Friday Focus: Native American Heritage Month

headshot of a woman
Photo courtesy of the Tanana Chiefs Conference
Charlene Stern is the interim vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education.

Nov. 12, 2021

β€” by Charlene Stern, interim vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education

November marks Native American Heritage Month. According to the National Congress of American Indians, β€œThe month is a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.” 

²έΑρΙηΗψ is home to many diverse tribal nations. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States, 229 of which are located within ²έΑρΙηΗψ. Since time immemorial, ²έΑρΙηΗψ Native peoples have served as the ancestral stewards of the lands, waters and resources in and around our traditional territories. Our societies were, and continue to be, governed by traditional laws, customs, and values that guide how we relate to and engage with one another and the world around us. 

As colonization unfolded in ²έΑρΙηΗψ, many of our rights and cultural practices were infringed upon. For example, in 1915, the ²έΑρΙηΗψ Territorial Legislature recognized the right of Indigenous people to vote if they completed a complex process to give up tribal customs and traditions. Ten years later, the Legislature again acted to pass the ²έΑρΙηΗψ Voters Literacy Act, which required voters to be able to speak and read English,  further marginalizing ²έΑρΙηΗψ Natives. It was not until 1926 that ²έΑρΙηΗψ Natives were guaranteed the right to vote, although discriminatory voting suppression practices continued in the decades after. 

Despite the many injustices that ²έΑρΙηΗψ Natives have endured β€” and continue to endure β€” our history is also one of remarkable acts of resistance, activism and advocacy to continually assert our rights. Current generations of ²έΑρΙηΗψ Native peoples are the product of all those who came before us and the experiences that shaped our collective history. At ²έΑρΙηΗψ, we recognize the ongoing contributions of ²έΑρΙηΗψ Native people and tribal nations to the university system and the state as a whole. As of fall 2020, 19.7% of ²έΑρΙηΗψ’s student body self-identified as ²έΑρΙηΗψ Native or American Indian. We recognize this as both a significant strength and also a responsibility to ensure that ²έΑρΙηΗψ is committed to investing in ²έΑρΙηΗψ Native success. We are dedicated to continuing our efforts to achieve our strategic goal β€œto strengthen our position as a global leader in ²έΑρΙηΗψ Native and Indigenous programs.”  

We invite you to participate in the many Native American Heritage Month activities planned at ²έΑρΙηΗψ. You can find more information in Cornerstone and on the events page of the College of Rural and Community Development.

Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of ²έΑρΙηΗψ’s leadership team every week.