Beyond the Land Acknowledgment: ISU Invites Campus Community to Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Idaho State University faculty, staff, administrators and students are invited to participate in ISU’s annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration on Monday, October 12, a full day of learning, cultural celebration and relationship building with Tribal communities. This year’s theme, “Beyond the Land Acknowledgment: Indigenous Knowledge. Sovereignty in Action,” challenges the campus community to move beyond acknowledging Indigenous peoples and lands toward a deeper understanding of Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous knowledge and meaningful engagement with Tribal communities.

“Indigenous Peoples’ Day creates an opportunity to celebrate  Indigenous people, but it is equally important that it creates opportunities for learning and relationship building,” said Echo Marshall, ISU director of Tribal relations. “We especially encourage our non-Native students, colleagues, educators and community partners to attend. Strong relationships with Tribal communities begin with showing up, listening and learning.” For ISU faculty, staff and administrators, the day offers an opportunity to learn directly from Tribal community members and better understand the sovereign Tribal Nation with whom the University shares an important relationship.

Idaho State University’s Pocatello campus is located within the original boundaries of the Fort Hall Reservation and on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Shoshone and Bannock peoples. ISU also maintains a formal Memorandum of Agreement with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Moving beyond a land acknowledgment means continuing to strengthen that relationship through education, engagement and action.

The day begins at 8 a.m. with a tipi raising on the ISU Administration Building lawn, facilitated by Rose Ann Abrahamson. ISU students will have an opportunity to participate in the raising and learn alongside Tribal community members as part of this year’s increased emphasis on student involvement and experiential learning. Doors open at the Pond Student Union Ballroom at 9:30 a.m., followed by the formal opening at 10 a.m. with Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member and ISU alumnus Tyson Shay serving as emcee. The opening will include the Spring Creek Singers, Fort Hall Veterans Association, local royalty, student dancers, Tribal leadership and ISU President Robert Wagner.

An Indigenous brunch and networking gathering begins at 10:30 a.m., with an opportunity to connect with Tribal community members, students and colleagues. Hovia Edwards, an Okanagan-Similkameen, Shoshone and Navajo Native American flute player and composer, will also perform.

At 11 a.m., Gaylen V. Edmo, JD, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and Assistant General Counsel for the Tribes’ Office of Tribal Attorneys, will deliver the keynote address. His presentation will explore Tribal sovereignty and connect Indigenous knowledge and lifeways with contemporary sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship between the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and Idaho State University.

The afternoon continues with a Student and Alumni Oratorical and Storytelling Competition at 12:15 p.m. and a Student Dance Exhibition at 1:30 p.m.

Faculty, staff and students are also encouraged to visit Indigenous-focused displays and resources at the Eli M. Oboler Library and enjoy free admission to the Idaho Museum of Natural History from 2 to 5 p.m.

The day concludes in the Pond Student Union Ballroom with a Contemporary Indigenous Fashion Show at 6 p.m. The student-led event will showcase Indigenous identity and creativity through contemporary fashion, storytelling, cultural expression and regalia. An Aztec dance performance will follow the Fashion Show. Indigenous arts and crafts vendors, student research and educational displays will also be featured throughout the celebration, with food trucks available from noon to 8 p.m.

Faculty and staff are encouraged not only to attend, but also to invite students and colleagues to participate. Faculty whose courses connect with government, education, history, health, business, law, anthropology, social sciences, arts, communication, public administration or other related areas are encouraged to consider the day’s activities as an opportunity for student learning and engagement.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is intended for everyone. You do not need to already have experience working with Tribal communities to attend. In fact, the event provides an opportunity to begin building that knowledge.

For members of the ISU community who ask how they can better engage with Tribal Nations, understand Tribal sovereignty or strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities, Indigenous Peoples’ Day offers a simple place to begin: show up, listen, learn and build relationships.

The celebration is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested for planning purposes.

Register today: isu.edu/ipd/register

Additional event information and the complete schedule are available at isu.edu/ipd.