UCLA AISC – Joint Statement on UAW Strike

The Director and Associate Director of the American Indian Studies Center and the Chair of the American Indian Studies Department, along with our respective Faculty Advisory Committee members, call on the University of California to negotiate in good faith to honor the demands of teaching assistants, tutors, readers, student researchers, postdocs, and academic researchers represented by three unions–UAW 2865, … Read more

[Daily Bruin] UCLA-hosted conference spotlights Indigenous ecology, ephemeral architecture

UCLA community members are joining scholars across the country to help highlight Indigenous architectural knowledge throughout the American continent in an annual program. The Forgotten Canopy – a series of conferences under The Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies’ Core Program – held its first summit from Nov. 4 through Nov. 5 at the William … Read more

[Daily Bruin] Tosa Two Heart honors Lakota, Native communities through personal fashion brand

Tosa Two Heart is wearing her community’s hearts on her sleeves and is hoping others will too. Alumnus Two Heart is exploring new niches in fashion by incorporating traditional Lakota designs into modern clothes. She said her work amplifies the voices of Native Americans in the exclusionary space of Western fashion through its emphasis on … Read more

[UCLA Newsroom] Native American Heritage Month 2022: Read, watch, listen

Since it was first launched by presidential proclamation in 1990, Native American Heritage Month has been an occasion to celebrate the diverse cultures, histories and traditions of the Indigenous peoples of North America and to recognize their vital contributions to the U.S. and beyond. Newsroom reached out to staff members across campus for their recommendations … Read more

[ABC News] Native American creators pave the way for more Indigenous stories, representation in Hollywood

Native American characters in film and television have long been limited to largely stereotypical portrayals, with opportunities for Indigenous actors and creators few and far between. But in recent years, the industry has seen a proliferation of stories that put Indigenous perspectives front and center, ushering in a new age of Native American representation both … Read more

[Times Union] ‘Genius’: Bard professor Sky Hopinka wins MacArthur award

RED HOOK — The MacArthur Foundation described his work as a filmmaker, video artist and photographer as traversing Indigenous histories and contemporary experiences in a way that “not only represents the lives of Indigenous peoples, but incorporates their worldviews into the strategies of representation itself.” Sky Hopinka, an assistant professor at Bard College in Dutchess … Read more

[PBS] Analysis: How well-meaning land acknowledgements can erase Indigenous people and sanitize history

Many events these days begin with land acknowledgments: earnest statements acknowledging that activities are taking place, or institutions, businesses and even homes are built, on land previously owned by Indigenous peoples. And many organizations now call on employees to incorporate such statements not only at events but in email signatures, videos, syllabuses and so on. Organizations … Read more

[LA Times] After nearly 200 years, the Tongva community has land in Los Angeles County

When Kimberly Morales Johnson gazes up toward the San Gabriel Mountains, she sees the story of her community, the Tongva, Los Angeles’ first people, written on the granite. For thousands of years, the Tongva turned to these chaparral foothills and mountains during spring and summer months for food. Its canyons served as trading routes, connecting the flourishing … Read more

[OPB] University of Oregon and Eastern Oregon University announce programs supporting Native American students

By the end of Indigenous Peoples’ Day all of Oregon’s public universities had programs moving forward aimed at giving financial support to Native American students. Both the University of Oregon and Eastern Oregon University announced programs Monday, following Oregon’s five other public universities that made similar strides in the past few months. University of Oregon’s Home … Read more