Baylor University Recognizes Native American Heritage Month
Want to learn about Indigenous arts and culture from gifted performers? Are you interested in engaging in community conversation with descendants of Waco’s earliest inhabitants? Do you prefer to explore Native American culture through selected online sources? Throughout the month of November, Baylor will recognize Native American Heritage Month and offer a variety of ways to connect to the rich history and culture of the Native American people.
Mayborn Museum Hosts Fifth Annual Native American Heritage Month Series
Throughout the month of November, Baylor’s Mayborn Museum is hosting its Fifth Annual celebration of National Native American Heritage Month with exciting performances and lectures from the Native community. The year’s theme, storytelling, explores issues at the heart of Native histories and contemporary experiences. The series includes a community conversation with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, direct descendants of the tribes indigenous to the Waco area.
Native American Heritage Month programming includes:
Experience Indigenous ACE
Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at 3:00 PM
In an encore performance by Indigenous ACE (Arts, Culture, and Education), performers from the Indigenous Cultures Institute in San Antonio return to feature traditional dancers, musicians, and singers plus explanations of traditions. The organization is made up of close family and friends that represent several tribes (Saponi, Comanche, Apache, Alabama-Coushatta, Chickasaw, Navajo, Wastec), and performers include men, women and children. This event is included in the price of admission to the museum. Baylor University students and Mayborn Museum members receive free admission.
We Are Waco: reconnecting with the wí:ko:ʔ people — A Conversation with Wichita and Affiliated Tribes
Monday, November 6, 2023, at 6:00 PM
The Mayborn Museum will host President Terri Parton and a delegation of leaders from the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, who are direct descendants of the tribes indigenous to the Waco area; the Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakoni people. The event is part of a community conversation on building long-term relations between the tribe and the present-day people of Waco. Attendees will learn about the tribes’ history, culture, language, ideas, and hopes…and even the correct pronunciation of “Waco”. This event is free, but space is limited and advanced registration is required. Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/a5fhutw/lp/1903e75b-bd05-4950-a47d-b5b29caca9da
Storytelling with Robert Lewis
Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at 3:00 PM
Enjoy an entertaining storytelling experience with Robert Lewis of the Cherokee Nation, who will share stories of his people and culture. Lewis engages audiences of all ages with witty and amusing personal stories and Cherokee tales of language and history. This lecture is in partnership with Baylor’s Institute for Oral History and the Department of History. This event is included in the price of admission to the museum. Baylor University students and Mayborn Museum members receive free admission.
Creative Arts Experiences
Five Creative Arts Experience events are available for online student participation from November 12-16. With event in the categories of Literature World Culture, Music, Film, Art and Theater, these Creative Arts Experience events explore the stories, art and traditions of Indigenous people and cultures.
-
This short documentary tells the story of Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of the Wukchumni language, and the dictionary she created to keep her language alive.
-
Ya Tseen brings his perspective as an Indigenous artist to every aspect of the band's music and artistry. Even the backdrop of their Tiny Desk (home) concert is a house screen — the largest of its kind in Southeast Alaska — carved by Will Burkhart and Galanin (as an apprentice). The video was filmed at the Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi community house, modeled after customary Tlingit Long Houses.
-
RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World
This revelatory documentary brings to light Indigenous people's profound and overlooked influence on popular music in North America. RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World shows how these pioneering Native American musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives.
-
Preserving Dance, Music, and Craft
A beautiful collection of prominent Native American Artisans sharing their heritage, traditional art, and stories.
-
Rooted in tradition and ceremony, dance and regalia are important to Native American culture. Hundreds of dances exist, performed by tribes across the United States. In this segment, Russell Harjo, Leya Hale, and Jennie Kappenman explore the meaning, history, and regalia of three unique Native American dances.