By BENJAMIN KLIEWER, Student Reporter
Members of the Native American Student Association at Northwestern say they hope November, which is Native American Heritage Month, will help people learn more about culture.
Savannah Francis, the club president and a senior political science major, said the club has different cultural activities planned for the future.
A member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, Francis said club members will host a powwow April 23, 2022. The club will start selling T-shirts to raise funds for the event soon.
Francis said she believes many people don’t know much about Native American culture because a lot of Native American history is taught incorrectly in schools. She also said she believes a lot of perceptions of Native Americans are based off stereotypes.
Jerika Coon, a senior elementary education major who serves as the club’s secretary, said Native American Heritage Month is a time to show people how unique Native American culture is.
“Just celebrating this month, we get to show what powwows are, what our traditions are, our legends – we get to speak and tell everybody,” Coon said. “It’s just for everybody to know who we are as different tribes, how we all come into one.”
Coon, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, said language is an important part of Native American heritage because some languages are dying out, even though some elders are trying to teach it.
She said she hopes to do her part one day to keep the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s native language alive.
“That’s what I kind of want to do when I am an Indian education teacher, is trying to pass it along,” Coon said.
Coon said she speaks some of the language and wants to become certified in it after graduating from Northwestern.
Francis said club members view the month of November as a time to educate people.
“It [Native American Heritage Month] is a celebration of culture,” Francis said. “It spreads awareness to others on issues in Native American country. It is helping show other people what our culture is about.”