Native & Indigenous Heritage Month
Macalester is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on the ancestral homeland of the Dakota people, who were forcibly exiled from the land because of aggressive and persistent settler colonialism. We make this acknowledgment to honor the Dakota people, ancestors, and descendants, as well as the land itself. We recognize that we must actively work together to create an environment rooted in respect, integrity, and justice for our Native and Indigenous communities.
Native and Indigenous Heritage Month, recognized in the U.S. during the month of November, exists after a long history of Indigenous leaders, including Dr. Arthur C. Parker (Seneca) (1) , Rev. Sherman Coolidge (Northern Arapaho) (2), Red Fox James (Blackfoot Indian Nation) (2), and many others who advocated for the U.S. to honor and celebrate Native and Indigenous history and heritage. It wasn’t until 1976 that the U.S. proclaimed October 10-16th as American Indian Awareness Week. Then, starting in 1990, November was declared National American Indian Heritage Month, or as we know it now, Native and Indigenous Heritage Month.
Macalester College actively works to engage with and advance scholarship around Native and Indigenous people and communities, histories and narratives, ways of knowing and being, and current social justice movements. In 2022, Macalester received a one million dollar Mellon grant to continue and sharpen our longstanding work in this area. To learn more about the Macalester Native and Indigenous (MNI) Initiative funded through this grant, visit Red Lake Nation News: Macalester Native and Indigenous Initiative receives $1 million grant from Mellon Foundation
During this month, we take this time to bring us all together to center Native and Indigenous stories and culture, celebrate community, build awareness and engage with and support local and national Native-owned businesses, artistic endeavors, and scholarship. We also encourage learning about the Native and Indigenous ancestral homelands (https://washmn.org/).
If you would like to have your event and/or program featured please submit it via our online form.
- Bavis, Barbara. Research Guides: National American Indian Heritage Month: A Commemorative Observances Legal Research Guide: History and Overview. https://guides.loc.gov/national-american-indian-heritage-month/history-and-overview. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.
- Congress, The Library of, et al. National Native American Heritage Month. https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.
Honoring the Earth
Wed., Nov. 1 | 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Kagin Hill Ballroom
Hosted by: [email protected]
Macalester College and Honor the Earth panelists will talk about the future of Indigenous Environmental Justice. Panelists will also share strategies and outcomes to help educate and illuminate the path moving forward.
Honor the Earth is an Indigenous Women led organization committed to organizing at the intersections of landback, racial, environmental, and Indigenous justice.
As space is limited please contact [email protected] to inquire more about how to RSVP.
For the People at The Guthrie Theatre
Thu., Nov. 2 | 7:30 p.m. | The Guthrie Theatre
RSVP for tickets and transportation
Sponsored by: Institutional Equity and the Community Engagement Center | [email protected]
“A world premiere comedy by Native voices”
The division of Institutional Equity invites you to attend a performance of For the People at The Guthrie on Thu., Nov. 2nd at 7:30PM.
Co-written by Larissa FastHorse & Ty Defoe and featuring local Native performers, For the People is the first Native-written play to be performed at The Guthrie. For the People centers April Dakota who has returned home to Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis and her dreams of building a wellness center for her Indigenous community.
For more information and to RSVP a ticket, please visit our form. *Please contact [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.
Dakota Spirit Walk
Sat., Nov. 4 | 11:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary
RSVP for transportation & lunch
Hosted by: Institutional Equity | [email protected]
In recognition of Native and Indigenous Heritage Month, Institutional Equity at Macalester College invites you to join us for the Dakota Spirit Walk, a permanent augmented reality public art installation at Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary (Downtown St. Paul, MN). This opportunity is a joint effort with partners at Carleton College and St. Olaf College. Institutional Equity will provide transportation to and from campus.
The Dakota Spirit Walk was designed by Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota) and Todd Boss (Revelo AR Artistic Director). Visitors will walk through the sacred land of the Dakota village of Kaposia and learn about Dakota nature spirits through geolocation, audio, and 3-D animation.
All three colleges will return to Macalester for lunch from Pow Wow Grounds and a debrief session. This event is open to all students, staff, and faculty.
Space is limited; RSVP to secure your spot.
Native & Indigenous Heritage Month Luncheon
Tue., Nov. 7 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | DeWitt Wallace Library – Harmon Room (133)
RSVP Form
Hosted by: Institutional Equity | [email protected]
Institutional Equity will host a luncheon for Native & Indigenous students, staff, faculty, and alumni. This is an opportunity to build connections and community across campus.
A Conversation with Eve Tuck & K. Wanye Yang
*Event has been postponed to Spring 2024
Wed., Nov. 29 | 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
Hosted by: Educational Studies | [email protected]
This year’s 11th Annual Kurth-Schai Education & Advocacy Lecture at Macalester College will feature a conversation with decolonial scholars Eve Tuck & K. Wayne Yang.
Eve Tuck is Unangax̂ and is an enrolled member of the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, Alaska. She is a scholar in the field of Indigenous studies and educational research. Currently, she is the Professor of Critical Race Theory at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
K. Wayne Yang is a professor and scholar of community organizing, critical pedagogy, and Indigenous and decolonizing studies. He is a professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, San Diego and Provost of John Muir College. He writes about decolonization and everyday epic organizing, often with his frequent collaborator, Eve Tuck.
For more information please visit Mac Campus Events Calendar.