Center for Tribal Studies host American Indian Heritage Month events

(Tahlequah, Oklahoma) - Northeastern State Universitys Center for Tribal Studies will celebrate American Indian Heritage Month with events throughout November.

The events will include a Family Adoption Panel, a film screening of MANKILLER, and the Learning Indigenous Arts workshop series sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council.

The Family Adoption Panel will be at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 in the University Center Redbud Room. The panel is also in honor of National Adoption Awareness Month and will be a two-part panel discussion related to adoption and foster care through Indian Child Welfare.

The first Learning Indigenous Arts workshop will focus on visual arts at 5 p.m. on Nov. 7 in Fine Arts Room 105. Buffalo Gouge, a Mvskoke (Creek) and Cherokee artist who specializes in acrylic paint and graphic design will guide participants through the process of developing and maintaining their unique style in the fine arts. RSVP at Center for Tribal Studies Events/events is required.

MANKILLER will be shown on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Webb Auditorium in collaboration with the Center for Womens Studies and the NSU Foundation. MANKILLER is the story of an American legend, Wilma Mankiller, who overcame rampant sexism and personal challenges to emerge as the Cherokee Nations first woman Principal Chief in 1985. The film reunites the documentary team of Gale Anne Hurd and Valerie Red-Horse Mohl.

The second Learning Indigenous Arts workshop will focus on the stompdance tradition at 1 p.m. on Nov. 17 in Fine Arts Room 105. Charlotte Wolfe, cultural educator and Cherokee tribal member, will provide a four-hour workshop on the history and current practice of the stompdance, a practice of many southeastern woodland tribes. Participants will make their own set of can shakers. RSVP at Center for Tribal Studies Events/events is required. Individuals should bring their own cans for this workshop.

The final Learning Indigenous Arts workshop will focus on clay and ceramic art forms at 3 p.m. on Nov. 27 in Fine Arts Room 105. Osage artist Anita Fields will give a presentation of contemporary Native clay artists while leading participants in the creation of a simple clay form based on their own personal narrative. RSVP at Center for Tribal Studies Events/events is required.

All NSU American Indian Heritage Month Events are free to attend and open to the public. For more information, visit Center for Tribal Studies Events.

About the Oklahoma Arts Council

The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agencys mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahomas thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides about 500 grants to almost 250 organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the states arts and cultural industry, and manages hundreds of works of art in the public spaces of the state Capitol.