, who is UA graduate, has researched Muscogee (Creek) coalescence in the Southeastern United States. In addition to sharing his research, Nelson will talk about the history of Moundville and its value.
Register for this event. For more information, contact the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at diversity@ua.edu.
Native American Heritage Month Exhibit: ‘Cultures, Not Costumes’
Tuesday, Nov. 1-Wednesday, Nov. 16 | Intercultural Diversity Center
(Cultural Exploration/Educational Engagement)
*Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
The Intercultural Diversity Center, in partnership with Moundville Archaeological Park and the Department of Museum Research and Collections, presents “Cultures, Not Costumes.” The exhibition explores regalia, including clothing, adornments, and jewelry, with historic and modern examples of Southeastern Native American people such as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek. Visitors will learn about the rich and lasting history of Native American people through text panels, audiovisual elements, artifacts, and reproductions. In addition to the continued cultural contributions of affiliated tribes, the exhibition will explore themes of cultural misappropriation. It will demonstrate that the regalia of the Southeastern tribes is part of a thriving cultural tradition and rich regional heritage that endures today. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center at ua_idc@ua.edu.
Food for Thought: Native American Heritage Month
Wednesday, Nov. 2 | Noon | Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Cultural Exploration/Educational Engagement)
*Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
The Intercultural Diversity Center’s Food for Thought series will observe Native American Heritage Month by featuring activities centered on food, art, music, demonstrations, culture and more. This event will be held in collaboration with Moundville Archaeological Park and feature lunch, giveaways, panel discussions and a live jewelry demonstration. Register for this event. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center at ua_idc@ua.edu.
Social Justice Movie Series: “Gather”
Friday, Nov. 4 | 7 p.m. | Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Educational Engagement)
*Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
The Intercultural Diversity Center will continue its Fall 2022 Social Justice Movie Series with “Gather,” a documentary that takes a close look at Indigenous American movements that aim to rediscover identity and reclaim sovereignty through ancestral foods. Participants will follow an intimate portrait of the growing movement among Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide. Register for this event. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center at ua_idc@ua.edu.
Native American Heritage Month Keynote: Carrie Billy
Monday, Nov. 7 | 6 p.m. | Zoom
(Cultural Exploration/Educational Engagement)
*Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host Carrie Billy for a special moderated conversation for Native American Heritage Month. Billy is president and CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which is the nation’s 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities. Billy has a track record of success in government and nonprofit sectors, where her accomplishments include designing and implementing strategic initiatives, developing innovative policies and programs, and forging partnerships and coalitions. An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, she has dedicated more than 25 years to ensuring that American Indian students are given the resources they need to stay successfully on an academic track. Participants can register to attend. For more information, contact the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at diversity@ua.edu.
TEDTalk Tuesdays: “The Standing Rock Resistance”
Tuesday, Nov. 8 | Noon-1 p.m. | Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Educational Engagement)
*Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
The Intercultural Diversity Center’s TEDTalk Tuesday Series will focus on Native American Heritage Month with “The Standing Rock Resistance.” Tara Houska is a tribal attorney who represents tribal Americans in the United States. She spends her time in Washington, DC, lobbying on behalf of indigenous people and their rights to education and basic government services. The TED Talk details the history of indigenous people within the United States and Canada, their current efforts for change and how other people can become allies to their movement. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center ua_idc@ua.edu.
‘Reservation Dogs’ Screening Discussion
Wednesday, Nov. 9 | 4-5 p.m. | Intercultural Diversity Center
Bama Indigenous Student Organization Network, also known as BISON, with the Women and Gender Resource Center will host a screening and discussion of the Hulu series “Reservation Dogs.” Filmed on location in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, “Reservation Dogs” is a breakthrough in Indigenous representation on television, both in front of and behind the camera. Every writer, director and series regular on the show is Indigenous. This first-of-its-kind creative team tells a story that resonates with them and their lived experiences. In its first season, “Reservation Dogs” landed on 80+ critics’ year-end best lists, has won numerous awards, and is one of seven programs recognized in 2022 by the Television Academy as part of its 15th Television Academy Honors, showcasing exceptional television programs and their producers who have leveraged the power of television to fuel social change. For more information, contact one of BISON’s co-presidents Katherine Johnston at krjohnston2@crimson.ua.edu or Kiana Younker at kyounker@crimson.ua.edu.
Native American Heritage Month Cultural Exhibition
Monday, Nov. 14 | 5-7:30 p.m. | Student Center Lawn
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Bama Indigenous Student Organization Network, also known as BISON, will present a cultural exhibition. The event was formed to encourage cultural education, and participants are asked to observe with respect. For more information, contact one of BISON’s co-presidents Katherine Johnston at krjohnston2@crimson.ua.edu or Kiana Younker at kyounker@crimson.ua.edu.
TEDTalk Tuesdays: “America’s Native Prisoners of War”
Tuesday, Nov. 15 | Noon-1 p.m.
Intercultural Diversity Center, 2100 Student Center
(Educational Engagement)
*Open to UA Students, Faculty & Staff, UA System
This TEDTalk features “America’s Native Prisoners of War.” Aaron Huey is a photographer that spends his time photographing poverty in the United States. He documented his time in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the native Lakota people, one of the poorest reservations. He details the discouraging and largely ignored history of the Lakota people as given to him by the friends that he made while residing at the reserve. For more information, contact the Intercultural Diversity Center ua_idc@ua.edu.
EveryWoman Book Club: ‘Split Tooth’
Thursday, Nov. 17 | Noon | Legends Bistro, Hotel Capstone
The EveryWoman Book Club, hosted by the Women and Gender Resource Center, is recognizing Native American Heritage Month with a discussion of “Split Tooth” by Tanya Tagaq, an Inuit throat singer. The 2018 novel is based in part on Tagaq’s personal journals and tells the story of a young Inuk woman growing up in the Canadian Arctic in the 1970s. The book has been described as a blend of fiction, memoir, poetry and Inuit folklore. The book was the winner of the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award for Published Prose in English. Sign up for the EveryWoman Book Club. RSVP by emailing Debbie Fish at DFish1@ua.edu.