Native American Heritage Month at Alma College

GRACE MAIN
STAFF WRITER

11/11/2024

November is Native American Heritage Month, which brings numerous events to Alma’s campus for the purpose of learning about, celebrating and reflecting on both Indigenous American culture and the relationship between Native and White populations over time. 

There are many events happening on campus to celebrate NAHM, including the Dance on a Drum demonstration, “Abode of White Men, Understanding Alma College’s Land History” exhibit, and the Native American Heritage Month and LGBTQ+ Intersectional Art Exhibit. These events are put forth to foster a stronger relationship between the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe (SCIT) and Alma College to promote education and a celebration of cultures. 

“With Tribal Chief Tim Davis and President Abernathy taking the initiative to begin a mutually beneficial dialogue with our tribal membership, we can find opportunities that faculty and students can embrace,” said Joseph Sowmick, Tribal Elder and Public Relations Manager of SCIT. 

This is the second year of the Dance on a Drum presentation, where the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in Mount Pleasant will come to the college to demonstrate their culture through different dances.  

“They get to bring their history, they get to talk about the history of the area, and how their dances and clothing really come from that era of what Michigan was and still can be,” said Dr. Jonathan Glenn, Director of Diversity and Inclusion. 

The event will be held on Nov. 21 at 6pm in the Strostacker Auditorium. 

“The Abode of White Men, Understanding Alma College’s Land History,” is an exhibit that will examine the history of the land throughout time and the relationships between Indigenous people and White colonization. The Native voice is one that has been historically unrepresented in the United States. Michigan has a complicated history concerning Indigenous people, which is something this exhibit aims to bring to light. 

“I think the indigenous perspective is wildly important. We have a tribe that is around 20 minutes from this campus, yet there have been negligible conversations about land rights and how the college came to possess the land,” said Tyler Hoag (‘25), a student who brought the exhibit to Alma.  

Unfortunately, as his research was conducted, Hoag found that there was not a lot of information present due to suppression of Native American voices. 

“When looking at the research, one thing that ended up being a key takeaway is the lack of evidence regarding pre-colonial inhabitants. Most of that information comes from archaeological files, not recorded histories, and as such that lack of information has become present in the research as a whole,” said Hoag. 

Therefore, “The Abode of White Men, Understanding Alma College’s Land History” opens on Nov. 8 and goes through Nov. 29 in the Clack Art Center to bridge the information gap that currently exists. 

Another exhibit that happened on campus was the Native American Heritage Month and LGBTQ+ Intersectional Art Exhibit, also on Nov. 8. This event was put on by Diversity Equity and Inclusion Office, and featured Two-spirit art. “Two-spirit” is historically a way to identify with gender and sexuality within Indigenous communities. 

“You would see art from a couple artists and celebrate the art and the histories behind it. It’s connected to the Native community but the people who create the art are from the Queer community,” said Dr. Glenn 

These events on campus celebrating Native American Heritage Month are important to the development of the relationship especially between Alma College and SCIT.  

“Opening communication with other cultures is important as students realize there is a global responsibility to live in harmony with each other and that doesn’t happen without a personal effort of understanding we are all part of the circle. One example can be found where Alma College students have welcomed internships possibilities with our Nimkee Memorial Wellness Center.” said Sowmick. 

Educational experiences like the internships Sowmick touched on are prioritized in the relationship between the tribe and college.  

“We do a lot of connections with the tribe, and we want to do more with the academics space where Tribal College members could come to Alma College and have some experiences with research with our professors, or maybe our students go to the Tribal College and do some immersive class experiences,” said Dr. Glenn.