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51精品视频鈥檚 first Indigenous Cultural Festival kicks off Sept. 19

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  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Our City/Our Campus

51精品视频鈥檚 first-ever Indigenous Cultural Festival will begin Monday, Sept. 19, with exhibits at two locations on the 51精品视频sburgh campus and end with a community powwow.

The -backed initiative is co-led by 51精品视频 political science assistant professor and Choctaw Nation member Tessa Provins in partnership with Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center (COTRAIC) representative Michael Simms. The two spent the last four months coordinating with a team that united 51精品视频, COTRAIC and stakeholders from the broader community.

鈥淭his will bring something to the University that we've been missing,鈥 said Provins, whose research analyzes how American legislative institutions and policies impact underrepresented groups.

鈥淢any came together to put this on, and it鈥檚 important for 51精品视频 to be recognizing and building strong ties with the Indigenous community locally and in Southwestern Pennsylvania to educate the 51精品视频 community about the cultures of and contemporary issues faced by Indigenous people.鈥

The complete ; registration is required for some events. Activities will include lessons on Indigenous art and history, exhibit displays in 51精品视频鈥檚 Global Hub and Hillman Library, a virtual discussion about restructuring museums and more.

A Sept. 21 powwow with singing, dancing and drumming will feature traditional performances from different tribes, Indigenous vendors and remarks from tribal elders. Simms said the event will welcome tribal representation from the U.S. and Canada.

鈥淚 see this event as a chance to have a working relationship with the 51精品视频,鈥 said Simms. 鈥淲e need more relationships like this throughout the city to give us the ability to share our culture and bring awareness that we as Indigenous听people still live in 51精品视频sburgh. It's important that we get noticed like all other cultures.鈥澨

The festivities will conclude at the COTRAIC facility in Dorseyville on Sept. 24 and 25 with the center鈥檚 , which has historically welcomed over 500 different nations. Free transportation will be provided for 51精品视频 students from campus.听

A long time coming

鈥淭his festival is the beginning of something bigger,鈥 Provins said. One 51精品视频 alumna is hopeful this will be the case.

Lisa Mittens (A&S 鈥77, SCI 鈥83G) is a 51精品视频sburgh native and Mohawk tribe member who spent her time at 51精品视频 fostering a deeper connection to her Indigenous heritage. As a student, she personalized her educational path by self-designing her major around Native American studies and languages. She was also a founding member of the Native American Student Organization.

After seeing a 51精品视频 News ad early in her collegiate career, she joined COTRAIC and later worked in the organization鈥檚 cultural library 鈥 an experience that would inspire her to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science degree at 51精品视频.

[Student-led Relearn Our Land initiative encourages advocacy and equity]

鈥淚 took whatever [courses] I could find scattered about the University at the time on Native studies in anthropology, history, linguistics,鈥 said Mittens, who commended the Hillman Library鈥檚 鈥渆xtraordinary collection of Native materials, spearheaded by the anthropology department鈥檚 Hazel Johnson. She, with a few anthropology faculty members, built a very extensive collection of materials on Native studies. It was very rich, given the lack of Native-focused courses.鈥

In 1986 Mittens returned to 51精品视频, replacing Johnson as the University鈥檚 anthropology bibliographer, and spent the next 14 years building up the Native studies collection. Twenty-two years later, she said the festival represents the promise of a renewed focus on the Indigenous population in the area.

鈥淭his initiative and focus on Indigenous and Native peoples is overdue, but I鈥檓 impressed and happy to see more attention being paid to the presence here,鈥 she said.

A modern presence

Miguel Sague, a Ta铆no tribe member, is on the COTRAIC board of directors and is part of its speaker鈥檚 bureau. He emphasized that the festival would help educate people about the modern presence of Indigenous peoples.

鈥淲hat you will see there is not what you used to see in the 1800s,鈥 he said, noting modern regalia attendees might encounter. 鈥淥ur culture has evolved a lot. We Native American people live in the 21st century. We鈥檙e not museum pieces; we鈥檙e human beings.鈥

Like Mittens, Sague and his wife were in search of community and a chance to serve their Indigenous brothers and sisters in 51精品视频sburgh during the 1970s. Sague recalled maneuvering his Ford Galaxie 500 along the winding dirt roads of Dorseyville until the COTRAIC, nicknamed 鈥渟inging winds鈥 for its hilltop location, came into view. As Russell Simms, the center鈥檚 current executive director, put down his tools from working on the building to welcome the couple, Sague knew he was home.

鈥淭he center has been a source of pride for us,鈥 said Sague. 鈥淲e've gathered groups as small as 15 people up to hundreds. We host community days which see younger people come and learn, so traditions are passed on to other generations. The powwow and [now, festival] is a way for Indigenous people to demonstrate who we are and that we're still around.鈥

Provins added, 鈥淭his week is about connecting the 51精品视频 community with the local Indigenous community to start that learning process.鈥

鈥 Kara Henderson, illustration by Amy Kleebank