IUPUI celebrates November as Native American Heritage Month

INDIANAPOLIS -- The observance of November as Native American Heritage Month at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis continues today with a panel discussion on "Sovereignty, Democracy and the Survival of a Nation" from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Theater.

Panelists include Jeff Corntassel, citizen of Cherokee Nation and director of the Indigenous Governance Program, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Cherokee descendant Walter Robinson, IU School of Liberal Arts departments of philosophy and Native American indigenous studies; and Jake Edwards, Hoyonyehni (Chief), Traditional Chiefs and Council at Onondaga Nation, The Central Fire of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

The panel discussion will focus on indigenous sovereignty and how it lays the groundwork for the survival and resurgence of indigenous nations today.

Upcoming programs scheduled as part of the monthlong celebration are:

Keepers of the Wampum: The Foundations of the United States Constitution. 3 p.m. Nov. 12, Clowes Sculpture Court, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, 500 W. Washington St.

Howl at the Moon: Lunar Calendars and Native Time. Noon Nov. 13, Joseph T. Taylor Hall, Room 104

Food for Thought: Native Food. Noon Nov. 17, Multicultural Center Cultural Lounge (Taylor Hall, Room 115)

From Inside the Tipi. 1 p.m. Nov. 18, Taylor Courtyard

Cultural Movie Series: "Jimmy P." 6 p.m. Nov. 19, Multicultural Center Cultural Lounge (Taylor Hall, Room 115)

Campus sponsors of Native American Heritage Month events include the American Indian Program, Native American & Indigenous Studies; the Native American Faculty and Staff Council; the Native American Student Alliance; the Multicultural Center; the LGBT Faculty & Staff Council; the Department of Philosophy; and a Student Organization Grant.

Community sponsors include the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art as well as the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission.

For additional information about events, contact the IUPUI American Indians Program, 317-274-8356.