November is Native American Heritage Month

Published Nov. 02, 2020
Updated Oct. 18, 2021

#LandBack sign for book display Two book displays, one at Hayden Library and one at Fletcher Library, a writing workshop and a film screening are among some of the events hosted and co-hosted this month by the ASU Library’s Labriola National American Indian Data Center in celebration of Native American Heritage Month.

The month-long celebration at Arizona State University is an opportunity for various groups, many of them student-led, to provide a platform for Indigenous students to share their culture, traditions, values and solutions to build a stronger community.

See the full list of events in honor of Native American Heritage Month.

Calling all readers and writers!

Launched by ASU student Mia Johnson, in collaboration with Lourdes Pereira and Shaleigh Yazzie, the curated book displays at Fletcher Library and Hayden Library, titled #LandBack, invite the ASU community to explore indigenous authors and indigenous-focused fiction and non-fiction around six different themes that contribute to Indigenous self-empowerment and self-determination.

"We hope throughout this month, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people will gain a better understanding of Indigenous perspectives and Indigenous resiliency, and of how we survive and thrive in the 21st century," write the students.

In addition, the Labriola Center’s Creative Writing Workshop with Eric Gansworth on November 12 is an opportunity to learn more about the indigenous process of creative writing from an accomplished indigenous writer.

Gansworth, a writer and visual artist, has published a dozen books, including the novels, “Apple” (Skin to the Core), "Mending Skins" (Pen Oakland Award) and "Extra Indians" (American Book Award, NAISA Book of the Year), the young adult novels, "If I Ever Get Out of Here" (Honor Award, American Indian Youth Literary Award; One Book, One Philadelphia 2020) and "Give Me Some Truth" (Whippoorwill Award). He has recorded audiobooks for recent books.

‘Gathering’ 

In partnership with American Indian Student Support Services and the student group Indigenius, the Labriola Center is proud to present a virtual screening of the film “Gathering,” 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.

The film will be screening Friday, November 13 at 5 p.m. Register here for the virtual cinema experience.

Finally, the Labriola Center will collaborate with Community Driven Archives on a "Show and Share" event, Nov. 18, to share stories through photos on resiliency. More information to come on how to register.