Alumnus Sampson Dewey, left, and Stephen Silva-Brave, right, blanket Carlos Donjuan during an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration Oct. 12 at the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard. The gathering brought together participants to recognize Indigenous cultures and traditions.
In the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard at UTA, the Native American Student Association celebrated the courtyard’s fourth anniversary Monday with a celebration for Indigenous Peoples Day and the new mural that was installed over the summer.
Students, professors, alumni and other attendees sat on the shaded benches and chairs of the courtyard, facing the mural. Native attendees were decorated in regalia, proudly showing their culture in their jewelry, hats, clothes and more.
At noon, Stephen Silva-Brave, social work PhD student and president of the Native American Student Association, began his speech by speaking in the Lakota language, greeting the crowd and welcoming them to the celebration.
Stephen Silva-Brave speaks during an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration Oct. 12 at the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard. The event recognized the people who contributed to its Indigenous-centered mural.
Silva-Brave talked about the history of the Native American people who were here before and the significance of the courtyard. He thanked several key people who helped create the space — Ken Roemer, one of the first advisors of the student group, and the late Les Riding-In, who was also an advisor and oversaw the land acknowledgment.
Roemer, who is also an English professor emeritus, said being at the event and celebrating the anniversary of the courtyard was something he had been dreaming of for about twenty years.
“This is the only place where there’s actually a whole courtyard that was developed and focused on the native plants, so it’s special,” Roemer said.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident Haley Greenfeather English, 36, reacts to being blanketed during an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration Oct. 12 at the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard. Greenfeather English designed the mural celebrating Indigenous culture.
The mural was designed by Haley Greenfeather English, an Albuquerque, New Mexico, based artist. Greenfeather English said she spent around seven months working on designing the mural. Native plants were the biggest inspiration for the artwork, along with five-pointed stars, which she said she used to paint into her father’s artwork as a child.
Surrounded within a dark brown frame, the mural is six painted panels — filled with flowers found in the courtyard, animals and five-pointed stars in bright, loud colors. Everywhere the eye looked, there was something different to see.
As a second-generation Ojibwe painter, Greenfeather English said she learned how to view art from her father, who considered art to be “his healing in the world.” Greenfeather English’s design was turned into the mural by associate professor Carlos Donjuan’s art class.
“When I first saw Haley Greenfeather English’s wonderful artwork, I was struck by its color and joyful vibrance,” Silva-brave said. “What I realized after a deeper reflection is that its power can be attributed to the fact that it’s a triumphant celebration of wonder and community over sadness and despair.”
Isanel Ceron, social work master’s student, pushes a button with a button maker during an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration Oct. 12 at the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard. The Native American Student Association welcomes people interested in learning about Indigenous cultures and hosts events throughout the year.
To thank Greenfeather English, Silva-Brave blanketed Greenfeather English. This is one of the highest forms of respect, Silva-Brave said. He draped a handmade blanket onto her shoulders, a star-quilt.
“Stars are very sacred in a lot of indigenous cultures,” he said. “We say that we all come from stars, and that we all return to the stars when we pass. So there’s blankets, usually with stars sewn into them.”
Greenfeather English said she was moved by the blanketing.
“It’s an incredibly special honoring,” she said. “I’ve also never been given a blanket before too, so that was a really big deal for me.”
A mural designed by Native American muralist Haley Greenfeather English sits on a wall during an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration Oct. 12 at the Land Acknowledgement Courtyard. The event was free for all students, staff, faculty and community members.
Donjuan was also given a blanket. His students were thanked with gifts in the form of handpicked sage bundled together by Silva-Brave’s wife.
Art education senior Marissa Gonzales worked over the summer to create the mural.
Gonzales said she jumped at the opportunity to work on the mural when Donjuan brought it to the class. The process of recreating the mural was done in increments, with each student working on a panel.
Working on this piece helped her learn more about Native American culture, she said.
“Seeing it come together is truly beautiful and just inspiring,” she said. “I know many UTA students walk past here and they look at it.”
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