November. While most Americans are focusing on Thanksgiving, Native American Heritage Month at NMU provides an opportunity for students to learn about issues facing Native American communities and alternative lifestyle choices pertaining to diet and ecology.

“Everyone will have their own personal reasons or interests for participating in [Native American Heritage Month] activities,” said Martin Reinhardt, associate professor of Native American studies. “But I think one thing we can all agree on is that it’s something that’s part of our shared society. It’s part of our deep history as human beings in this part of the world because we’re all indigenous to somewhere.”

The Center for Native American Studies and the Native American Student Association (NASA) puts on several events throughout the month. The biggest of these events is the First Nations Food Taster, which is held in the DJ Jacobetti Complex and a fundraiser for the powwow in March, said NASA president Alicia Paquin, a junior criminal justice major.

Paquin said only indigenous—besides the “three sisters” casserole—natural foods will be served this year, including pumpkin cornbread, bison-venison meatloaf, sunbutter cookies, roasted turkey and wild rice. Fry bread, usually very popular, will not be served this year, said Paquin.

“It’s not one of our natural foods and it comes from a mixture of our commodity foods that the government gave us so it’s really bad,” Paquin said. “It can lead to diabetes and it’s just a really greasy food but it’s really popular among Native Americans.

“We’re trying to promote more of why fry bread isn’t a part of this anymore, so we’re going to see how it works out.”

Paquin said the powwow will be promoted at the food taster through drumming and dancing. The powwow last year was canceled due to lack of funds, but Paquin went to the powwow in 2012.

“I thought it was well put together,” Paquin said. “A nice, traditional powwow. There were a lot of people, food, drumming, dancing. It seemed like there was always something going on so it was nicely put together.”

Tickets for the food taster are $5 for students with an ID and elders and $12 for the general public. Tickets at the door will cost $7 for students, elders and children and $15 for the general public. They can be purchased in the Center for Native American Studies at Whitman 112.

Besides the food taster, there will be two other events in November. The first is a birchbark and porcupine quill necklace workshop with Anishinaabe elder Elizabeth Kimewon. This will take place 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.

The other event is two movies, both being shown at 7 p.m. in the Whitman Commons. “Christmas in the Clouds,” a story about a ski resort owned by a Native American tribe, will be shown on Monday, Nov. 25. “Smoke Signals,” based on the short story “This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” will be shown on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

“It’s an opportunity to focus on Native American culture, Native American people and Native American issues,” Reinhardt