Indian Heritage Week to be celebrated at Northern

Montana State University-Northern will be among the area colleges observing American Indian Heritage Week all next week with a series of events.

In Montana, the fourth Friday in September is American Indian Heritage Day. However, tribal colleges have broadened that period from one day to a week, with a multitude of activities and lectures. A year ago, Montana State University-Northern began dedicating that week to Native themed activities and lectures as well.

“I mean, this is Indian Country. There are four reservations,” said Christine Estrada-Underwood, the director diversity awareness and multicultural programs at Northern, referring to the Blackfeet, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck and Rocky Boy’s Indian resrvations, the four reservations on the Hi-Line.

Activities have traditionally included forums for discussion, tipi raising, feeds and stick games among other things. This year, students from area schools including Lincoln-McKinley Elementary School and St. Jude Thaddeus School will also be coming to the Northern campus.

All activities are open to the public, including:

Monday

• Teepee-raising ceremony with narration by Gerald Stiffarm, will be held at 9 a.m.

• A tour of Hagener Museum including Indian artifacts, 11 a.m.

Tuesday

• Montana Indians Today, a conference by Ruthann Knudson, sponsored by Havre Hometown Humanities at Hensler Auditorium, 2 p.m .

• A presentation on the book and movie “Winter in the Blood” and “The James Welch I Knew” by retired Northern professor Bill Thackeray in Hensler Auditorium, 6 p.m.

Wednesday

• Indian taco sale will be held at the Multicultural Center, Cowan 308, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Traditional games will be played in front of Student Union Building, 1 p.m.

Thursday

•“The Changing Image of American Indians in Film,“ a conference with Richard Ellis, will be held in Hensler Auditorium, 2 p.m.

(An earlier version of this story said that the Montana Indians Today and the Winter in the Blood lectures were Monday. They are Tuesday.)