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

Native Bruin: Pat, Present & Emerging -David Montoya

David Montoya

This December we are highlighting Native Bruin David Montoya (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo), Class of 2009 – Juris Doctorate, Masters American Indian Studies.  David Montoya is an enrolled member of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and has been serving Indian Country as an attorney and consultant for over 10 years. David graduated from UCLA School of Law’s … Read more

Native Bruin- Past, Present, & Emerging – Aiko Little

This MARCH 2023 we are highlighting Native Bruin Aiko Little (Oglala Lakota) class of 2020. Aiko Little is a Native American (Oglala Lakota) & Filipina writer, actor, and Vice Chair of the WGA’s Native American Indigenous Writer’s Committee. Aiko was recently staffed on GET IT for Amazon – an upcoming Native American series set in … Read more

Special Event: Apache Stronghold and the Historic Preservation and Archaeology Department of the San Carlos Apache Tribe

Special Event: Apache Stronghold and the Historic Preservation and Archaeology Department of the San Carlos Apache tribe join us for a special event to share their struggle to protect the sacred site of Chi’chil Biłdagoteel (Oak Flat) from the mining giant Rio Tinto/Resolution Copper. Emblematic of the struggle of Indigenous Peoples across the Americas, Apache … Read more

Native Bruin- Past, Present, & Emerging – Eric Morrison

This FEBRUARY 2023 we are highlighting Native Bruin Eric Morrison from the Tlingit tribe, the first group of native students to attend UCLA in 1968. Eric (Tlingit name Koon’esh) Morrison has served as executive director of the Salamatof Tribe in Alaska since 2017. He has also served on the National Tribal Water Council for 20 … Read more

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

[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

[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

[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