On Monday, November 3, the Commons was filled with Indigenous artwork, ceremonial items, and different presentations celebrating Native American Heritage Month. Celebrated during November, Native American Heritage Month aims to recognize the diversity of Native cultures, traditions, and spiritual practices.
The presentation started with Wynnie Gibson reciting a Land Acknowledgement, a document written with the purpose of recognizing the original Indigenous Nations who stewarded the lands. Then, Ms. Drew, who teaches special education for grades 9-11, gave the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, an offering of greeting and thanks to the natural world meant to center everyone in a good mind before the start of important events. Her recitation is supported by artwork created by students, visualising the natural world and enhancing what’s being spoken.
Ms. Drew hails from the Mohawk Nation, which belongs to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She believes that all students should attend the presentations to broaden their cultural worldview and ground them in the original ways of respecting the Earth and living harmoniously. For her, the most important part of these events is that, “Native American history is not in history,” as the cultures and stories of Indigenous people still matter today.
On Monday, November 10, students gathered once again for the second installment of Indigenous presentations focusing on the songs and symbols of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Navajo Nations. This time, Ms. Drew is joined by high school junior Brandon Michalski and his mother, both from the Navajo Nation.
Throughout the presentation, students and faculty were encouraged to pick up rattles and shake to the beat of songs such as “The Bear” song, “The Turtle” song, “The Thunderbird” song, “The Ghost Dance” song, and “The Wendigokan” song. Student Winston Greenwood found the Thunderbird song to be his favorite “because the beat was fun to rattle to,” while student Kayleigh Williams preferred the Wendigokan song for “how [Ms. Drew] sang each verse.”
The ceremony further paid respects to elements of Navajo culture, as Brandon explained how the world was created through the first man and woman traveling through four different worlds. Then, students were shown Navajo rugs, or Diyogí, and educated on the time consuming process needed to create such intricate designs. Finally, Brandon explained the significance of Navajo Code Talkers to both Indigenous and American histories.
The next presentation will be held on November 17th, 2025. Please show up!
Further Reading
https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.co/who-we-are/
