One university, two contrasting visions for Native heritage event
Native American students said they held an independent celebration after USC did not permit student speakers at the University event.
By BANI CHAUHAN & MAYBELINE TUCKER
On Friday, the University hosted its annual Native American Heritage Month celebration in Tutor Campus Center’s Trojan Family Room, including refreshments, a performance by the Torres Martinez Bird Singers and no Native American student speakers.
At the same time, Native American students gathered under a tent in the Exposition Park Rose Garden to hold their own, independent event. A student who requested anonymity for fear of University retaliation said it was important to have Indigenous speakers at Native American Heritage Month celebrations and that USC’s refusal to do so led to students planning an alternative event.
“In the beginning of the Native American Heritage Month planning within USC, we were told that there would be no Native student representation,” said the student, who is a member of the Kizh tribe. “In terms of the way that they’re censoring us and our voices and our own experiences, we thought that it would be better to have our own event.”
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When asked why student speakers were not permitted at the USC Native American Heritage Month event, the University said in a statement to the Daily Trojan that the University worked to make the annual event enjoyable for participants.
“A great deal of effort is put into making our university celebrations consistently joyous and successful, and we’re pleased that many people attended and enjoyed this year’s Native American Heritage Month celebration, just as they have in years past,” the statement read.
A student-led celebration
The student-led event opened with a sage smudging ceremony and land acknowledgement, followed by a student speaker who also requested anonymity for fear of University retaliation. The speaker thanked participants for attending and said it was important for Native people to have a space to gather where they didn’t have to fear repercussions for having a voice.
“[Los Angeles] has one of the largest urban Native populations, so I’m really glad that I found community and family here to be able to gather and talk about this with and spend time with each of you guys,” the speaker said. “Currently, as we know, USC is having a different gathering on campus, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that although people are participating, I don’t think we have to be complacent in bending to the will of censorship.”
Event participants mingled under the tent and enjoyed the provided snacks and food. Since the student-led event was not funded by the University, all food and supplies were donated to the event or provided by the organizers. Attendees were a combination of USC students and community members. The student from the Kizh tribe said USC was reluctant to formally invite other tribes or non-USC-affiliated speakers, another reason for holding an independent event.
In an interview with the Daily Trojan, the student speaker said they wanted to ensure the independent event was accessible to all Native American people in Los Angeles, not only USC community members.
“My main motivation to have the community event was to not confine the event to a certain demographic of people, but to have everybody,” said the student in an interview. “I wanted everybody to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions openly in a space that they didn’t feel had any expectation for them to perform in a certain way. I wanted it to be casual and an open setting for people to come and relax and hang out.”
The student from the Kizh tribe said the fact that Native students had to hold an off-campus Native American Heritage Month event showed that the University was not supporting Native students, pushing Native students to rely heavily on their community. The student speaker said they were thankful for the USC staff who fought to have student speakers at the USC event.
“With the Trump administration putting a lot of barriers on things, it’s even harder to get anything done on campus, and it’s not always in the interest of the institution to stand up for minority groups,” the student said. “It’s important to show people that although there are confines within institutions … it’s still possible to gather a community outside of those things.”
The University’s celebration
As faculty, alums, students and community members trickled into the University’s Native American Heritage Month event, titled “Resistance and Renewal: Indigenous Voices Rising,” the event kicked off with a speech from Provost Andrew Guzman.
Guzman thanked event organizers for putting together a space where people could honor Native American Heritage Month and the “histories, cultures and contributions of all Native presence.” He said the University had a responsibility to make space for Indigenous voices in the classroom.
“Let’s continue to move forward with respect, with humility and with action,” Guzman said. “Let’s ensure that Native and Indigenous voices are not just heard but woven into the atmosphere of our great university and our incredible Trojan family.”
Dylan Goodwill, senior assistant director within the Office of Undergraduate Admission and volunteer cultural advisor to the Native American Student Assembly, led a land acknowledgement, which she followed with extending thanks to NASA students, who she described as their ancestors’ “wildest dreams.”
“Our NASA students have a legacy of being the new thing that blooms,” Goodwill said. “We see that the students and the youth are our future because this has been a tough year, but Indigenous folks are tougher. We are resilient.”
Joining the event were the Torres Martinez Bird Singers from the Cahuilla people. The group invited attendees to dance to their music and began their set with a song dedicated to the Creator. Derek Duro, the lead singer of the band and three-time performer for the USC Native American Heritage Month celebration, said the event was a way to share his culture.
“If the people call on you, you’re supposed to answer that call and share our songs, because they’re not just ours, they’re the people’s songs,” Duro said. “And to be able to share them with other Native people and vice versa, that’s what it’s all about, just being Native family.”
Claradina Soto, the director of the Initiative for California American Indian Health Research and Evaluation, said the event gives Native students and faculty a sense of empowerment. Soto said that while she did not know the details of the independent student event, she supported those who attended.
“Native American Heritage Month is a time for us to show our resilience, for us to show us as people, that we are a community that has always been here and don’t want to be the forgotten ones,” Soto said. “I do know that there were things where the voices of our students were not heard … And so given that, I respect them for their choice and being able to do their thing.”
The Torres Martinez Bird Singers performed traditional songs, the first of which was dedicated to the Creator, and invited audience members to dance along to their music in front of the stage. (Abigail Giroux/ Daily Trojan)
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