November is American Indian Heritage Month at UNM

American Indian Student Services, Native American Studies and other student organizations invite the campus community to attend and participate in American Indian Heritage Month throughout November. Educational, social, cultural, and artistic programming is offered to celebrate the heritage of the first Americans.

Although the first ‘American Indian Day’ was declared by the State of New York in 1916, a month-long recognition of Native peoples was not achieved until 1990 when President George Bush declared the first National American Indian Heritage Month. Consequently, what started at the turn of the century as an effort to establish a day of recognition of significant contributions the first Americans made to establish and grow the United States, has now resulted in an entire month’s designation.

The UNM groups have collaborated to engage the university community in learning and discovering more about the indigenous experience and perspective. UNM Kiva Club sponsors a Sunrise Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 a.m. at Johnson Field to get events started.

An American Indian Heritage Month Kick-off event co-sponsored by American Indian Student Services and Beta Sigma Epsilon Fraternity is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. at the SUB Atrium. The event features guest speakers, cultural performances by the Jemez Pueblo Headstart Program, and the presentation of a proclamation by the UNM Office of the President declaring the institution’s celebration.

All events are free and open to the public. For a complete list visit: American Indian Heritage Month.

Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu