Native Heritage Month Kickoff Social shares Indigenous culture at Skybarn
Students and community members participated in traditional Haudenosaunee dancing and live music at South Campus' SkyBarn. The event was meant to share Indigenous culture and foster community. Parisa Nosrati | Contributing Writer
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The sounds of booming drums and stomping feet filled the SkyBarn on Monday night. Those who attended danced around the performance, forming a cohesive circle moving to the rhythm.
“Dance really connects with the soul and the culture. It brings people together and makes people feel a community,” attendee Sam Whaley said.
Held on Monday night, the Native Heritage Month Kickoff Social celebrated Indigenous culture on Syracuse University’s campus with traditional Haudenosaunee dancing and live music. Attendees could also buy handmade traditional clothing and jewelry.
The event aimed to foster a sense of community between both the Indigenous community and people of other backgrounds by sharing their culture, said Lylla Schindler, the Indigenous students at Syracuse president.
The event begins a month of Indigenous events, Schindler said. ISAS is using the month to showcase their traditions and culture; this kickoff sets the tone, she said.
Ella Hill, treasurer of ISAS, said the atmosphere of the event represents the values of Indigenous culture: a warm environment that is open to all. Shayla Benedict, an SU freshman, said the event gave her a greater sense of belonging.
Whaley, an SU junior, said they were drawn to the event because they wanted to pay their respects and educate themselves on the culture. They said they immediately felt included and important.
“I’ve never been part of such an event,” Whaley said. “I liked just jumping right in and being part of something I’ve never done before.”
Brittany Ninham, a member of the Oneida Nation Turtle Clan, traveled 40 minutes to attend the kickoff. Raising awareness is important, she said, especially during November with Native Heritage Month.
She said she wished she had a community like this when she went to Utica University, and tried to create one when she was in school. She was glad to see an event celebrating this month on a college campus.
“At some (events) that I’ve been to in universities, there’s maybe just a few natives and a lot of other people, but it’s nice to see a lot of people that know the dances and the songs,” Ninham said.
Having so many Indigenous people in one room was exciting, Ninham said, but having non-Indigenous people to share your culture with is also important and meaningful, she said. Ninham attended the kickoff with her young daughter.
“I love dancing, my little one loves dancing, so we like to go to all the socials whenever we see them going around to different nations, so it was really fun. It was nice to see,” Ninham said.
Ninham said her favorite dance of the night was Ë:sgä:nye:’, a woman’s dance that tells part of the Haudenosaunee creation story.
It’s important for students to have easy access to events like this on campus, SU sophomore Riley Aguirre said. Many similar events are held off campus, so she said she appreciated this one’s proximity.
Schindler said it’s important to attend events that foster a community, and this event was especially important to connect with those in other communities who come to share their culture.
“Especially when the outside Onondaga community comes, we want to show them we’re also present,” Schindler said.
Ninham felt especially connected to the dancing at the event, and was excited to be around others who were familiar with her culture. It left her with a smile on her face, she said.
“Dancing is medicine for us, they say our culture is medicine,” Ninham said.
