UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Indigenous Peoples Day will be celebrated at Penn State with events on Monday, Oct. 9, and Tuesday, Oct. 10.
The Indigenous Peoples' Student Association and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Association, in partnership with the Office of Educational Equity, Student Affairs, and the Office of the Provost, have coordinated events in recognition and celebration. Learn more about the events here.
Acknowledgement of Land
In collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples' Student Association and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance: The Pennsylvania State University campuses are located on the original homelands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora), Lenape (Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe, Stockbridge-Munsee), Monongahela, Shawnee (Absentee, Eastern, and Oklahoma), Susquehannock, and Wahzhazhe (Osage) Nations. As a land grant institution, we acknowledge and honor the traditional caretakers of these lands and strive to understand and model their responsible stewardship. We also acknowledge the longer history of these lands and our place in that history.
Resistance Day Rally
Monday, Oct. 9, noon to 1 p.m., Old Main steps
Members of the Indigenous Peoples’ Student Association will lead a celebration and testimonial event on the importance of Indigenous Peoples Resistance Day. The rally will feature short performances by the Akwesasne Women Singers, the Jake George Family and Las Cafeteras, and artists will share their thoughts on what it means to resist from the assembled crowd. No registration is required; visit the Rally Event webpage for more information. The event is presented in collaboration with the Center for the Performing Arts, Student Affairs, Educational Equity, and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance.
Indigenous Peoples Day Feast
Monday, Oct. 9, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center
Join the Indigenous Peoples’ Student Association, Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance, Hispanic Heritage Month Committee, and the Center for the Performing Arts in a celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day. The Indigenous Peoples Day Feast will feature a smoke dance exhibition by the Jake George Family, short performances by Las Cafeteras and the Caliente Dance Company, and a Haudenosaunee Social by the Akwesasne Women Singers. Food using Indigenous recipes will be provided. The event is free, but you must register in advance to attend the feast.
"A People’s History of Music in the United States" Workshop
Tuesday, Oct. 10, noon to 1:30 p.m., Dewey Room, Pattee Library’s Collaboration Commons
Register to attend this interactive lecture, which will include a songwriting workshop. From the South African struggle against Apartheid to the Nuevo Canto (New Music) movement in Chile, music has been used as a tool for liberation, as well as a means to help dismantle oppression. This interactive workshop will explore U.S. history through a new lens and share video and audio of past and present artists who risked their careers, as well as their lives, in order to sing a new song. In collaboration with the Penn State University Libraries, join us for lunch, songwriting and learning. Registration for the workshop is now open.
Las Cafeteras Pre-Performance Discussion
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m., Eisenhower Auditorium
Join Melina Porro as she moderates an interview-style discussion with members of Las Cafeteras. Las Cafeteras event ticket required.
Las Cafeteras
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m., Eisenhower Auditorium
Join the musicians of Las Cafeteras for an evening of music that the Los Angeles Times has called a "uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip-hip, beat music, cumbia, and rock." These contemporary Chicano troubadours have performed with musical icons Café Tacuba and Lila Downs, Columbia singer Juanes, hip-hop artist Common, and West Coast artists Ozomatli, Los Lobos and the LA Philharmonic. Tickets for Las Cafeteras are available here.
Las Cafeteras is presented by the Center for the Performing Arts in collaboration with the Penn State Hispanic Heritage Month Committee, the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance, and the Penn State Educational Equity Equal Opportunity Planning Committee.