Continuing the celebration of Native American Heritage Month, students were welcomed to a dinner with engaging conversation and entertainment for the annual Fall Feast held Nov. 5 at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center.
Though the event had a lower turnout than the years before, the guests in attendance were in good spirits with a generous meal provided by EMU’s Dining Services. Organized by the Native American Student Organization and the Center for Multicultural Affairs, it successfully created an inviting place for different cultures and families to come together.
Charnessa K. Paige, program coordinator for CMA, was happy with the overall event and how it allowed a personal interaction between the students and members of the Native American community.
“I’m glad that our office and our department continues to provide spaces for students on campus, especially our under-represented marginalized populations on campus that don’t get the recognition, that are not seen on a daily basis,” Paige said. “That they feel that they have a space that they can come talk and fellowship and be with other people on campus.”
One of the highlights of the feast was the musical performance by Painted Rock, a drumming group that participates in Native American events around and outside the state of Michigan. The trio sung traditional songs throughout the night as guests danced in a large circle.
Painted Rock member Frank Animikwam, 25, has been involved in the Native American Month ceremonies held on campus since the age of 12 and enjoys having people be a part of the celebrations to share their tradition. Though it was his fourth year at the Fall Feast, he has noticed how the grand scale of ceremonies and students has decreased in the past few years.
“There used to be a larger Native American student body here and over the years as far as
recruiting the numbers have kind of dropped,” Animikwam said.
As far as the university continuing the tradition of bringing awareness and the community together, but with the elimination of activities like the pow- wow that’s now held at the University of Michigan, more could be done to give the culture a larger impact.
“For the most part they showcase Native American tradition as well as modern. I think they can do a little bit much more with having native professionals come to the school and talk to students … They could get some pretty interesting presentations like the native history in general,” Animikwam said.
During the performances, guests were enchanted by Animikwam’s 18-month-old daughter Mimikej, whose name translates to the word “butterfly.” She aided in the dancing and played the drum in between performances. It was also an endearing moment between father and child as well as seeing how their traditions are passed down to their children.
“My favorite part, believe it or not, was watching kids run around,” Paige said. “I always feel good when kids feel comfortable enough to cut up because it means that you’re in a safe space. We had kids running around playing, people not being bothered by that. It was one of those feelings like ‘Wow, this space is open and welcome enough for kids to run around and have fun.’”
The feedback Paige received from the students were positive and realized the purpose of the Fall Feast: giving back.
“One thing that I do love is that it’s free and open to the community because you never know who comes in and may just need a meal. Even in that sense they’re more than welcome to come and celebrate,” Paige said.
