Navajo Code Talker, Artists at Colorado State to Wrap Up Native American Awareness Month in November

Native American Awareness Month ends next week with a series of events planned by the Office of Native American Student Services at Colorado State University.

The office of Native American Student Services was established in 1979 to ensure a successful educational experience for Native American students by providing advocacy and support services. The four primary advocacy and service areas include recruitment, retention, graduation and community outreach. The office embraces and encourages a supportive environment based on the traditions and cultures of Native American peoples.

The number of Native American students at Colorado State University grew 28 percent in the past five years. Since Fall 2004, the freshman class has increased by 50 percent with the majority of this fall’s incoming freshman from Colorado.

Native American Awareness Month activities planned during the week of November 27:

Tuesday, Nov. 28

Results from a national pilot study, "Native Women Left Behind…Sexual Assault of Indigenous Women in Native America," will be presented at noon Tuesday in Room 220-222 of the Lory Student Center. The voices of Indigenous women from across tribal communities in Native America are represented in the study. Participants included Native professionals and activists involved in addressing sexual assault in their communities. Roe Bubar, an associate professor of social work at Colorado State, will present the findings.

Wednesday, Nov. 29

Jason LaBelle, assistant professor of archaeology, will talk about the "Laramie Foothills: Mountains to Plains Project" at noon Wednesday in Room 220-222 of the Lory Student Center. The multi-agency project is aimed at preserving more than 55,000 acres of open space lands in an area of increasing urban encroachment in Northern Colorado. During the summer of 2006, archaeological surveys began on Soapstone and Red Mountain, led by Colorado State University and aided by Southern Methodist University researchers and volunteers from the Colorado Archaeological Society. LaBelle is also director of Colorado State’s Laboratory of Public Archaeology, which houses archaeological collections from academic and contract projects.

Thursday, Nov. 30

Native American Awareness Month culminates in the opening of a new exhibition of work by contemporary Native American artists from around the country. An opening ceremony featuring Sgt. Allen Dale June, a Navajo Code Talker from Longmont, and a performance by the Ram Nation Drum Group will be from 4-6 p.m. Thursday in the Duhesa Lounge of the Lory Student Center. Attendees will be able to interact with the artists – Bunky Echo-Hawk, Troy Sice and Alex Benally – at the event. The Native American Student Association and the Associated Students of Colorado State University are sponsoring the event. Highlighting the creativity and passion of these living artists, the exhibit continues the celebration of Native American cultures throughout its year-long stay at Colorado State.

For more information about Native American Student Services, go to http://www.nass.colostate.edu.

-30-