Kendra Germany
Staff writer
This month, SE is celebrating Native American culture with Native November.
Native November is a series of events that celebrate and share Native American culture.
Hosting events like Native November is an important part of sharing Native culture, according to Chris Wesberry, coordinator of Native American Center for Student Success.
“With 30 percent of our campus population being Native American, it is always good to share our culture not only with each other, but with faculty and staff as well,” said Wesberry.
On Thursday, Nov. 15 Keith Bohanan of the Indian Health Services will visit the SE campus to present an IHS Scholarship presentation.
The presentation will be held in Room 303 of the Student Union Atrium from 2-4 p.m.
SE students, faculty and staff will visit the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur on Nov. 17.
Those in attendance will visit a traditional village, see demonstration of the Stomp Dance, view a film on a 40-foot by 60-foot screen, eat lunch and explore the Chickasaw Cultural Center grounds.
A mini-Choctaw Days will be held on Nov. 26 on campus.
According to Wesberry, the event will feature dancing, artists and other cultural demonstrations.
The Native November festivities began on Nov.1 with a production of “To Us It Wasn’t Code,” a play about the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War II.
“To Us It Wasn’t Code” is a collaborative production between SE and the Choctaw Nation.
On Nov. 3 Native American Scholarship recipients were recognized for their accomplishments at Paul Laird Field during the SE vs. Harding football game.
Scholarship recipients are: Kirsten Ashby, Brenner Billy, Mary Burgess, Hailey Cusher, Dakota Estrada, Philip Ford, Rebecca Gordon, Clay Moore, Michael Noah, Dakota Palmer, Taylor Reeves, Allyssa Rhoades, Jaren Richards, Evan Staples, Leigh Ward, Kristopher Ward, Caley Wesberry and Leslie Wesberry.
Native November events continued on Nov. 6 with a presentation by the Chickasaw Department of Homeland Affairs.
The presentation covered the history of the Chickasaw Nation and recent discoveries in the tribal homelands in Mississippi.
Native American high school students visited campus on Nov. 7 for Native American Student Visitation Day, during which got the chance to experience life at SE.
According to Wesberry, students enjoyed visiting campus but seemed to enjoy playing stickball most of all.
All Native November events are free and open to everyone. For more information, contact Wesberry at 745-2376.
November 15, 2012