[Event] Celebrating National Native Heritage Month

From: Daksha Howard <howardd_at_beloit.edu>
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2023 09:21:14 -0500

*November 1 - 30 *
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Beloit College is located on the ancestral territory of Indigenous peoples,
and we respectfully acknowledge the Potawatomi, Peoria, Miami, Meskwaki,
and Ho-Chunk people who have stewarded this land. We are settlers on this
land and we recognize that colonialism is an ongoing process that must be
disrupted. Museums, and in particular anthropology museums, are complicit
in constructing and perpetuating inequalities, erasures, injustices,
dispossession, and misrepresentations that continue to oppress and
marginalize Indigenous peoples. We are always on Indigenous land, and
on-campus we have a constant reminder in the form of the mounds.

*(Source and Credit - Beloit College Logan Museum of Anthropology in
consultation with Bill Quckaenbush - Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal Historic
Preservation Officer)*. For more information and a map of the mounds,
please see Mounds and the Museum.
<https://www.beloit.edu/live/news/67-mounds-and-the-museum>

*4 Reasons to Rethink Your November*

For many, thoughts about Native Americans and Native communities can be
fleeting, and come to the forefront only on certain occasions. For many,
those occasions happen in November when attention turns
to Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving. Here are four reasons
to rethink these annual celebrations to truly make a difference
for Native Americans.

*Celebrate year-round. **In 1990, President George Bush declared the month
of November as Native American Indian Heritage Month, which later
became Native American Heritage Month. The month is designed to provide a
platform for Native people to share their culture and traditions and for
non-native people to learn about Native American history and rights in
order to improve awareness. The month builds on the initial proclamation of
American Indian Week, and while a month is longer than a week, one must
ask: Why just November? It is important to remember that any time of the
year is the appropriate time to celebrate the contributions of American
Indians.*

*Remember the roots of Thanksgiving. *Another way to “rethink” at this time
of year is to grasp a greater understanding of Thanksgiving. The myth of
Thanksgiving suggests that Native people and pilgrims came together to
celebrate the survival of the fragile Plymouth colony. In reality, there
was indeed a “First Thanksgiving” in 1621, but Native people were not
invited. Instead, Wampanoag soldiers showed up on their own after hearing
celebratory gunshots and screams from pilgrim settlements. The
Wampanoag soldiers thought the pilgrims were under attack and arrived as
part of a diplomatic treaty of mutual defense between the Wampanoag nation
and pilgrims. Ultimately, it wasn’t until after the formation of the United
States that narratives of a harmonious celebration between pilgrims and
Wampanoag were created to justify westward expansion and “manifest destiny.”

The purpose here is not to erase Thanksgiving as a celebration of gratitude
and family, but to ensure people know and honor the real story of how this
holiday came to be.

*Help reclaim Native truth*. In November and all year, another way to make
a difference for Native communities is to recognize the myths and
misconceptions surrounding Native Americans and take active steps to gain a
more accurate understanding and share that truth with others. In *Changing
the Narrative About Native Americans, A Guide for Allies,* part of First
Nations’ 2016 groundbreaking research Reclaiming Native Truth, we wrote:

 *What most people in this country know — or think they know —
about Native Americans is rooted in myths, stereotypes and half-truths.
Information they have received since birth from movies, television, the
media and school lessons has created a false narrative (or commonly
accepted story) about historic and contemporary Native Americans and
tribes. From a young age, most people in the United States have been
immersed in the current dominant narrative about Native peoples. It is a
largely false and deficit-based narrative, meaning it focuses on challenges
and weaknesses — real, assumed or exaggerated — rather than being based on
strengths and opportunities. These narratives are almost always created by
non-Native people, often with the intention to oppress Native nations,
peoples, and cultures.*

By recognizing these existing narratives, people can enact strategies to
shift these beliefs in everything from how stories are told and how people
are portrayed, to how children are taught and how decision-makers are
informed. The result: Greater social justice and increased collaboration
with Native American peoples in all aspects of society.

*Invest in Native communities. *Finally, a great way to make a difference
this season is to learn about and support the amazing work that’s taking
place throughout Indian Country when it comes to Native food sovereignty,
language preservation, youth programs, and community building and asset
building. The grantee directory details hundreds of grassroots Native-led
initiatives across the U.S. that First Nations has invested in. You can
support these organizations directly, your support is always valued –
during Native American Heritage Month, Thanksgiving, and beyond.

Native Americans are still here in November and always. As the holidays and
promotions pass, remember it’s always the right time to
appreciate Native cultures and remember and honor the role
of Native Americans in this country and in our lives.



*11 Books by Native American Authors to Add to Your Reading List
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/11-books-native-american-authors-add-your-reading-list>*

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/11-books-native-american-authors-add-your-reading-list



*Our Ancestors Celebrated Thanksgiving 13 Times a Year: Demystifying
Thanksgiving
<https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/our-ancestors-celebrated-thanksgiving-13-times-year-demystifying-thanksgiving>*


*“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test
of our civilization.” -Mahatma Gandhi*


Daksha Howard

Program Coordinator

Residential Life

Beloit College

Phone- 608-363-2125

Email - howardd_at_beloit.edu

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hours: 9 am to 5 pm - Monday Through Thursday

Friday - 8 am to 1 pm



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Received on Wed Nov 01 2023 - 23:15:33 CDT

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