Native American Heritage Celebration

Native American Heritage Celebration is the celebration of the history, culture, traditions and contributions of Native Americans. The celebration is recognized nationally every November, but is a celebration that lasts throughout the year.

Indigi-Fest 2024

Come and get acquainted with your sovereign neighbors!

Come and join the local Anishinaabek Community of GVSU Alumni, current students, faculty, and staff in informative, interactive, and engaging workshops throughout the entire day. We will begin with an opening ceremony by a Representative of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Gun Lake Tribal Council to set the foundation for our celebration of Sovereignty, followed by various workshops on food sovereignty, decolonizing social work and education, Anishinaabemowin Language, an introduction to Powwow, and we finish with a movie and panel discussion on the movie, "Two-Spirit Powwow" by Rick Bacigalupi.

Poster for Indigi-Fest titled 'All About Sovereignty,' featuring a circular medicine wheel symbol with floral designs on the top and bottom borders. The event takes place on Wednesday, November 20th, in the Kirkhof Grand River Room. Workshop schedule includes: 10:30 AM: Tribal Governance 11:00 AM: Language Workshop 12:30 PM: Food Sovereignty 2:00 PM: Sovereignty: Education and Social Work 4:00 PM: Intro to Pow Wow 6:30 PM: Two-Spirit Pow Wow Movie and Panel The poster invites attendees to 'Come and get acquainted with your sovereign neighbors' and notes that the event is 'Approved for INT 100 and 201 Credit!' Logos for Native American Heritage Celebration, Grand Valley State University Office of Multicultural Affairs, and 'Making Waves' are displayed at the bottom, along with a QR code.

Schedule

Wednesday, November 20th	Location	Activities
10:30AM - 11AM	Kirkhof Grand River Room	Keynote Address: What is Tribal Sovereignty? A member of Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan - The Gun Lake Tribal Council will be exploring the impacts of Tribal Sovereignty and the potential impacts of implementing a Two-Eyed Seeing Approach.
11AM - 12:30PM	Kirkhof Grand River Room	Workshop: Anishinaabemowin Language Sovereignty Anishinaabemowin language sovereignty is the right to speak and preserve the Anishinaabemowin language, which is vital to the Anishinaabeg People's survival and tribal sovereignty. Anishinaabemowin language is sacred and carries the Anishinaabeg people's culture, traditions, and customs.
12:30PM - 1:30PM	Kirkhof Grand River Room	Manoomin and Food Sovereignty. Manoomin, or wild rice, is a vital part of Anishinaabe food sovereignty and environmental protection efforts. It is a sacred and culturally significant food for the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi people of the Great Lakes region.
2PM - 3PM	Kirkhof Grand River Room	Sovereignty: Education and Social Work What does the tension from being Indigenous and a Social Worker/Educator create? How can an Indigenous approach to social work and education go beyond colonial constructs to demonstrate sovereignty?
4PM - 5PM	Kirkhof Grand River Room	Intro to Powwow: Sovereignty through Ceremony Different groups will have different customs, beliefs, and ways of doing things…after all, this is a vibrant, living culture that has evolved over time and survived many challenges. Respect these differences and embrace them as you learn about Anishinaabek Sovereignty through the Powwow Ceremony.
6:30PM - 9PM	Mary Idema Pew Library, Room 030, Multipurpose Room	Sovereignty: "Two-Spirit Powwow" Movie and Panel Before colonization, Two-Spirit people held important roles in Indigenous communities, including as healers, shamans, ceremonial leaders, artists, and advisors. Two-Spirit sovereignty is a concept that involves the reclamation of Two-Spirit people's history and culture, and their roles in Native American communities. Snacks will be provided.