By: Katie Parker
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – The University of Arkansas celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day by hosting the 19th annual observance on October 9th.
The day was honored with food and an open mic on the South Terrace of the Arkansas Union.
“We would like to embrace that Indigenous people were already here for thousands of years, thriving and surviving, and we’re still here,” said Summer Wilkie, Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative Youth Coordinator.
Students, staff, and faculty who identify as Indigenous to the Americas were able to share poetry, music and personal reflections about their experience.
“I remember my memories of what it means to be indigenous as a kid growing up on a reservation in Oklahoma,” said Alex Davis, Native American Student Association (NASA) President. “It also means looking forward to those (Native Americans) who inspire me every single day to make sure that I accomplish all the goals that I’ve ever dreamed of.”
Event participants joined NASA in a one mile walk from campus to a Trail of Tears historical marker on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard.
The marker commemorates a campsite where the Cherokee tribe stopped during their removal route in 1839.
“It’s always been a day I look forward to,” said Davis. “It’s a day that we recognize, not only our past, but the present and future of indigenous people as a whole.”