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Sunday, October 07, 2018

Indigenous Peoples' Week events begin Oct. 8 at Michigan Tech

Poster for Falling Leaves Moon Powwow, part of Indigenous Peoples' Week at Michigan Tech. The Powwow will take place on Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Wood Gym in Michigan Tech's Student Development Complex (SDC), with a Grand Entry at 1 p.m. and at 7 p.m. (Posters courtesy Indigenous Peoples' Day Campaign in Michigan's U.P.)

HOUGHTON -- Indigenous Peoples' Week at Michigan Tech begins Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, with various events on campus to recognize the contributions and struggles of Indigenous peoples from around the world. All events are free and open to the public. Here is the schedule:

Monday, Oct. 8:

Peace activist Miko Peled will present "Freedom and Justice, the Keys to Peace in Palestine," from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in GLRC (Great Lakes Research Center) 202.

Poster for Peace Activist Miko Peled's presentation on Monday, Oct. 8, in GLRC 202 on the Michigan Tech campus.

Israeli-born peace activist Miko Peled will address some of the basic history of the Palestine/Israel question, the Israeli occupation and what this means to thousands of Palestinian youth and their families.

He will also discuss the recent events in Gaza and the role of international solidarity in supporting the struggle for equal rights and freedom in Palestine.

Miko Peled speaks on Peace in Palestine/Israel during a 2015 visit to Michigan Tech. (Keweenaw Now file photo)*

"Some may ask, why is the question of Palestine a part of Indigenous Peoples’ Week?" said Miguel Levy of the Indigenous Peoples' Day Campaign in Michigan's U.P. "First and foremost, it is because the Palestinians are the indigenous people to what today constitutes the state of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Secondly, because they are valiantly resisting settler-colonialism in that part of the world. They are facing the same threats faced by the indigenous peoples of North America for over 200 years. Settler-colonialism is a world-wide phenomenon, threatening the genocidal decimation of native cultures and peoples in North America, South and Central America, the Middle East and Australia. And decolonization, the fight for the survival and reconstitution of indigenous peoples and cultures, is its counterpart. Hence, the question of Palestine is a global issue of international import."

This event is sponsored by the Michigan Tech Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), the Social Sciences, Physics and Forestry Departments at Michigan Tech, the Indigenous Peoples' Day Campaign in Michigan's U.P., the Keweenaw Committee for Justice in Palestine and the Episcopal Church of Marquette.

Thursday, Oct. 11:

Ojibwe tribal member Steven Naganashe Perry, PhD, will deliver the presentation "Michigan Boarding Schools and Multi-generational Trauma," from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in GLRC room 202.

Perry, a decorated veteran, is an activist, educator and philanthropist. He has been involved in numerous campaigns about the environment, wildlife, racism and water. Perry descends from The Naganashe family of Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians (Waganakising) and The Pine (Shingwauk) family of Garden River Ojibwe Reserve (Kitigan-zeeping) in Ontario.

Saturday, Oct. 13:

"Falling Leaves Moon" Powwow, sponsored by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society at Michigan Tech (AISES), will be held from 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the SDC (Student Development Complex) Wood Gym. Grand Entries will be at 1 p.m and 7 p.m.

A young dancer and drum at the 2017 AISES Powwow at Michigan Tech. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

The AISES Pow Wow is free and open to the public in order to encourage cultural sharing and understanding of Native American traditions, heritage and identity.

The event will feature traditional singing, dancing and drumming by men, women, children and veterans. A Grand Entry begins each dance session, followed by intertribal singing and dancing.


Thursday, Oct. 18:

Featured documentary, Tribal Justice. The film focuses on using restorative practices and traditional concepts of justice. It will be shown from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Fisher 135 on the Michigan Tech campus.
 

In this film two Native American judges reach back to traditional concepts of justice in order to reduce incarceration rates, foster greater safety for their communities, and create a more positive future for their youth. By addressing the root causes of crime, they are providing models of restorative justice that are working. Mainstream courts across the country are taking notice.

This film is sponsored by the Michigan Tech's Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Academic and Community Conduct, the Department of Cognitive Sciences and AISES.

Editor's Note:

* Miko Peled spoke at Michigan Tech in September 2015. See our Oct. 28, 2015, article "Israeli-American peace activist Miko Peled calls for one-state solution to Israeli occupation of Palestine."