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This November, Cal State San Bernardino celebrates Native American Heritage Month with a series of events to honor Native American culture, traditions and contributions. This year’s theme echoes last year’s: “Decolonizing Across Communities.”

One of the highlights in a long list of exciting events includes a closing ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 29, featuring state Assemblymember James Ramos, D-Highland, a CSUSB alumnus and the first California-born Native American elected to the California Assembly, along with bird singers and words of wisdom from CSUSB Indigenous leaders.

The 2022 Native American Heritage Month (NAHM) events include:

  • Nov. 1 – Basket Weaving | First Peoples’ Center | 4-6 p.m. | Come join the First Peoples’ Center (FPC) as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month with one of the oldest, but still very relevant practices. Join Lorene Sisquoc, Sherman Indian School Museum curator, as she teaches the tradition of basket weaving, which was practiced by many tribes for various uses. Come have fun with us as we weave our own baskets!
  • Nov. 1 – NAHM Kickoff Lecture with Professor Gerald Clark and Dinner | FPC | 6-8 p.m. (food provided by off-campus vendor) | Come join us for our kickoff talk with Cahuilla artist and UC Riverside assistant professor, Gerald Clarke, who is also a cattle rancher, small business owner, father and active member of the Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians. He currently lives on the reservation, working on his family’s ranch, and is culturally active, having served on the Tribal Council as vice chairman. Clark is also an ethnic studies professor at the University of California, Riverside and a newly appointed member of the California Arts Council.
  • Nov. 3 – POSTPONED. DATE AND TIME TO BE DETERMINED. Center for Indigenous Studies Faculty Lecture: “We are Still Here. The Need for Decolonization” presented by CSUSB professor Hannah Kivalahula-Uddin | College of Education, Room 209 | noon-1 p.m. | Kivalahula-Uddin has a Ph.D. in educational psychology, three master’s degrees in education, and has worked for 20 years in P-12 Indian Education in various roles such as principal, educational program administrator and school counselor. You’re invited to hear her speak on the role of decolonization and the effect that it can have in life, work and the shaping of critical pedagogy.
  • Nov. 9 – Wisdom Wednesday with Daisy Ocampo | FPC | noon-1 p.m. (snacks provided) | Come have a relaxing afternoon in the First Peoples’ Center as we soak in words of wisdom from our CSUSB Indigenous leader Daisy Ocampo (Caz’Ahmo Indigenous Nation of Zacatecas), assistant professor of history. Meet with mentors Ocampo, Molly Springer (Cherokee Nation/Osage), associate vice president of student success and educational equity in the Division of Student Affairs, and Robert Levi Jr. (Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians), elder/culture bearer in-residence, who provide over 80+ years of combined knowledge and experience in education as Indigenous people. The atmosphere will be intimate and strengthening.
  • Nov. 10 – Healing Circle | FPC | noon-1 p.m. | Come join us in the First Peoples’ Center for our Healing Circle hosted by Paula Guadron from Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health Inc. This Healing Circle is an opportunity for all Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff and faculty to be in a safe space as we talk and be vulnerable with each other. The Healing Circle gives all a chance to open up and vent for better mental health and to know that here in the First Peoples’ Center, they are always welcome and always have a community here.
  • Nov. 10 – Gerald and Emily Clark Lecture | Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art | 7-9 p.m. | More details to come.
  • Nov. 15 – Basket Weaving | FPC | 4-6 p.m. | Come join the FPC as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month with one of the oldest, but still very relevant practices. The tradition of basket weaving was practiced by many tribes for various uses. Come have fun with us as we weave our own baskets!
  • Nov. 16 – Wisdom Wednesday with Molly Springer | FPC | noon-1 p.m. | Come have a relaxing afternoon in the First Peoples’ Center as we soak in words of wisdom from our CSUSB Indigenous leader Molly Springer (Cherokee Nation/Osage), associate vice president of student success and educational equity in the Division of Student Affairs. Meet with mentors Springer, Daisy Ocampo (Caz’Ahmo Indigenous Nation of Zacatecas), assistant professor of history, and Robert Levi Jr. (Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians), elder/culture bearer in-residence, who provide over 80+ years of combined knowledge and experience in education as Indigenous people. The atmosphere will be intimate and strengthening.
  • Nov. 18 – Thanks-taking Gathering | Obershaw Dining Hall (SMSU East) | noon-2 p.m. | Students and the community will get together to celebrate the resilience and survival of our people and cultures, as well as celebrate the harvest season for some Indian tribes. We will gain perspectives from Indian people from different regions about how Thanksgiving has affected people in these regions. We will also highlight the irony in the term “Thanksgiving,” exposing the United States for “giving” nothing while “taking” everything. Come celebrate our people with cultural songs and food!
  • Nov. 18 – Truth and Healing Commission | Yasuda Center | 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. |  The California Truth & Healing Council, created by Governor Newsom via Executive Order N-15-19, bears witness to, records, examines existing documentation of, and receives California Native American narratives regarding the historical relationship between the State of California and California Native Americans in order to clarify the historical record of such relationship in the spirit of truth and healing. The council is led and convened by the Governor’s Tribal Advisor and governed by a Governing Council of California Native American leaders, and may include additional non-voting representatives from California Native American tribes, relevant state and local agencies, and other relevant non-governmental stakeholders. Registration and additional details will be updated here as they become available.
  • Nov. 28 – Talk with Elizabeth Brierty, Education Coordinator at San Manuel | FPC | noon-2 p.m. | Come and get together with members of the San Manuel community, our tribal community right next door to CSUSB. Elizabeth Brierty serves as the San Manuel education coordinator and she will share more about her own history, her role with the community, and how students can also work in education for tribal communities.
  • Nov 29 – Closing with Assemblymember Ramos and Bird Singing | SMSU North Court Patio | 2-3 p.m. |Assemblymember James Ramos, D-Highland, is a member of the Serrano & Cahuilla tribes and a CSUSB alumnus. He is the first California-born Native American elected to the state Assembly. On Nov. 6, 2018, he was elected to represent the 40th District, which includes the cities of Highland, Loma Linda, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and San Bernardino.
  • Nov. 30 – Wisdom Wednesday with Elder Robert Levi Jr. | FPC | noon-1 p.m. (snacks provided) | Come have a relaxing afternoon in the First Peoples’ Center as we soak in words of wisdom from our Indigenous leader Robert Levi Jr. (Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians), elder/culture bearer in-residence. Meet with mentors Levi, Molly Springer (Cherokee Nation/Osage), associate vice president of student success and educational equity in the Division of Student Affairs, and Daisy Ocampo (Caz’Ahmo Indigenous Nation of Zacatecas), assistant professor of history, who provide over 80+ years of combined knowledge and experience in education as Indigenous people. The atmosphere will be intimate and strengthening.

For more information and updates, visit the CSUSB Native American Heritage Month website and follow the First Peoples’ Center on Instagram, @firstpeoplescenter_csusb.