Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of all Native cultures and to acknowledge the important contributions of Indigenous peoples. In our third annual celebration, the Native American Studies Department, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, and the HUB Cultural Center is honored to collaborate with campus partners and the Santa Rosa Junior College Intercultural Center members to bring a wide range of events that celebrate Native American culture with the SSU campus community. Below is the list of events for this year's Native American Heritage Month.
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
Sonoma State University sits on the borderlands of the Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok Nations, the descendants of whom today are the enrolled citizens of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The mission of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria is social justice and environmental stewardship. The Tribe hopes and encourages the larger community to join them in this necessary mission.
All Our Relations Reading Group - The Seed Keeper
Tuesday, November 1st | 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Join the Zoom
Dr.'s Mary Churchill and Erica Tom look forward to virtually gathering with you on Tuesday, November 1st from 4-5pm to discuss the third book selection this semester: The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. We are grateful to SRJC librarian, Dr. Smita Avasthi, for creating a library guide for the reading group! If this if your first time joining the reading group, please take a moment to review the guidelines.
Native American Heritage Month Luncheon
Thursday, November 3rd | 11:30am - 1:00pm | HUB Cultural Center
The HUB Cultural Center welcomes the campus and local community members to have lunch and to discuss the importance of celebrating Native American Heritage Month. All are welcome to attend!
Eco-Kincentric Collaborations with the Center for Environmental Inquiry
Tuesday, November 8th |1:00pm - 2:15pm | Join the Zoom
Enrique Salmon has used the term "eco-kincentric" to describe the way indigenous people view "both themselves and nature as part of an extended ecological family that shares ancestry and origins." We will describe some of the ways that the Center for Environmental Inquiry is collaborating with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria at SSU's Fairfield Osborn Preserve on Sonoma Mountain. And we will explore how each of us feels about nature and how we can enhance those connections.
Native & Indigenous Pizza and Reservation Dogs
Thursday, November 10th | 5:00pm - 7:00pm | HUB Cultural Center
Join the staff and students in the HUB Cultural Center for pizza and to watch Reservation Dogs. We will be joined by students from the Santa Rosa Junior College. All are welcome to attend!
History of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
Thursday, November 17th | 1:00pm - 2:00pm | Join the Zoom
Join Matthew Johnson, a citizen of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (Tomales Bay Coast Miwok) and a Cultural Resources Specialist for the Tribe, for a presentation on the history and culture of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo, from pre-European contact to the present day. The Graton Rancheria community is a federation of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo groups recognized as a tribe by the U.S. Congress. The Coast Miwok ancestral territory spans southern Sonoma County and the entirety of Marin County. The Southern Pomo people are from the Sebastopol area. Many of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people still live within their ancestral territories.
Indigenous Experiences in the Realm of Academia
Tuesday, November 29th | 1:00pm - 2:15pm | Join the Zoom
Join Trelasa Baratta, Lead Curriculum, Developer from Redbud Resource Group as she discusses how California Indians have not only survived assimilation, forced removal from their lands, and state-sanctioned genocide, but are thriving with the tools that they currently have.
The resiliency of Native peoples does not excuse the debilitating effects that colonization has on our communities, and yet, we can learn from how local Native peoples are navigating, resisting, and revitalizing their realities. What does it mean to be a modern Native who grew up in someone else’s traditional homelands? What does the path look like for the descendent of a people nearly annihilated? Many Native Americans have turned to academia on their journey of self-realization. This discussion will explore modern Native identity, reconnection with traditional knowledge-holders through literature, and looking ahead at what the future may hold for Native communities.
So You Want to Talk about Place: Decolonizing & Indigenizing "Race Talk"
Wednesday, November 30th | 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Student Center Ballrooms
Join professor Mary Churchill (Native American Studies, American Multicultural Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and Liberal Studies) as she shares her perspective on Decolonizing and Indigenizing "Race Talk.” All students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend this lecture. This year’s common book is So you want to talk about race? All first-year students can pick-up a FREE copy of the book from the HUB Cultural Center. You can learn more about the Common Read Initiative by visiting the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Website.
Resources
- Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
- California Indian Museum and Cultural Center
- Redbud Resource Group
- Native American Initiative at SSU
- Native American Studies Department
- National Museum of the American Indian
- U.S. Department of the Interior - Indian Affairs
- How Independent Are Native American Reservations? - November 26, 2015
- The Loss of Native American Lands Within the US: Every Year - November 25, 2016
- Origin(s) of Native American Heritage Month - November 1, 2018
- 6 Stories Celebrating Native American History and Culture Great Big Story - October 9, 2019
- A Conversation with Native Americans on Race | Op-Docs The New York Times - April 15, 2018
- How the US stole thousands of Native American children - Vox - October 14, 2019