Native American Cultural Celebration 2025
Our History Hiding in Plain Sight
For hundreds of years, Indigenous peoples’ integrated themselves into different communities to create lasting traditions and customs. Due to the continued efforts of each generation passing along their collective experiences, the knowledge of our roots survives to present day. Join the Native American Student Association and the James Farmer Multicultural Center, as we continue to determine our birthrights and the path towards authentic sovereignty.
Kick-Off Celebration
Monday, November 10 | 4:00 p.m. | Second Floor Lobby, Cedric Rucker University Center
Join us for an exciting kick-off event filled with lively music and food! Meet the Native American Student Association Executive Board and learn what NASA has to offer. We cannot wait to see you there!
Native American Cultural Dinner
Tuesday, November 11 | 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | Restaurants at the Top of the CRUC, Cedric Rucker University Center
Cost with Campus Meal Plan: 1 meal swipe or $15.27 flex. The cost for EagleOne or credit card is $17.64, plus tax, and $5.24 plus tax for children ages 4 – 10. The cost for UMW faculty/staff is $7.57.
Co-sponsored by University Dining
University Dining, in partnership with the Native American Student Association (NASA), is hosting a special, premium dinner to celebrate the vast array of Native American dishes. The menu will include dishes from many Native American tribes ranging from the Southwest to the Northeast. Guests will also have an opportunity to talk with members of NASA about Native American cultures and the special events they have planned for the Native American Cultural Celebration.
Movie Night: “RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World”
Tuesday, November 11 | 7:00 p.m. | Pollard Hall, Room 304
Co-Sponsored by the Music Department
They tried to ban, censor, and erase Indian culture from rock and roll history but Native American influence is wrapped into modern music’s DNA. RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World is an electric look at Native American influence in popular music, going deep into the Indigenous foundations of rock. RUMBLE traces the melodies, rhythms, and beats of traditional Native music as they took different forms across the spectrum of 20th-century American rock. (Credit: PBS)
Diplomacy and Displacement: The Monroe Doctrine and Indigenous Cultures
Wednesday, November 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Colonnade Room, Cedric Rucker University Center
Co-Sponsored by the James Monroe Museum
This historical program examines early 19th-century U.S. expansionist policy through the lens of the Monroe Doctrine’s lesser-known role in limiting Indigenous sovereignty and curbing European influence over tribal nations. It explores how Indigenous communities were viewed as both political obstacles and strategic concerns within the expanding American republic.
Native American Cultural Celebration Major Speaker:
Louis Campbell
Thursday, November 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Digital Auditorium, Hurley Convergence Center
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at (540) 654-1044 or visit students.umw.edu/multicultural. Please email us at jfmc@umw.edu if you have any questions regarding disability-related accommodations.