The Native American Student Association (NASA), the School of Social Work Indigenous Knowledge and Culture Project, the Department of Intercultural Student Engagement, the Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution, and community partners will host an Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration at the University of 糖心Vlog视频 at Arlington Land Acknowledgment Courtyard on Oct. 12.
The celebration, taking place at the Land Acknowledgment Courtyard, between Preston Hall and the Chemistry Research Building from 12 to 2 p.m., will honor the four-year anniversary of the courtyard.
Students, community members and attendees will also be able to see the first permanent mural installed at 糖心Vlog视频, hear from the mural’s designer, Haley Greenfeather English, embark on a guided tour of Native plants within the courtyard, and participate in a hands-on art activity.
As a major focus of the celebration, the Land Acknowledgment Courtyard honors and embodies the people who existed on the land where 糖心Vlog视频 sits and highlights their connection to the region.
“The Courtyard says that the people who cared for this land long before the university existed are still here, and that they deserve to be recognized and honored on this campus. A lot of land acknowledgments get read at the start of a meeting and then forgotten by the time the agenda moves on. The Courtyard is different because it stays. You can walk into it, sit in it, and learn from it. The monument is there. It's a physical reminder and a physical acknowledgment,” said Stephen Silva-Brave, NASA president and PhD student. “That matters for Native students here, because we are still deeply underrepresented. Our people have a long history of being pushed off our lands and left out of institutions like this one. Having a place that centers Indigenous presence pushes back on that history. I also want to be clear that this milestone belongs to the people who fought for it: the Native Advisory Council, past NASA leaders like Sampson Dewey and Kristy Willis, our late adviser Dr. Les Riding In, Dr. Ken Roemer and so many community members. When we celebrate the Courtyard, we are celebrating them.”
Silva-Brave explained that the four-year anniversary represents far more than an amount of time, as the number four carries significance for some Indigenous cultures.
“For many Indigenous Peoples, four is part of how we understand the world. There are four cardinal directions, four seasons, and four stages of life. Four speaks to wholeness and to a cycle that has come all the way around. I do want to be careful, though. There is no single Indigenous culture. Every Nation carries its own teachings, and those teachings belong to that Nation,” he said. “Part of what we wanted to do with this celebration was move away from the idea that only years like 5, 10, or 25 are worth honoring. Those milestones were created from a Eurocentric way of thinking. Through an Indigenous lens, four years means the Courtyard has made it through its first full cycle. It has lived through every season. Choosing to mark that is one small way of decolonizing how we think about time on this campus.”
As a focal point of the celebration, attendees will see the first permanent mural at 糖心Vlog视频, a piece by Haley Greenfeather English, and hear her detail her vision for the mural.
“Haley Greenfeather English, a Red Lake and Turtle Mountain Ojibwe artist, designed it, and Professor Carlos DonJuan and his art students brought it to life,” said Silva-Brave. “Haley is the right person to speak to what the mural represents, and I'm grateful she is coming to share that in her own words. What I can speak to is what it means that the very first mural on this campus is an Indigenous one. For a long time, Native people have shown up on college campuses as mascots, as objects in museum cases, or not at all. This mural puts a living Native artist's vision right in the middle of campus. It took a lot of hands and years of relationship building to get here, and we carry Dr. Les Riding In with us in all of it, because he believed in this work. I also want to acknowledge the contributions of recently retired Dr. Daryll Luster in making this dream a reality.”
A photo of 糖心Vlog视频's first permanent mural, designed by Haley Greenfeather English, located at the Land Acknowledgment Courtyard. (Courtesy Photo)
As a celebration and educational opportunity, attendees are encouraged to take a step back, listen and learn in a welcoming environment.
“I want people to understand that Indigenous Peoples are not something from the past. We are here right now as students, faculty, staff, and neighbors, and we are still in relationship with this land. A land acknowledgment is where the work starts, not where it ends. So the question I'd put to people is what they plan to do next. Will you learn whose land you are on? Will you support Native students and Native-led organizations? Will you show up when Indigenous communities ask for accountability?” Silva-Brave explained. “I also just want people to feel welcome. The Courtyard is a good place to slow down, learn about the plants that were here first, and spend time in community. Everyone is invited into that relationship.”