Penn State celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day: ‘Rewriting the history of what this day means’
Indigenous recipes, dance performances and flags filled Heritage Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center Monday night as part of a celebration for Indigenous Peoples Day.
Organized by the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, the celebration was originally intended to be a small gathering, according to Amy Dupain Vashaw, the audience and program development director for the CPA. But hundreds attended to take in the music, try new foods and support Indigenous students and community members.
“We never, ever expected a response of 300 plus people to this event,” said Vashaw, who was excited to try the frybread and corn soup. “This is the best kind of surprise.”
Engaging performing artists helps engage the community, Vashaw said. The CPA was responsible for booking Las Cafeteras, an Indigenous Mexican band from Los Angeles who performed at the celebration.
The group considers themselves “artivists” — a combination of artists and activists — and uses its music to spread a message of social justice.
Vashaw stressed the importance of having all kinds of music that illustrate both the struggle and the joy of Indigenous people.
“Music is culture,” she said. “Just with a simple drum in the voice, you can convey thousands and thousands of years of people’s culture.”
Also on hand during Monday’s event was Penn State’s Indigenous Peoples’ Student Association (IPSA), which president Kayla Cwalina said was created because Pennsylvania does not have federally recognized Native tribes. Without IPSA, Cwalina said there would be no education about or representation of Indigenous people at Penn State.
“We had to take the initiative to get our voices heard,” Cwalina said, representing the Lakota tribe. “We are the only people at this university who come forward and present ourselves this way.”
She said Monday night’s celebration was designed to prioritize an Indigenous narrative.
“Today, we are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, rather than Columbus Day,” Cwalina said. “We are rewriting the history of what this day means to us.”
Despite what the “whitewashed version of history” says, Cwalina said, “we’re still here.”
“We’re still native,” Cwalina said. “We still face these challenges.”
She urged others to join the fight for Indigenous representation, and to those who aren’t Indigenous, Cwalina said to ask questions to learn more.
“You can ask,” Cwalina said. “We are more than happy to answer questions.”
Standing beside the wall draped in flags representing the tribes of Indigenous Penn State students, Cwalina said seeing the community come together to celebrate Indigenous people was “amazing.”
“It’s heartwarming to see that we have all these people to support us,” Cwalina said. “It doesn’t just end here.”
She said she hopes those who attended would tell their friends about the celebration, encouraging them to come to future events celebrating Indigenous people.
Serena Salt, a member of IPSA, said she came to the celebration to celebrate her cultural identity and help spread awareness about IPSA.
“With us being so small, we don’t get to really host big events like this,” Salt said.
Representing the Diné, or Navajo, tribe, Salt said she loves the idea of people rejecting Columbus Day and instead celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day. She said it’s important for young Indigenous people like herself to keep traditions alive.
“We are the faces of our ancestors,” Salt said. “We are our ancestors’ dreams chasing our futures.”
