ECU holds powwow, lectures for Native American Awareness Month

Native American Awareness Month will kick off at noon Saturday, Nov. 1, with a powwow at Mendenhall Student Center. Sponsored by ECU’s Native American fraternity, Epsilon Chi Nu, the powwow provides an educational and cultural opportunity for native and non-native Americans to meet.

Activities continue throughout the month, featuring cultural exchanges, lectures and storytelling, with a keynote address Nov. 13 by physician and author Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord. She is the author of “The Scalpel and the Silver Bear” (1999). The book tells of her journey from the reservation to become a surgeon and her work to combine Navajo philosophies of healing with western medicine to create models of healing environments.
Alvord is the associate dean of student and multicultural affairs at Dartmouth Medical School. The lecture takes place at 4 p.m. in the Great Rooms at Mendenhall Student Center. A reception will follow.

Other events include native crafts and music by Ouray Clark from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, in Room 2N-86 of the Brody Medical Sciences Building; and Joey Crutchfield and Connie Glast, who will offer storytelling and drumwork Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Brody 2S-04.

Thursday, Nov. 6, ECU medical humanities professor Dr. Todd Savitt will moderate a film and discussion. “Unnatural Causes: Bad Sugar” explores racial and socioeconomic inequities in health, particularly diabetes, in Native American communities. It will be 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Brody 2N-86.

Nov. 10, ECU history professor Dr. Chris Oakley will moderate the film “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” at 6 p.m. in Room 2409 at Joyner Library. At 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at Ledonia Wright Cultural Center, “Smoke Signals” will be shown.

For more information, contact Andrea Bristol at 328-5731 or diversity@ecu.edu. More information is also available online at http://www.ecu.edu/ecudiversity.