Native American Heritage Month Celebration and Discussion Panel on November 12

Stony Brook University celebrates Native American Heritage Month on Wednesday, November 12, with a panel discussion by Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) faculty, a spoken word performance by Sumaq Kilari and a viewing of the exhibition "Weaving Words, Weaving Worlds: The Power of Indigenous Language in Contemporary Art."

The event is free and open to the public and will begin at 4 pm at the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery in the Staller Center for the Arts. It is sponsored by NAIS, Diversity, Intercultural, and Community Engagement (DICE) and the Zuccaire Gallery.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Joseph M. Pierce, director of NAIS and associate professor in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature. The panel will include David Weiden, Department of English; Valeria Meiller, Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature; Vick Quezada, Department of Art; and Darcey Evans, Department of Anthropology. A reception with light refreshments will follow the discussion.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to view the "Weaving Words, Weaving Worlds" exhibit, which explores the profound connections between Indigenous language and contemporary art, centering artists' work engaging with Algonquian languages spoken across Long Island and the Northeast. Also featured in the exhibition are archival materials from Stony Brook University's Special Collections, which provides vital historical context, illuminating the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples and languages on Long Island. Highlights include the Native Long Island map by the Suffolk County Archaeological Association, which features over 400 Algonquian words and cultural references.

The Native American Heritage Month activities at Stony Brook are held in acknowledgment of the rich contributions of Native/Indigenous Peoples and put on by the Native American Heritage Month Planning Committee, a network of faculty, staff, and students.