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'It's Good to be Indigenous Week' leads to 40th annual pow-wow weekend
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| Az Carmen's piece, "Christa" will be among the pieces diplayed as part of the week's events. |
EUGENE, Ore. -- (April 28, 2008) -- "It's Good to be Indigenous Week" at the University of Oregon will feature a host of events, ranging from an expert on American Indian and Alaska native education to a stand-up comedian who teaches with his routines.
The celebration, which runs from Friday, May 2, to Thursday, May 8, leads straight into the 40th-annual pow-wow weekend, May 9 through May 11, with a special Mother's Day celebration slated for Saturday at McArthur Court, 1601 University St.
Pow-wow grand entries are set for 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 10. A free salmon bake on Sunday, May 11, starts at noon at the Many Nations Longhouse, 1630 Columbia St.
For the annual pow-wow, the Native American Student Union (NASU) will welcome back many native alumni who have participated for many years. Carina Miller, co-director of the NASU, will dance with her father, Ken Man Miller, a UO alum. Both are Warm Springs tribal members.
"It's just an amazing event, to be in Mac Court, with the drums," Miller said. "Everybody should go to at least one pow-wow in their lives."
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Listen to Carina Miller talk about the 40th annual pow-wow
The UO community will put the pow-wow in social, cultural and environmental context with "It's Good to be Indigenous Week."
The week of events features "something for everybody," said Klamath Tribe member Tom Ball, an assistant vice provost in the UO's Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. "This week really is intended as a celebration of the university's indigenous communities."
The university, Ball said, has long been a welcoming place for indigenous cultures. On Wednesday, May 7, UO President Dave Frohnmayer will meet with tribal leaders from the state's nine federally recognized tribes. The President's Native American Advisory Board is the only such council in the state and believed to be one of few like it in the country.
The Native American Student Union is working with several departments on a host of events, including a symposium on literature, a look at inclusive schooling and an art show. For a complete schedule, visit: http://culturalforum.uoregon.edu/stage. Listed below are a few highlights.
The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, west end of the Johnson Hall garden level, will host a reception to mark the opening of the Indigenous Art Show at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 5. The show runs through May 9.
At 7 p.m. on Monday, May 5, Michael Pavel, a professor of educational leadership and counseling psychology at Washington State University, will give a talk titled "A Place Where You Can Hear All The Birds Sing: Inclusive Schooling In A Modern Society." The talk is slated to be in Room 282 in the Lillis Business Complex, 955 E. 13th Ave. Pavel, a traditional bearer of Southern Puget Salish traditional culture, is co-author of "The American Indian and Alaska Native Student's Guide to College Success" (Greenwood Press, 2007).
On Thursday, May 8, comedian JR Redwater, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux, will perform at 8 p.m. in the Fir Room of the EMU. Redwater strives to educate audiences about the true life of indigenous peoples.
For a complete list of events, visit: http://culturalforum.uoregon.edu/stage.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Zack Barnett, Office of Public and Media Relations, 541-346-3145
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