Native U News
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Newsletter Archive
June 2024
We are pleased to announce that the host for this year's second annual Native Excellence Gala is acclaimed Cree/Salish award-winning musician Fawn Wood!
Indigenous Brilliance: Celebrating Graduates
May 2024
Celebrating graduates shines a spotlight on the incredible achievements of our Indigenous students. Their resilience, cultural pride, and dedication have led them to this significant milestone.
Weaving Communities and Making Connections
April 2024
Memories and teachings carry us through every space we enter. All experiences are unique strands that guide our journey, ultimately bringing us together.
Women's History Month: Beauty of Beadwork
March 2024
The art of beadwork is a long-standing tradition within Native communities. This tradition continues to be practices to create unique designs and patters.
February 2024
As you get adjusted to the new semester, it is important to fell comfortable and share good food with friends and family. Traditional Native American food recipes are shared through the Natural History Museum of Utah that will keep your mind clear despite the cold month of February.
January 2024
As the 2023 year comes to a close, we welcome 2024! A new year is a time to reflect and remember all achievements from the past year. It gives us an opportunity to look forward to a new start and new beginning.
December 2023
As the Fall Season comes to a close we welcome the Winter Solstice. This season can be long and quiet, but it does not mean we can't have fun. Here are some fun winter activities that are each rooted in Indigenous traditions.
Native American Heritage Month
November 2023
Reflecting on Native American Heritage Month, we acknowledge that Indigenous peoples have been celebrating their heritage for centuries through food, dance, ceremony, language, teachings, stories, and much more.
Season of the Three Sister Crops
October 2023
Fall is back! As the leaves begin to change color, harvesting is also taking place among "The Three Sisters." According to an Iroquois legend; corn, beans and squash are inseparable sisters that were given to the people by the "Great Spirit."
Planting and Harvesting for Sustainable Futures
September 2023
As the month of August closes and September begins, our relatives begin preparations for harvest. A time of renewal and in many Native cultures, a new year, a taste of time ahead. We look forward to the foods to be used for celebration, ceremony, and nourishment for our futures.
Indigenous Futures Grounded: Back to School
August 2023
As we embark on a new academic year, we want to acknowledge our wisdom keepers and educators who encourage us to obtain an education while also honoring our oral traditions, kinship, and the unique experiences we each bring from our communities.
July 2023
As summer arrives, many Indigenous communities celebrate the first day of summer as a time of renewal. It is the midpoint between the growing season of harvesting and planting. This time of year includes prayer and ceremonies as part of this celebration.
June 2023
The Native Excellence Gala brings together Tribal Nation heads of state, community partners and members, educators, and students to celebrate changemakers and leaders who are making a positive impact on behalf of the Indigenous community.
May 2023
This month the University of Utah celebrates spring graduates. This important moment for Native graduates brings great honor to their tribal nations and communities. Congratulations 2023 Graduates!
April 2023
For the 51st Anniversary, the Pow Wow committee identified the necessity to highlight Indigenous Youth. As they navigate their past, present, and future, it is imperative to elevate Indigenous youth as they face and overcome new obstacles.
National Women's History Month
March 2023
In many Indigenous communities, women hold important societal responsibilities that foster the wellbeing of their community. This month, we celebrate and honor our grandmothers, mothers, aunties, and sisters who have made and are making history for the good of their nations.
Black and Indigenous Solidarity: Visions Of Abundance by Chief Lady Bird
February 2023
This piece was inspired by the continuous, ongoing, and cyclical community work initiated by Black and Indigenous fold. It is a visual love letter to our matriarchs and queer fam who envision radical features, which are inclusive and safe for racialized and gender diverse people.
New Year, New Beginnings, and Remembering the Past
January 2023
The Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation is one of the 8 tribal nations in the state of Utah, this year marks the 160th year of the Bear River Massacre.
December 2022
The winter solstice is an event that has been observed for millenia by many of our Indigenous ancestors...In its period of darkness, the winter solstice is an opportunity to go inward with deep intention, to care for our spiritual selves, our bodies and minds, our loved ones and families, and to prepare for the longer days ahead."
We Are Here: Native Presence at the U
November 2022
We acknowledge that this land, which is named for the Ute Tribe, is the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute Tribes.
It's Always a Good Day to be Indigenous
October 2022
Since the first Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebration in Salt Lake City, local Indigenous activist and allies continue the efforts to honor Indigenous people and promote the wellbeing and growth of Indigenous communities.
September 2022
In reclaiming indigenous food ways, Indigenous people are rekindling health, sustainable, and ecological food relations.
We Each Have a Path, a Purpose
August 2022
"We each ha[ve] a path, a purpose that the Creator ha[s] chosen for us. Just as a warbler knows to sing, and build its nest, and fly south in winter," we find our purpose by creating our own paths akin to a "winged samara of a maple tree, a windborne seed searching for a place to set root." - Diane Wilson (Dakhóta)
July 2022
By remembering that social constructs are only what we allow them to be, we can color history through our own eyes, and truly own the Indigenous within us." - J. Nicole Hatfield (Numunuu/Khoiye-Goo)
June 2022
We are where we have always meant to arrive, pushing our hands against the open sky, alive and pulsing with generations of light-the-seventh: we stand, we brush the dirt from our hands; we break open inherited beginnings and begin to build up from the fault lines. - Kinsale Drake (Diné)
May 2022
Congratulations to the Class of 2022! We recognize your hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance; and we are also so very proud of you. We hope that your graduation is only the beginning of many more remarkable achievements in your life. The AIRC will always be your home, no matter where your path takes you.
April 2022
As spring semester ends and we prepare for graduation, take a moment to pause and reflect on the beauty that surrounds us and unites us in our shared history, culture, language and traditions. The more we embrace knowing ourselves and where we come from, the stronger we will begin moving forward.