The University of Texas at Arlington's Native American Student Association (NASA) and Belonging and Engagement team are hosting Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, Oct. 9, with a full day of remembrance, storytelling and performances.
Across the country, Indigenous Peoples' Day is a day of celebration and commemoration of Indigenous American peoples and their histories and cultures. For Mavericks, Indigenous Peoples' Day is a culmination of all the hard work past and present NASA members did to advocate for a day of celebration at the University.
The schedule of events includes a Native Plant Tour, performances by Ollin Cuauhtli/Eagle Movement Aztec Danza and much more. This year's keynote will be delivered by Jodi Voice Yellowfish, chair of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Texas Rematriate. Additionally, Tony Pacheco Valdez will be selling Native foods in the Central Library Mall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. The full schedule of events can be found here.
Events like Indigenous Peoples' Day give students a chance to enjoy a home away from home, said Sampson Dewey, president of NASA.
"Here at UTA, we have a community built on culture and education," Dewey said. "UTA has long been a huge supporter of us through our countless events and also by giving us a physical space in the form of the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard."
During last year's Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration, UTA dedicated a monument and the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard to acknowledge the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, upon whose historical homelands the University is located, and to recognize the historical presence of the Caddo Nation and other Tribal Nations in the region.
"The goal is to be as educational as possible and give the community an opportunity to come to campus," Dewey said. "Indigenous Peoples' Day is a day of celebration and acknowledgement of Native and Indigenous students, faculty, staff and community, not just from North America but also our relatives from Mexico and Central and South America."
