NAHC Celebrates Diversity

Showcasing traditional Native American garb, Native Americans at Harvard College (NAHC) celebrated the diversity of tribal cultures at its first “Represent Your Tribe Night” yesterday evening.

A group of seven gathered in Kirkland House yesterday to present cultural items, such as a hand-made regalia and a dream catcher, to share their individual tribe’s tradition and history.

“There’s a general misconception of a pan-native American identity,” said April D. Youpee-Roll ’08, a native of the Fort Peck Sioux Tribe in Montana. “But there’s a great deal of diversity among us.”

Elijah M. Hutchinson ’06, a native Taino from New York who posed with a fistful of feathers to audience laughter, said he identifies more with his tribe than he does with the Native American label.

“The idea of Native Americans is something very modern,” he said. “Each Indian tribe has its own traditions and customs and different languages.”

After munching on chips and burritos from Felipe’s Taqueria, the event culminated in group dances and games.

“This is a good opportunity to speak about what each of our tribe is and help us reinforce our own individual identity within [Native American] identity,” Hutchinson added.

The event featured a “Guess That Tribe” game, in which participants competed for prizes Jeopardy-style based on knowledge of tribal culture, history, and traditions.

Erica A. Scott ’06, a Lenape native from Massachusetts, led a “call-response stomp dance,” where she sang words in her tribal language to audience member echoes.

“For us, we probably learned as much about different nations and cultures as anyone who walked into our event today,” said NAHC President Leah R. Lussier ’07.

As one of the oldest student ethnic groups on campus, NAHC is the only Native American undergraduate club at the College.

“We hope to make it an annual event,” said Scott, “because our purpose is to educate the Harvard community about the diversity of [Native American] culture.”