SU Commemorates Native American Heritage Month Through Nov. 26

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University commemorates Native American Heritage Month in November with a special film and discussion series.

Events begin Monday, November 12, with a screening of the Peabody Award-winning documentary Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian in Teacher Education and Technology Center Room 153. The 2009 Neil Diamond film follows the evolution of the depiction of Native Americans in movies from the first silent films to the 21st century. Included are interviews with directors, writers and actors including Clint Eastwood and Jim Jarmusch. John Kalb, SU professor of Native American literature, leads an open discussion following the screening.

Nanticoke Indian Museum past curator Odette Wright shares “The Nanticoke Indian Story” 7 p.m. Monday, November 19, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall. A member of the Nanticoke, Wright has traveled throughout the United States and internationally for the past 16 years to educate others about the tribe.

The East Meets West Dancers provide a dance presentation and discussion 6 p.m. Monday, November 26, in the Wicomico Room of the Guerrieri University Center. The group is hosted by the Maryland Indian Tourism Association, Inc., an all-volunteer 501c(3) non-profit dedicated to promotion of Maryland’s Native Cultures, historic and environmental conservation, and support of the state’s Indigenous Nations.

The Native American Heritage Month Awards, co-sponsored by SU and the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, follow at 7:30 p.m. in the Worcester Room of the Commons.

Honorees include the Piscataway Indian Nation and Piscataway Conoy Tribe, which recently earned Maryland state recognition. Also lauded are the 2012 SU women’s lacrosse Capital Athletic Conference championship team and the 2012 men’s lacrosse NCAA Division III national championship team.

Light refreshments will be served. Those planning to attend should RSVP to Cherita Richards at swdiversity1@salisbury.edu by Thursday, November 15.

The series is sponsored by SU’s Diversity Office, Native American Heritage Month Committee, Student Affairs Office, Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts, Alumni Relations Office, President’s Office and TRiO Achieve Student Support Services, and the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs.

Admission to all Native American Heritage Month events is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-543-6426 or visit the SU’s Office of Diversity Web site at www.salisbury.edu/diversity.