Northern celebrates Mexican Heritage Month

At Montana State University-Northern, St. Jude Thaddeus School children were shown how to make traditional tortillas in honor of Mexican Heritage Month.

Cristina Estrada-Underwood, director of Diversity Awareness and Multicultural Programs, led the demonstration with the help of members of Havre's Hispanic community.

"The tortilla is the basic Mexican food," Estrada-Underwood said. " ... We thought it would be something fun."

The students were shown how to properly prepare tortillas and were afterward treated to Mexican cuisine accompanied by mariachi music.

Estrada-Underwood said she hoped Northern students would attend the demonstration, but she is glad St. Jude Thaddeus came to participate.

The director took her position at the university in July and has a full list of events she is planning.

On Oct. 18, she is planning a "Feast of Nations," where the community will be able to indulge in foreign cuisines from places like Morocco and Bangladesh.

"It's going to be a party for everybody," Estrada-Underwood said.

The event will feature belly dancers and the dishes will be prepared by professional chefs.

She said the Native American Week celebrations coming up next week and karaoke in Spanish the week after are just the beginning of the cultural events she has planned for the university and the Hi-Line.

Estrada-Underwood has lived in Havre for nine years, where she was an instructor at Aaniiih Nakoda College and taught Spanish at Northern.