Native American Educational and Cultural Center A Department within the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

Native American Heritage Month 2024


This November 2024, the NAECC is excited to celebrate Native American Heritage Month to recognize, honor, and showcase Indigenous Peoples! All events are free, open to the entire campus community, and some require pre-registration. Please contact the NAECC by phone at 765-494-4540 or email Tiffany Lechuga at tcusterl@purdue.edu if you have any questions.

 

Spilling the TEA - Native American Voting Rights

Tuesday, November 5 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm | NAECC

Fall engagement series sharing Indigenous stories and discussion on selected topic and featuring traditional Indigenous tea. Discussion will focus on Native American voting rights.

 

Spilling the TEA - Indigenous Food Sovereignty

**Event will take place at the Purdue University Indianapolis campus**

Wednesday, November 6 | 12:00 – 1:30 pm | SL 165 - Engineering, Science and Technology Building Room 165

Fall engagement series sharing Indigenous stories and discussion on selected topic and featuring traditional Indigenous tea. Purdue NAECC Director Felica Ahasteen-Bryant (Dine’) will lead the discussion focused on Indigenous food sovereignty featuring Navajo Tea.

This event is held in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. 

 

"Living Heritage: Empowerment & Healing Through Native Fashion" featuring Dante Biss-Grayson with Sky-Eagle Collection

Three day residency featuring renowned fashion designer, artist, activist, poet, and Veteran Dante Biss-Grayson (Osage). Dante is the visionary behind Sky-Eagle Collection, a fashion house located in Taos, NM he created to channel his experience and healing after multiple tours of duty. His work, which ranges from fashion to poetry and art installations, has been showcased at prestigious events, including New York Fashion Week, Cannes Runaway Show, and most recently at the 2024 AISES National Conference.

Mini-Fashion Show and Lecture Presentation

Thursday, November 7 | 6:00 – 7:30 pm | Fowler Hall, Stewart Center

Discover the power of Native representation in fashion followed by a mini fashion show featuring Dante Biss-Grayson with Sky-Eagle Collection.

This event is held in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Native American and Indigenous Studies Program - College of Liberal Arts,  the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission, the Eiteljorg Museum, and Sky-Eagle Collection.

 

Veterans' Healing Through Art Presentation 

Friday, November 8 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm | Indiana War Memorial, Indianapolis

Presentation by Native American USAF Veteran Dante Biss-Grayson honoring Veterans and centering on resilience, art, and activism. The Indiana War Memorial is located in Indianapolis, IN, address: 55 E. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN.

This event is hosted by the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission in collaboration with the Eiteljorg Museum, Veterans Affairs in Indianapolis, and the NAECC.

 

Mini Runway Show

Saturday, November 9 | 6:30 - 9:00 pm | Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis

The first Indigenous runaway fashion show to be held in the state of Indiana! Dante Biss-Grayson will showcase his designs from Sky-Eagle Collection and highlight Indigenous clothing with a modern twist. The Eiteljorg Museum is located in Indianapolis, address: 500 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN. 

This event is hosted by the Eiteljorg Museum in collaboration with Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission and the NAECC.

 

Fall Book Discussion - "Wandering Stars"

Thursday, November 14 | 12:00 - 1:30 pm | Purdue NAECC

Join us for this book discussion and lunch “Wandering Stars” by Cheyenne/Arapaho Tommy Orange. “’Wandering Star’ is a novel about epigenetic and generational trauma that has the force and vision of a modern epic…” – Penguin Random House. 

**NOTE: Attendance is at full capacity, SIGN UP IS CLOSED** 

This event is held in collaboration with the Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies

 

Lunch and Learn Series: "Street Foods: USA" O'ahu, Hawai'i

Friday, November 15 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm | NAECC

Fall lunch series will feature film screening and discussion centered on cultural street foods.

**NOTE: Attendance is at full capacity, SIGN UP IS CLOSED**

This event is hosted at the NAECC and sponsored by the Roger C. Stewart Leadership and Professional Development Department

 

Spilling the TEA - Traditional Ecological Knowledge

**Virtual Event**

Monday, November 18 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Virtual Event

Fall engagement series sharing Indigenous stories and discussion on selected topic and featuring traditional Indigenous tea. Purdue NAECC Director Felica Ahasteen-Bryant (Dine') will lead the virtual discussion on traditional ecological knowledge and recommends tea from Tribal Tea Company, Indigenous teas from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. 

This event is held in collaboration with the Purdue University Global's Indigenous Employee Resource Group (ERG) and the Office of Organizational Culture and Inclusive Excellence (OCIE)

 

Spilling the TEA - Native American Heritage Month

Wednesday, November 19 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm | NAECC

Fall engagement series sharing Indigenous stories and discussion on selected topic and featuring traditional Indigenous tea. Discussion will focus on Native American Heritage Month.

 

Indigenous Artist Speaker Series featuring Bobby Silas

Wednesday, November 20 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm | NAECC

The NAECC fall artist-in-residence speaker series will showcase three Indigenous artists who will share their artistry, inspiration, and personal stories. Hopi Pueblo Potter Bobby Silas is our invited speaker and he is the Eiteljorg Museum’s featured Artist-in-Residence for November.

This event is held in collaboration with the Eiteljorg Museum.

 

Crafting with CARE

Thursday, November 21 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm | NAECC

“Craft” your way through this self-care session and learn about the campus resources available through Purdue CARE. Event will focus on holiday decorations.

This event is held in collaboration with Purdue CARE. 

 

Film Screening and Discussion on Indigenous Food Sovereignty

**Event will take place at the Purdue University Indianapolis campus**

Thursday, November 21 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm | ET 103 - Engineering Technology Building Room 103

Film screening and discussion on the documentary, “Gather.” This documentary is “an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide” – source: gather.film. Film directed by a James Beard Award filmmaker, Sanjay Rawal and features Chef Nephi Craig (White Mountain Apache), Elsie Dubry (Cheyenne River Sioux), and Ancestral Guard, a group of environmental activists from the Yurok Nation.

This event is held in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. 

NAECC and AAARCC Friendsgiving

Monday, November 25 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm | NAECC

Annual holiday dinner celebration featuring the AAARCC and NAECC communities. Event open to the public and pre-registration is required.

This event is held in collaboration with the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center (AAARCC).

 

NAECC Book Discussion - "Wandering Stars"

**Virtual Event**

Tuesday, November 26 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Virtual Event

Virtual book discussion featuring "Wandering Stars" by Cheyenne/Arapaho author Tommy Orange. "Tommy Orange traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family in a story that is by turns shattering and wondrous." - Penguin Random House. 

This event is held in collaboration with the Purdue University Global's Indigenous Employee Resource Group (ERG) and the Office of Organizational Culture and Inclusive Excellence (OCIE)

 

Special thanks to event co-sponsors throughout the month:

Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center; Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission (INAIAC); LGBTQ Center; Libraries and School of Information Studies; Native American and Indigenous Studies Program, College of Liberal Arts; Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging; Purdue Center for Advocacy, Response, and Education (CARE); Purdue Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership (SIGP) Program; Purdue University Global's Indigenous Employee Resource Group; Purdue University's Global Office of Organizational Culture and Inclusive Excellence (OCIE); Purdue University Indianapolis; Roger C. Stewart Leadership and Professional Development Department; and the Eiteljorg Museum

Last modified: December 3, 2024

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