News

• American Indian Studies Now a Full Academic Department
  

  After decades as a highly regarded interdepartmental program at UCLA, American Indian Studies has been elevated to a full academic department. This achievement is a tribute to the leadership and advocacy of Native American faculty, staff and students over many years. While American Indian Studies will continue its tradition of collaboration with other disciplines and … Read more



• Native Bruin- Past, Present, & Emerging – Maya Rose Dittloff
  

  This January 2023 we are highlighting Native Bruin Maya Rose Dittloff (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Blackfeet) class of 2019. Maya Rose Dittloff (ǔkkayǔ”kwīyinnimǎakii/Many Pipes Woman) is a queer Mandan, Hidatsa, and Blackfeet writer, director, and producer. A graduate of the School of Theater, Film, and Television with a concentration in screenwriting and cinematography in 2019. Maya … Read more



• [UCLA Newsroom] UCLA signs agreement with local tribal community for use of land
  

  Jessica Wolf | November 30, 2022 A new agreement between UCLA and members of the Gabrielino Tongva tribe will ensure that traditional ways of planting, harvesting and gathering are part of campus landscaping and caretaking practices. The memorandum of understanding also establishes guidelines that provide access to the descendants of the original inhabitants of the land … Read more



• [Bay Nature] How Indigenous People Got Some Land Back in Oakland
  

  On the surface, Sequoia Point seems like another lovely spot in a Bay Area park, with gnarled oaks, towering old-growth redwoods and a glorious view of the Bay. But this scenic overlook in Oakland’s Joaquin Miller Park has now acquired new significance, and a new Chochenyo name—Rinihmu Pulte’irekne, meaning “Above the Red Ochre”—because the city … Read more



• [Indian Country Today] Citizen Potawatomi Nation launches college language courses
  

  Citizen Potawatomi Nation In recent years, more Native American tribes across the country are building programs to preserve, maintain and revitalize their traditional languages, including Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN). It recently received a federal grant of $82,609 to launch college-level language courses. The grant was awarded under the Administration for Native Americans’ Emergency Native Language … Read more



• Native Bruin- Past, Present, & Emerging – Ty Coughenour
  

  This December we are highlighting Native Bruin Ty Coughenour (Lummi) class of 2011. Ty Coughenour is an award-winning writer, producer, and director who resides in Seattle, Washington, and is a member of the Lummi tribe. He graduated from UCLA in 2011 Cum Laude as a Gates Millennium Scholar. While at UCLA, he worked at the … Read more



• [ABC7] Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians explains why Native sovereignty is multifaceted
  

  SAN FERNANDO, Calif. (KABC) — “Our America: Reclaiming Turtle Island”brings to life the July 2022 National Geographic issue cover story, “We Are Here” and the conversation around Native sovereignty and the efforts Indigenous nations and communities are taking to reclaim Turtle Island — a common Indigenous name for North America. The documentary features narration by … Read more



• 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