American Indian Heritage Month

The American Indian Treaty Council produced this poster, one of more than 200 preserved by the Native American Studies Collection in the Ethnic Studies Library, located in 30 Stephens Hall.

06 November 2002 |

To mark November’s celebration of indigenous peoples in America, campus organizations are offering an array of events — from a fry-bread cookout to an intertribal powwow. A Berkeley scholar will discuss her research into how native peoples have been represented, historically, in America’s museums — while Native American Studies staff will mount an exhibit of their own.

Fry-bread sale
Members of the campus community are invited to chow down on fry bread, a traditional Native American treat often served with honey, jam, stew, or beans. A fundraiser for the American Indian Graduate Program, the feast will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, outside Anthony Hall.

Film series
The Native American Studies Collection in the Ethnic Studies Library, 30 Stephens Hall, offers documentary films on native topics at noon on Wednesdays throughout the month. For information on the series, contact librarian John Berry at 642-0941. Featured films are:

• Wed., Nov. 13: “Ella Mae Blackbear: Cherokee Basketmaker,” a 24-minute film on native basketmaking traditions.
• Wed., Nov. 20: “The Peyote Road,” an hour-long documentary on the U.S. Supreme Court “Smith” decision, which denied protection of First Amendment religious liberty to the sacramental use of peyote by indigenous people.

• Wed., Nov. 27: “Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story,” a 90-minute film by Robert Redford on the controversial case of an American Indian Movement leader who has been incarcerated for more than a quarter of a century.

Scholarly lectures
The American Indian Graduate Program will bring together talented Bay Area Native American scholars and scholars-in-training for a series of talks on topics ranging from medicinal uses of native plants to the historical relationship between American Indians and African Americans. All lectures except the one on Nov. 12 will be held at noon in the Tilden Room, 5th floor, Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union.

• Tuesday, Nov. 12: Chuck Garcia, a third-generation native curandero, or healer, will speak about the uses of native plants in healing at noon in the Ethnic Studies Lounge, 554 Barrows Hall.

• Tuesday, Nov. 19: Berkeley ethnic studies scholar Amy Lonetree, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin, will share insights from her dissertation research on the historical representation of Native Americans in museums.

• Tuesday, Dec. 3: Seminole scholar Melinda Micco, an assistant professor at Mills College, will discuss her research on interactions between the Seminole Nation and African Americans.

Kachinas, ethnic dinner, powwow
International House is planning events, open both to its residents and the public, related to American Indian culture and — in keeping with its international focus — indigenous peoples worldwide. International House is located at 2299 Piedmont, at the corner of Bancroft Way and Piedmont Avenue.

• Saturday, Nov. 9: A daylong visit to the Marin Museum of the American Indian in Novato — the only museum in the Bay Area exclusively dedicated to American Indian culture. Leaving by bus at 10 a.m. and returning in time for dinner, participants will receive lunch and a docent-led tour of the current exhibit, “Dancers, Dolls and Deities: The Kachina in Hopi Culture.” For non-students, the fee for transportation and lunch is $15. For information or reservations, call 642-9460.

• Thursday, Nov. 14: A Native American ethnic dinner, buffet-style, with drumming and a show of Native attire. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 30: A powwow, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., for the Native American community and for all others interested in experiencing a day of tribal dancing and cultural exchange. For information, call 643-8301.

Exhibit
Throughout the month of November, materials on Native American artists and photographers, Native American student groups on campus, tribes of California, and more are on view in six display cases located in the first-floor entranceway of Dwinelle Hall.