GVSU celebrates Native American Heritage Month

An event that will take a deeper look at the history of Columbus Day will kick off a celebration of Native American heritage at Grand Valley State University.

“Rethinking Columbus” will take place on Columbus Day, October 13, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Loosemore Auditorium in the DeVos Center, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Panelists will discuss the historical and social impact of the colonization of the Americas and current movements that challenge the holiday. The program will include a Native drum circle. 

The month-long celebration, organized by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, will focus on Native American history and tradition. All events are free and open to the public. 

•  November 5, from 6-7:30 p.m., Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus: An Evening with with Anton Treuer. Treuer, executive director of the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University, is editor of the Oshkaabewis Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language. His presentation is in conjunction with the Professional of Color Lecture Series. 

• November 8, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Norton Mound Historic Landmark, Grand Rapids: Native American Student Association Day of Service. Students can register to help with clean-up efforts at Norton Mound, a Hopewellian burial mound and historic landmark. Email [email protected] to register. 

• November 3-9, Kirkhof Center Theater: Native American Film Festival showing “Smoke Signals.” The film is about a young man who is trying to forgive his father. It provides a glimpse into the contemporary Native American world and is created by an almost exclusively Native American cast. Watch the "Smoke Signals" trailer. 

• November 10-16, Kirkhof Center Theater: Native American Film Festival showing “Skins.” The film premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and is about two brothers living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Watch the "Skins" trailer. 

• November 19, from noon-1 p.m., Kirkhof Center: The Native American Mascots: Tribute or Stereotype? The use of Native American names and images in sports will be explored in a discussion led by Belinda Bardwell, former tribal council leader at Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa and current member of Grand Valley’s Native American Advisory Board. The event is in conjunction with the Diversity Brown Bag Series. 

• November 19, from 6-8 p.m., Multipurpose Room, Mary Idema Pew Library: Native American Urban History Project Campus Dialogue. “Gi-gikinomaage-min: Defend Our History, Unlock Your Spirit” is a project that aims to create the first archival collection focusing on urban Native experiences in West Michigan. The informational event will increase awareness of the project. Read more about the project.

For more information, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (616) 331-2177 or visit www.gvsu.edu/oma.