Jupiter, FL (October 31, 2011)—Historically, the Native American nations of the United States have suffered centuries of marginalization, and their unique cultures and practices have often been ignored. But this month at Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, a group of dedicated students is working hard to promote awareness about Native American Heritage among their peers and in the Jupiter community.
           The Wilkes Honors College’s Anthropology Club is excited to announce six upcoming events, all of which are focused on cultural appreciation of various Native American groups. These events will be hosted by members of the Anthropology Club as well as representatives from the Department of Student Diversity Services and the Honors College Spanish Club. This year the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter will host the same number of Native American Heritage activities as FAU’s Boca Raton campus.  The Anthropology Club is proud to say that the Honors College is now able to lead the way in Native American cultural awareness, in conjunction with organizations on FAU’s other campuses. These events will include a celebration of the traditional Día de los Muertos festival and a related movie screening, a Native American arts and crafts program, a panel discussion related to the impact of Guatemalan Mayan immigrants in Jupiter, and a performance by the Piscataway Nation Singers and Dancers.
           Club members feel that the promotion of Native American cultural awareness is extremely important not only throughout the community, but also within the discipline of anthropology itself. In the words of one of the club’s members, “As Americans, we tend to focus on foreign cultures outside of the United States, and we sometimes ignore the peoples who live in our own backyard.” The club also hopes that these activities will highlight the interconnectedness of native groups outside the United States. Several of the events focus on the cultures of Central and South American native peoples, and this could help promote a better understanding of Native American practices that often transcend national borders.
           Members of the Anthropology club also feel that these events will promote more interaction between departments on the Jupiter campus. The Native American Cultural activities will also help develop a stronger campus presence for the club, which has been a long-term goal for the organization since its foundation. Club President Elizabeth Johnson remarks, “We hope to become a more active organization on campus this year. The club has historically been very small and members have almost all been anthropology majors themselves.” This situation has changed recently, however. During the fall semester of 2011 the club gained a number of students from other disciplines who joined purely out of an interest in the study of human culture and not necessarily as a supplement for their academic concentrations. “This has really helped us get an outside perspective on anthropology and cultures from members of other academic disciplines,” states Johnson. She hopes that the club will continue to nurture cultural interest among all students on campus. Johnson encourages her peers to attend as many events as possible this semester. She maintains that, “Because of these activities, we have a chance to recognize the histories of peoples who have often been ignored, and to incorporate them into our own.”

byline: WHC Student Intern Megan Geiger