By Anastasia Salazar
The Native American Club is an influential and dedicated club that upholds substantial responsibilities and is doing its best to develop a safe space for Native students on campus, as well as in the community. This club's motive is to spread cultural awareness and create a lasting impact on campus.
This past November, the Native American Club created various events and materials in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. Students Sundance Para and Alma Anderson posted informational posters to hopefully grasp the attention of all students and staff to inform and get them thinking about Native American culture. Sundance created a poster on the definition and origin story behind Moccasins. A type of footwear that Native Americans proudly made and wore. Alma created a poster regarding her Native American tribe, The Navajo. She explains, “I wanted to create a poster to help out the Native American Club as well as help educate others that may be interested in my culture. On the poster I included the women's traditional dress and the girl’s coming of age ceremony, Kinaaldá.”
A group of presenters gave a presentation to all of the history classes, focusing on the history of Native Americans, the culture, and why representation matters. Lacie Bebout, the Native American Club secretary shared why she chose to present with the group. She explained, “I presented because I wanted to be a part of something and help other people, as well as myself, understand the heritage better. I learned many things about my tribe, Blackfoot. Such as, how we lived, where we lived, and what we are doing in today's society.” Treasurer, Nathan Maxfield also shared why he decided to present. He stated, “I wanted to help our students further their knowledge of Native Heritage. It’s not only important to me but so many others around me. So I wanted to do my part in teaching my fellow students about a topic that's so important.”
The club also has upcoming events planned for this semester. A trip to Fresno State is in motion on Thursday, February 29th, to let students learn more about Native American culture on the Fresno State campus.
When Interviewing Felicia Keg, a current member of the club, she mentioned why she decided to join and why she thinks people should also join. She stated, “This club is related to my cultural interest because I want to stay involved and not forget about my heritage. People should join this club so they can be more involved with their culture, or to learn about Native American heritage.” Miya Lozinto-Moir, a new member of the club, was also able to tell me her thoughts. She explained, “I would like to learn about Native American culture and participate to the best of my ability in upcoming events.”
This club is doing amazing things on and off campus and is spreading awareness throughout. Joining this club will allow you to learn valuable things about Native American culture, whether it is your own or someone else's. They are pushing for support and surely making an incredible difference.