Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month
For Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month 2024, Northwestern is celebrating with a brand new 30 Days of Indigenous syllabus! This syllabus is a curated constellation of opportunities to explore, create, and engage with Indigenous knowledge, art, and community through four interconnected themes:
- Sovereignty, Memory, and Ritual: Examine how Indigenous nations maintain and assert their rights to self-determination, education, and cultural preservation.
- Identity, Culture, and Art: Experience the power of Indigenous storytelling across multiple forms, from traditional arts to digital futures.
- Communal Care and Wellness: Discover traditional and contemporary approaches to healing, community care, and environmental stewardship.
- Alternative Futures and Solidarities: Imagine possibilities where Indigenous knowledge shapes sustainable solutions for tomorrow.
Whether you have 30 minutes or 30 days, whether you're drawn to hands-on workshops or prefer quiet reflection, there's space for you here.
Each theme offers multiple ways to engage:
- Read: Explore writings from Indigenous authors and scholars
- Watch: Experience films, documentaries, and digital stories
- Listen: Immerse yourself in music, podcasts, and oral histories
- Make: Create art, write stories, design projects, and craft responses
- Experience: Attend events, visit exhibitions, and participate in community gatherings
Events take place both on Northwestern's campus and in surrounding communities, creating opportunities for learning through direct engagement. Connect with others, share your reflections, and become part of ongoing conversations about Indigenous justice, communal care, and solidarity.
Begin anywhere. Return often. Let your journey unfold.
Click here for the 30 Days of Indigenous Syllabus
30 Days of Indigenous Events
Wednesday, November 6th: Sand Creek Commemoration Film Screening & Discussion
Time: 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Location: Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
Audience: Open to all
Thursday, November 7th: Drop-in Hours: Native American and Indigenous Strategic Plan
Time: 10:00am-11:00am
Location: Virtual, registration link: Meeting Registration - Zoom
Audience: Open to all
Monday, November 11th: Sand Creek Massacre Commemoration: Making Activity
Time: 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Location: University Library, Book Nook
Audience: Open to all
Tuesday, November 12th: Honoring Our Partners Fall Panel: Native American & Indigenous Strategic Plan
Time: 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Location: Virtual on Zoom, registration link: Meeting Registration - Zoom
Audience: Open to all
Tuesday, November 12th: Seeded Places: Creative Writing Workshop
Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Virtual, registration link: Seeded Places: Creative Writing Workshops (smartsheet.com)
Audience: Faculty, staff, post docs, graduate students
Wednesday, November 13th: Cara Romero in Conversation with Aaron Golding
Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Location: Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
Audience: Open to all
Friday, November 15th: Food, Friends, and Fire with the Indigenous Graduate Student Collective
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: CNAIR House, 515 Clark St., Evanston, IL
Audience: Graduate students and friends
Saturday, November 16th: Mitchell Museum of the American Indian 47th Annual Benefit
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Location: Palmhouse Evanston
Audience: Open to all, tickets required. Buy tickets: Mitchell Museum's Annual Benefit | Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (square.site)
Monday, November 18th: Sand Creek Commemoration Procession and Fire
Time: 4:30pm-6:00pm
Location: Starts at John Evans Alumni Center and ends at Center for Native American and Indigenous Research, 515 Clark Street, Evanston
Audience: Open to all
Tuesday, November 20th: Seeded Places: Creative Writing Workshop
Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: Virtual, registration link: Seeded Places: Creative Writing Workshops (smartsheet.com)
Audience: Faculty, staff, post docs, graduate students
>Co-Sponsors:
- Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance
- Multicultural Student Affairs
- Center for Native American and Indigenous Research
- Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
- Indigenous Graduate Student Collective
- The Block Museum
- Northwestern University Libraries
- The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
- NU Dining
- Buffet Center Institute for Global Affairs
- Medill School of Journalism
- The Graduate School Office of Diversity and Inclusion