The federal holiday of Indigenous Peoples Day was honored and celebrated across the United States on Monday. At the University, members of the community celebrated the occasion at an event hosted by the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
The White House recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day as a day of remembrance, honor and gratitude for Indigenous community members. Many observances of this occasion strive to highlight the perseverance and societal contributions of Indigenous people, and Spurlock’s events were no exception.
According to faculty members who helped organize this year’s events, the University only recently recognized this day. The first proper celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day at the University took place in 2019 and has since become an annual tradition on campus.
Illinois was further ahead in honoring Indigenous Peoples Day than other U.S. states. At the national level, President Joe Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples Day in 2021. Biden stated the holiday is meant to “honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.”
Illinois’ intentions are similar, but the Land Acknowledgement statement issued by the University specifically recognizes and acknowledges the tribes Indigenous to the state of Illinois.
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The tribes mentioned in the University’s Land Acknowledgement statement include the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Piankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe and Chickasaw Nations.
Monday’s celebrations specifically honor these tribes and are sponsored by the Native American House, American Indian Studies Program, the Humanities Research Institute, the University Library, University Housing, the Illini Union Board and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Charlotte Davidson, director of the Native American House, said the house is dedicated to providing support for the community.
“Myself and my staff are committed to amplifying the voices, the experiences and the representation of Native and Indigenous Peoples who participate on this campus,” Davidson said. “Based on the day thus far, much like last year, we have a steady stream of people who are filling up more chairs, sharing a meal with us and are really invested in showing up for us and committing to this day for us.”
Davidson further elaborated on the importance of the day’s events and Indigenous peoples’ presence on campus.
“I just want to emphasize and underscore that we are here, we are brilliant contributors to this campus and people are always welcome in our space,” Davidson said.
This year, Indigenous Peoples Day at Spurlock was honored with an initial blessing and “recognition of place,” which is similar to a land acknowledgment statement. This was followed by a performance from The Blackhawk Company, a Chicago-based powwow dance troupe with members from various Native Nations.
Following the performance, there was a presentation with information about the Indigenous communities of Illinois presented by Robert Michael Morrissey, professor in LAS.
Following a brief luncheon, Christine Nelson, professor at the University of Denver, gave a concluding presentation.
In her speech, Nelson highlighted her own experiences throughout life, especially throughout Academia, and the importance of knowing one’s positionality and individuality as an Indigenous person.
The event took the initiative to show the hardships Indigenous people have faced throughout history, but ways to presently strengthen their community, culture, self-identity and the importance of representation for their cultures.
Jose Andino, an Indigenous man from El Salvador, attended the events hosted by the University earlier today.
“This is something I have celebrated all of my life, and celebrated traditionally with dresses and foods,” Andino said. “This celebration is a little different, but still an important celebration.”
Celebrations continued later in the day when the Native American House hosted 10 Books to Read on Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Pop-up Library from 3-5 p.m. The event showed attendees where to check out materials about Indigenous people to further engage with the community and educate themselves.
After the pop-up library, the Illinois Student Residence Halls hosted a Native-themed Meal and showed the documentary “Gather,” which was followed by a panel discussing the resilience of Native people.
Jim Hintz, the University’s associate vice chancellor for student success, inclusion and belonging, said he felt positively about efforts for event planning to reach different cultural communities.
“The staff does a great job of providing educational programming for the community,” Hintz said. “I will say we would love to see more people from the community come out and support it, but we are going to work on better ways to get the message out in the future.”
The University will honor Native American Heritage Month with various activities spanning from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30.
