Dr. Lance Tatum, President | Northwest Missouri State University
Dr. Lance Tatum, President | Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University will host a series of events in November to commemorate Native American Heritage Month. These activities are free and open to the public.
The events kick off on Tuesday, November 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Tower View Room at the J.W. Jones Student Union. Attendees can create dream catchers and learn about Native American heritage.
On Tuesday, November 12, from 6 to 9:30 p.m., the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will screen "Killers of the Flower Moon" in the Student Union Boardroom. This Western crime drama is set in 1920s Oklahoma and portrays a series of Osage Indian murders. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. It received ten Academy Award nominations.
The month concludes with a performance by hoop dancing world champion Eric Hernandez on Thursday, November 14, at 6 p.m. in the Charles Johnson Theater at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building. Hernandez is a member of the Lumbee tribe with over two decades of experience in Native American hoop dancing.
Dr. Jessie Peter, Northwest’s senior coordinator of diversity, expressed that Hernandez challenges stereotypes about Native Americans while spreading ancestral wisdom. She hopes attendees' beliefs about Native Americans are challenged through these activities.
“This is a unique opportunity for us all across diverse cultures, age groups and beliefs to come together and improve our knowledge and understanding of indigenous people,” Peter said. “Not just as a people of the past, but our present and future.”
Historically, northwest Missouri was inhabited by tribes such as the Otoe (Jiwere), Ioway (Báxoǰe), Missouria (Nut’achi), Sac and Fox (Thakiwaki and Meskwaki), Potawatomi (Neshnabé) among others who were affected by settler encroachment or forced relocation.
In recognition of this history, Northwest Missouri State University acknowledges that people were unjustly removed from their lands.
In 1990, Public Law 101-343 was passed by Congress authorizing November as National American Indian Heritage Month to recognize American Indians' contributions during what traditionally marks harvest season linking it with Thanksgiving traditions.
For more information about these activities at Northwest Missouri State University, contact or call 660-562-1226.
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