Albion College celebrates Native American Heritage Month in November

Albion College is celebrating the traditions, languages and stories of the Native American culture in observance of Native American Heritage Month in November.

November 6, 2023

Albion College is celebrating the traditions, languages and stories of the Native American culture in observance of Native American Heritage Month in November.

The College and the community of Albion have a special connection to Native American culture as they reside on Anishinaabe Waki, the traditional and contemporary land of the Anishinaabe People — the Three Fires Confederacy of Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi.

Former President George H.W. Bush declared the month of November as National Native American Heritage Month in August of 1990. However, the first “American Indian Day” was celebrated in New York City in 1916. 

“It is essential to acknowledge the contributions that indigenous people contribute to this nation,” said Dr. Taran McZee, vice president for belonging and culture. “This heritage month will raise awareness about the unique challenges Indigenous people have faced historically and in the present.”

Several events are planned to celebrate Native American Heritage Month at Albion:

• There will be a workshop honoring indigenous people by crafting and facilitating land acknowledgments Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. in Norris 102.

• There will be a field trip to Grand Valley State University to hear Robin Wall Kimmerer speak about “Braiding Sweetgrass: What Does the Earth Ask of Us?” Nov. 8. Kimmerer is the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at The State University of New York.

This experience will take place at Grand Valley State University. Vans will depart Ferguson parking lot at 8:30 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. Lunch is provided. To sign up, interested students should email Rivkah Gamble at rgamble@albion.edu or Dr. Thom Wilch at twilch@albion.edu. Space is limited.

• Presentation and performances by Soufy Natives in the Art: Design, Dance and Powwow Nov. 16 from 7-8 p.m. in Norris 102.

• Film screening and discussion of “Being Thunder” Nov. 30 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ludington Collaboration Space. 

Native American Heritage Month at Albion is a collaboration between the Office of Belonging, Campus Life, Anthropology and Sociology and the Center for Sustainability and the Environment.