Alaskans, American Indians Celebrate Heritage

By Broadside Style Staff

With the start of November, most American families are preparing for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate the Pilgrims successfully surviving their first winter in America. However, while it is important to recognize these early settlers, all too often Americans forget about the important role Native Americans have played throughout our nation’s history.

This year, George Mason University will be celebrating its sixth annual Native American and Alaskan Heritage month, sponsored by the Office of Diversity Programs and Services, by holding various events throughout the month of November.
Beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., ODPS will be hosting a pre-powwow dance workshop in Dewberry Hall. Here, members of the American Indian and Alaskan Native Student Association, or AIANSA, will teach Mason students about traditional music and native dances. This workshop will prepare Mason students for the Sixth Annual Veteran’s Powwow on Monday Nov. 10, which is the largest to date. Doors open at 12 p.m. and the grand entry is at 1 p.m. The powwow lasts until 10 p.m. and is free for all. Dakota Schreiner, a senior employee at ODPS and member of the Lakota at the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota says the “powwow includes native dancers and vendors and is a way to educate the public about a bit of Indian culture and dance.”

“The public is welcome to perform in the dancing,” said Schreiner.