Wildhorse performs at a powwow exhibit as part of the 2022 Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Long Beach. (Courtesy of California State University, Long Beach)
Cal State Long Beach hosts several Native American Heritage Month events throughout November.
CSULB is home to the oldest and largest Native American Indian studies program in the West. The university will honor the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans, according to a news release.
Events for students, alumni, staff, and faculty include ballroom dancing, traditional food and crafts, artist demonstrations, film screenings, and more.
The Native American Heritage Month kickoff celebration will be held at the University Student Union Southwest Terrace on Wednesday, Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Alumni, students, faculty and staff will perform a powwow dance, led by the Tres Martinez Bird Singers. There will be dancing, string making, and frying bread.
Bead circles will be held on Thursdays, November 2nd and November 16th from 6pm in Room 307 of the University Student Union. The Native American Student Council will teach participants how to make beaded earrings.
On Monday, Nov. 6, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., an artistic demonstration hosted by the Society for American Indian Studies and the American Indian Student Council will be held to raise awareness of the historic genocide of California’s Native Americans. It will be held on the upper campus.
A career insight workshop scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 7, will help Native American students gain skills from creating resumes to finding job search resources.
La FUERZA Student Association honors the Day of the Dead traditions of the Purépecha community of Michoacán. The public event on Thursday, November 9th will include traditional music, food, performances, dancing, stalls and more, and will take place at 5pm in the University Student Union Ballroom. The procession at Puvunna is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Powwow 101 Ballroom Dance Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, November 14th at 6pm in the University Student Union Ballroom. Learn about the ballroom dances and drum songs commonly seen and heard at powwows.
The final event of Native American Heritage Month, the “Smoke Signals” film screening, will be held at the University Student Union on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. The film discusses Native American representation and cultural norms in the media.
For more information and a complete list of events, visit csulb.campuslabs.com.