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SIUC celebrates Native American Heritage Month

BY ANDREA HAHN, THE SOUTHERN

Wednesday, November 2, 2005 6:55 AM CST

CARBONDALE - Courtney Goodman has found a purpose in her mother's past.

The Southern Illinois University Carbondale student holds a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood card, making it possible for her to claim Native American heritage as part of her true lineage.

"You can see it in my mother and my sisters," she said. "My dad is German. So I got the blond hair and blue eyes."

And, just taking a guess, her mother's cheekbones.

As Goodman became familiar with the Cherokee heritage her mother laid claim to, Goodman found that the fiercely proud Native American of romantic imagination familiar to most modern non-Native Americans is overshadowed by the reality of poverty, poor health and social problems on many Indian reservations.

"I really want to help the Native American people," she said. "I want to go to law school and become a Native American lawyer."

Goodman was one of about three dozen people who turned out for the opening ceremony of Native American Heritage Month as celebrated on the SIUC campus.

Robert Alcala, a graduate student assistant for Multi-Cultural Services, emceed the event, giving a summary of other events planned for the month.

The overview event featured a short film offering inspiration and tips about claiming one's Native American heritage.

Alcala, addressing the group after the film, said that he was searching for his own Native American heritage on his mother's side. His father's side, he said, is Mexican. His great-grandmother was Native American, but shared very little of her own heritage with her family.

"My family just wants to know what tribe we are from, where we came from," he said, noting that financial benefits wouldn't necessarily be cast aside but were not the main reason for the search.

Alcala said Native American Heritage Month is a relatively new heritage month on campus. Many of the other national or ethnic

celebrations are supported by more than one student group. In this case, involvement from student groups was considerably less.

Alcala said about 20 students enrolled at SIUC have indicated they are Native American. However, he said, many more are of mixed heritage and may not claim Native American as their ethnic group on admissions surveys.

Among the activities planned for the month are films, storytellers, lectures and craft projects.

Three opportunities to make a dreamcatcher are offered in the Student Center Craft Shop. There is a small charge, but all materials are provided. The dreamcatcher is a Lakota tradition. Though it is certainly possible to buy dreamcatchers even at convenience stores, the process of making one's own is said to endow the dream catcher with greater efficacy in sifting through bad dreams and those that are beneficial.

Here's what else is on the lineup:

Professor R. David Edmunds from the University of Texas at Dallas will speak on the realities of being Native American in today's society. The lecture is scheduled at 7 tonight in the Student Center Auditorium.

The film, "More Than Bows and Arrows," examines the contributions of Native Americans to the United States and Canada. A discussion follows. The event is at noon Nov. 7 in the Student Center Illinois Room. Those who attend are invited to bring their lunches.

Storyteller Marilyn Kinsella will present a collection of Trickster stories entitled Mother Earth, Father Sky. Alcala said this event is likely to be the highlight of the month's activities. It is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Student Center auditorium.

A lecture and presentation on Native American astronomy will be given by William Iseminger from the Cahokia Mounds Historic Site. One of the foremost experts on the Cahokia civilization, Iseminger will discuss the culture of Native American mound-builders whose cultural traces may be seen throughout the Mississippi Valley. The presentation is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Student Center Illinois Room.

The closing ceremony for Native American Heritage Month will feature a late-added speaker who will discuss life on a Native American reservation. The event is set for 5 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Student Center Missouri Room.

 

andrea.hahn@thesouthern.com

618-529-5454 x15076