Annual Events

Native American & Indigenous Welcome Reception 
The state of Illinois recognizes the final Friday in September as American Indian Day. Northwestern celebrates by holding a lunch to welcome new and returning faculty, staff and students. Hosted by Native American & Indigenous Affairs, Center for Native American & Indigenous Research, Multicultural Student Affairs, this annual gathering is a great opportunity to learn about different Native American & Indigenous units on campus, meet new and continuing students, faculty, staff, check out the CNAIR space, and learn about how to connect throughout the year.

Native American Heritage Month 
Starting in 2014, Northwestern began celebrating Native American Heritage Month in the month of November. Programs and events throughout the month honor Indigenous Peoples' history and past, celebrate its present and future, engage the diversity and complexity of lived experiences within communities, and raise awareness and visibility for these communities across campus. Visit our PlanIt Purple calendar for each year’s events and follow along with the 30 Days of Indigenous syllabus. 

Sand Creek Massacre Commemoration 
Planned in partnership with NAISA (Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance), the Sand Creek Massacre commemoration is held annually in mid-November to honor the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples who were killed by United States soldiers during an attack of their village. This event is free and open to all in the campus community. Each year, the Commemoration is acknowledged through a three-part event series. Activities will include a film screening, making activity, procession and fire. See our calendar for the current event dates, hosted in November each year. Visit here to learn more about the Sand Creek Massacre.  

Lacrosse Community Outing 
The game of lacrosse, or baaga’adowewin in the Ojibwe language, has its roots in Indigenous communities. Each year, Northwestern learns about and celebrates this practice by inviting the community to attend a Women’s Lacrosse game, cheering on the Wildcats. A block of tickets is sponsored by NAIA and are free and first come, first serve.  

CNAIR Annual Research Symposium 
Starting in 2019, the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) holds an annual two-day symposium in the spring that invites top NAIS scholars to engage with topics around Indigenous research methodologies, ethics, and theoretical perspectives through poster sessions, roundtables, keynote speakers, and panels. The symposium also features Indigenous community partnered project highlights and tribal college and universities knowledge exchange.  Visit the CNAIR website for more information about the annual research symposium. 

NAISA Spring Pow Wow 
Every year, a traditional pow wow is hosted by the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance (NAISA) in collaboration with Multicultural Student Affairs and several Northwestern partners. The first annual Pow Wow was held at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2022. This event is free and open to all.  Visit here to learn more about the NAISA Pow Wow.  

 Native American & Indigenous Community Celebration 
Hosted by Multicultural Student Affairs and Native American & Indigenous Affairs, the Native American and Indigenous Community Celebration is an annual spring event to gather in community to share and recognize scholarship, research, and community accomplishments related to Native American and Indigenous knowledges, methodologies and sovereignty. Each year, we feature a fun slideshow, different speakers from across campus and recognize Special Honorees, nominated by the Northwestern community, with a blanketing ceremony. All are invited to this celebration. Visit our PlanIt Purple events calendar page for the latest year’s date.  Learn more about the Special Honorees.  

All events are open to the University community and the public, consistent with Northwestern’s non-discrimination policies and applicable law.