November was Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, but UCCS campus has many ways to support and learn about Indigenous communities throughout the year.
According to assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous studies ‘Ilaheva Tua’one, we should emphasize a return to Indigeneity, which means learning Indigenous values and understanding how colonialization and imperialism have negatively affected these communities.
Education
The Women’s and Ethnic Studies (WEST) program offers the Native American & Indigenous Studies Undergraduate Certificate, which educates students in any profession on Indigenous views and issues, according to Tua’one, who is also the coordinator. Students must complete WEST 1010 and earn 12 credit hours in Indigenous-centered WEST courses to earn the certificate that emphasizes knowledge related to law and the medical field.
“If we can train young doctors or young medical professionals to be aware of [Indigenous] issues and be aware of those biases, then we can start beginning to change professional lives … We want people to have an Indigenous perspective when they go into law when we’re creating judges and politicians,” Tua’one said.
More information on the certificate is available here.
Tua’one will be teaching a class called South Sea Tales in the spring semester. The course intends to re-Indigenize the literary canon by examining the texts centered in the Pacific Islands written by colonialist/imperialist explorers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
“[South Sea Tales] combines what I like to call the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary backgrounds necessary to counter the Enlightenment on Indigenous thinking,” Tua’one said. The class will meet Wednesdays from 1:40 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.
UCCS is also offering a course in the spring called Global Indigenous Issues, which explores the development and current state of Indigenous populations worldwide. The course combines WEST 3220 and SOC 3270, and meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:25 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
An understanding of Indigenous values may aid in solving social justice issues, according to Tua’one. “There are no races in Indigeneity. There is no sexism. Everyone has a place. There is no value according to what you produce in Indigeneity… If we were instead focusing on Indigeneity, these other social justice issues might not be a problem,” Tua’one said.
Volunteering and support
Outside of becoming educated, some of the best ways advantaged students can help support Native American populations is by volunteering and donating, according to Tua’one. “It is the duty of people with advantages to figure out where their advantages might lie, and then how to redistribute those resources,” Tua’one said.
The Native American Student Alliance (NASA) is a great support resource on campus for championing Native American voices, helping to educate students and hosting cultural events, according to Tua’one. The club is open to anyone, regardless of racial or ethnic identity.
A list of local Indigenous organizations community members can show support to is available here.
Land acknowledgement
In 2023, UCCS adopted a land acknowledgement that recognizes the campus is built on Native land. It was created in partnership with the Division of DEI, Northern Ute, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute Peoples and Indigenous campus members.
Land acknowledgements is meant to counteract possible injustices Indigenous populations have faced due to colonialism and are one of many ways to respect our land’s forebears.