Events are scheduled all over Minnesota in honor of Native American Heritage Month. This week, Minnesota Native News highlights three events planned during November.
November is Native American Heritage Month. This week, Chandra Colvin highlights three events happening across the state.
Chandra Colvin: In 1990, Then-President George H.W. Bush officially designated November as Native American Heritage Month. The month recognizes the culture, history, and contributions of Indigenous people across the United States. Organizations are hosting events statewide throughout the month. Events range from informative sessions to large gatherings for dance and song.
On November 2nd, the St. Cloud community will hold its annual Ptanyetu Powwow. The powwow is a collaboration of three local colleges and two K through 12 school districts.
Lacey Lokken is on the powwow committee. She’s the director at St. Cloud State University’s American Indian Center . She says the Saint Cloud area does not have a designated space or building for Indigenous people, such as the Minneapolis American Indian Center.
Lacey Lokken: Though we might not have one physical location, I think the creation of the relationships between all of our spaces and being able to coordinate events is really the next best thing that we can do.
Chandra Colvin: Originally started in the 1990’s by St. Cloud State University, the pow wow has since expanded into a collaborative event.This year, the powwow will be held at Apollo High School while being hosted by St. Cloud Technical and Community College.
Lacey Lokken: To have that representation in a bigger way, and to know that other schools are involved in supporting that is important in the work that we do, because I think it also empowers our young people to see that, you know, a community wide celebration of who you are in your culture, and to go reconnect with people that you might know, your family, friends that you’ve met along the way, just that nice, social time to just celebrate. I think it’s really awesome.
Chandra Colvin: The powwow is free and open to the public.
On November 11, Minnesota State University Mankato will hold its 2024 American Indian Night. The event explores Indigenous history, culture, and community and will feature keynote speaker, author Patty Krawec. Krawec wrote “Becoming Kin.” The book explores colonialism through the eyes of an Indigenous writer.
Megan Heutmaker is the director of Multicultural Student Services and American Indian Affairs at the university. She says the campus community did a “read together” with the book.. but everyone is invited, even if they haven’t read the book.
Megan Heutmaker: We share different cultural foods, we have keynote speakers, we have events. We’ve done film showings, all sorts of stuff. And again, it’s just a way to show that we’re still here, that we’re still in our campus communities and my students, you know, they are always excited to be a part of all the fun things that we have going on.
Chandra Colvin: The event is free and open to the public. Author Patty Krawec will be available for a Q&A session along with a book signing following the conclusion of the event. Heutmaker celebrates Native heritage beyond Native American Heritage Month.
Megan Heutmaker: We know every day is a good day to be indigenous. So having a month dedicated is important, but we extend that celebration throughout the year.
Chandra Colvin: For those interested in traditional crafting, Mashkiki Studios LLC will be holding a workshop demonstrating and guiding attendees with hands-on experience of creating birch bark earrings. Mashkiki Studios is a BIPOC-owned business based in the metro region. Theo Marcil and Marique Moss, who are crafters and educators, invite those interested in exploring the cultural and historical significance of birchbark, which Marcil says has been used for generations in Ojibwe art and jewelry.
Theo Marcil: We’re going to be teaching people how to sustainably harvest birch bark and also even how to look around within their community for trees that are already being cut down. And so we’re going to teach them about the process at different times of like when to harvest.
When you look at the inside of that bark, you see those Thunder being marks the little eyes that they have, but the significance they’re using it for traditional crafts, canoes, wigwams, vessels to carry water, even boiling water, which is really cool, you can boil water in birch bark, like bowls, bat and baskets that you can make
Chandra Colvin: The workshop will take place on November 17. Spots are limited and there is a fee to participate. Moss says the workshop is open to anyone regardless of skill level.
Marique Moss: We are a very safe and inclusive space, us being American Indian Educators.
Chandra Colvin: For Minnesota Native News, I’m Chandra Colvin.
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