News

• Job Opportunity: Student Services Advisor and Assistant to the Chair
  

  Student Services Advisor and Asst to the Chair  Application Deadline: 8:59 p.m. on 05/29/2024 Department Summary First established in 1982, the Department of American Indian Studies offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in native and indigenous studies, with faculty engagement from across campus. Our faculty also hold appointments in Anthropology, Art History, Education, Ethnic Studies, Gender … Read more



• Native Bruin: Past, Present, & Future – Arlene Bowman (Diné)
  

  Bruin Highlight: Past, Present & Future This May 2024 we are highlighting Native Bruin, Arlene Bowman (Diné), class of 1986, MA in Film & Television. Arlene Bowman discovered her passion for art at a young age, drawing faces and bodies in elementary school before transitioning to still photography at fourteen. She earned her Bachelor of … Read more



• AISC Supports Free Speech and Non-Violent Protest
  

  Chokma AISC inkana, I write to express our collective concern regarding the events of recent days on the UCLA campus. The AISC came about, in large part, because of student activism and protest. We stand committed to free speech and the right for our students to exercise non-violent political protest, safely and without fear of … Read more



• Native Bruin: Past, Present, & Future – Makela Yepez (Pomo)
  

  Bruin Highlight: Past, Present & Future This April 2024 we are highlighting Native Bruin, Makela Yepez (Pomo), class of 2021 Makela Yepez, a member of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians located in rural Northern California, aspired of becoming an artist in Los Angeles from a young age. Upon gaining acceptance to the UCLA School … Read more



• The Arianna & Hannah Yellowthunder Scholarship for 2024-25 Academic Year
  

  The Arianna & Hannah Yellowthunder Scholarship for 2024-25 Academic Year Eligible Students: Must be a UCLA student during the 2024-25 academic year Student must be an American Indian Studies Major, Minor or a Master’s degree student Or student must have proof of American Indian ancestry/lineal descent Undergraduate students must have 90 units or more during … Read more



• Native Bruin: Past, Present, & Future – Vivian C. Garcia
  

    This March 2024 we are highlighting Native Bruin, Vivian C. Garcia (Cherokee), class of 2011. Vivian C. Garcia, a proud member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is a dedicated advocate for the Native American community in Los Angeles. With ties to both Los Angeles and Oklahoma, she has devoted her career to promoting … Read more



• LA Times: UCLA doubles down on ethnic studies expansion amid fraught national politics
  

  By Teresa Watanabe | Staff Writer  Feb. 5, 2024 6 AM PT More than five decades ago, Morgan Chu was taught a version of American history that all but ignored the experiences of Asian Americans like him. Chu, an attorney who grew up in New York and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, never … Read more



• UCLA Newsroom: Alumni Helen and Morgan Chu pledge $10 million to benefit UCLA Institute of American Cultures
  

  Ben Stephens | February 5, 2024 Key takeaways Longtime donors to UCLA, the Chus participated in student-led protests in the 1960s that brought about the creation of UCLA’s ethnic studies centers. Their latest gift is intended to create four endowed chairs and provide wider support for the work of the UCLA Institute of American Cultures. … Read more



• Native Bruin: Past, Present, & Future – Lorenzo Baca
  

  Bruin Highlight: Past, Present & Future This February 2024 we are highlighting Native Bruin Lorenzo Baca, class of 1986. Lorenzo Baca describes himself as a “story-making visual, literary and performing CIMOC (creative Indigenous man of color) artist, of an endangered species along with Puebloan and Spanish origins,” which is his primary cultural identity. Although raised … Read more



• Native Bruin: Past, Present & Future – Avory Wyatt
  

  This January 2024 we are highlighting Native Bruin Avory Wyatt (Wašiw & Nümu) class of 2023. Avory Wyatt is Wašiw (Washo) and Numu (Northern Paiute) and a member of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. Before entering higher education, Avory grew up on the Hungry Valley Reservation which is located about thirty minutes outside of Reno, Nevada. … Read more