Utah State Observes Native American Heritage Week

The Spirit of Native America: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is the theme for Native American Heritage Week to be observed Nov. 8-12 at Utah State University.

The week opens with a talk Monday, Nov. 8, on current issues in science education by Utah State alumnus Ed Galindo of the Shoshone-Bannock tribe in Fort Hall, Idaho. He will speak from 11 a.m. to noon in the Taggart Student Center (TSC) Sunburst and International Lounge on the Utah State campus.

Galindo was a long-time advisor of Shoshone-Bannock students participating in Utah State’s Get-Away Special (GAS) program, in which students design and build experiments flown on NASA space shuttles. He recently completed a doctoral degree in education from Utah State.

Tuesday, Nov. 9, Shirley Weight-Silversmith of the Utah State Office of Education will discuss the development of the Utah American Indian/Alaskan Native Education State Plan. She will speak from 11 a.m. to noon in the TSC Sunburst and International Lounge.

Also on Nov. 9, the film Bear River Massacre will be shown from 2-3:30 p.m. in the TSC Auditorium. Shoshone historian Patty Timbimboo Madsen will lead a discussion immediately following the film.

Utah State’s Native American Student Council will sponsor an Indian taco sale on Wednesday, Nov. 10, on the TSC patio from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunches are $4 per plate and proceeds benefit the annual Echoing Traditional Ways Powwow slated for spring 2005.

Also on Nov. 10, Star Flint, a Native American dance group based in Alpine, Utah, will perform a variety of ceremonial dances from 2-3 p.m. in the TSC Sunburst and International Lounge. The group’s repertoire includes Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and Apache music and dance, as well as dances from Plains, Eastern and Arctic tribal traditions.

Thursday, Nov. 11, attorney Larry Echohawk, a member of the Pawnee tribe and professor of law at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, will discuss the history and current issues surrounding tribal sovereignty and federal Indian policy. He will speak from 11 a.m. to noon in the TSC Sunburst and International Lounge.

Utah State welcomes high school students from tribal areas of Utah, Idaho and Arizona Friday, Nov. 12, for Native American High School Day. The event will include campus tours, admissions and financial aid information and a motivational speaker, said Sam Curley of Utah State’s Multicultural Student Services office.

Native American Heritage Week at Utah State is sponsored and coordinated by the Multicultural Student Services office, the Native American Student Council, the Native American Task Force and ADVANCE-US. For more information, contact Curley at 435-797-1765 or samcurley@usu.edu.