Indigenous People's Day
- Event Date: Monday, October 10, 2022
- Time: 9:00 am–2:00 pm (CDT)
- Location: Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
Sponsored by the Native American House, American Indian Studies Program, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, University Library, University Housing, the Illini Union Board, and the Humanities Research Institute
All events will be held at Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum of World Cultures (600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana), unless otherwise noted.
Welcome, Blessing, and Recognition of Place
- 9:00 am
The Black Hawk Performance Company
- 9:15–10:15 am
The Black Hawk Performance Company (BHPC) is a Chicago-based powwow dance troupe comprising dancers from various Native Nations. Dr. Dorene Wiese (White Earth Ojibwe), a lifelong advocate of American Indian education and artistic director of BHPC, will emcee this 1-hour dance exhibition. Dr. Wiese will educate the audience about the styles of dance associated with powwows, a traditional cultural celebration and social event of many Native American communities.
Indigenous Illinois
- 10:30–11:30 am
- Presenter: Robert Michael Morrissey, Associate Professor, Department of History
The Indigenous communities of Illinois—including the Myaamia (Miami Tribe) and Peewaalia (Peoria Tribe of Indians)—have undertaken extraordinary cultural revivals over the past generation, reawakening many aspects of culture in the wake of colonization, removal, and termination. This talk discusses long-ago history, focusing on the power and significance of Indigenous Illinois in the period of early America.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Luncheon
- noon–1:00 pm
- Hundley Central Core Gallery, Spurlock Museum of World Cultures (600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana)
Registration for this event is now full.
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a buffet lunch menu comprising foods native to North America will be served. We encourage community members, students, staff, and faculty to register at the following link and share a meal with invited guests and members of the Indigenous higher education at the University of Illinois.
Registration is limited to 50 people.
Do You Know Where You Are?: Indigenous Perspectives About Place and Belonging
- 1:00–2:00 pm
- Moderator: Charlotte E. Davidson (Diné/Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation), Director of the Native American House
Panelists:
- Jenny Davis (Chickasaw), Director and Associate Professor of American Indian Studies
- Rosalyn LaPier (Blackfeet/Métis), Professor, Department of History
- Jacki Thompson Rand (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Associate Vice Chancellor for Native American Affairs, Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Native American Affairs, and Associate Professor of American Indian Studies
While land acknowledgments are a relatively new tradition of many non-Native colleges and universities, Indigenous Peoples have long engaged in practices that begin with a view of their umbilical connection to lands, skies, and waters. This moderated session will explore Indigenous worldviews about place and belonging and how these concepts figure in the participation of Indigenous Peoples at the University of Illinois and beyond.