Courtesy of Avery Maples

When IndigiProv, the Native American Cultural Center’s comedic improv group, decided to host an Indigenous comedy night for last year’s Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month, Matthew Makomenaw (Odawa Tribe), director of the NACC, admitted that he was a “little worried.” It was the group’s first time performing for Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month, and he was not sure how it would turn out. 

This year though, Makomenaw said that he is looking forward to Indigenous Comedy Night on Nov. 20, alongside a plethora of other NACC programming for the month. Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month was first recognized in 1990 when George H.W. Bush ’48 signed a resolution into law declaring the month of November a time to recognize Indigenous heritage. 

To recognize Indigenous history and contributions, the NACC will hold events such as an Indigenous Food Station Takeover in Schwarzman Commons, a Meet and Greet with author Brian Young ’10 (Diné/Navajo Nation), and a Bingo Night for Yalies to engage with the community. Other activities hosted earlier this month included a Beading Night and a Native Voting Rights Panel.

“The way we do it here at Yale is we create opportunities to do a variety of activities and have speakers and events,” Makomenaw said. “And the reality is people will say it’s Native American Heritage month, but really it’s all months, not just one month.”

He said that during this particular month though, the NACC is busy creating opportunities for exposure to educate and share Indigenous culture with all Yalies. 

A large part of the preparation for these activities includes collaborating with other NACC-affiliated student groups and working with other Yale entities such as the School of the Environment and the Yale Farm.

“We partner a lot through the campus and build relationships,” Makomenaw said. “Here at Yale, we have people from all different tribal nations, and we’re really trying to program around a very diverse group of people.” 

The first event of the month was the annual Indigenous Fall Feast at the Yale Farm. The Fall Feast was started last year with the assistance of a student liaison, the farm, and professor Hi’ilei Hobart (Kanaka Maoli). Since then, it has become an opportunity for students to try Indigenous food and discuss Indigenous food sovereignty.

Unable to make the Fall Feast due to vacation, Makomenaw said he will make it a priority to attend the rest of the month’s events, including Comedy Night at the Silliman Acorn.

“Last year was our first time doing it, and there were some people that were pretty funny,” Makomenaw said. “I was a little worried, but it was good. What’s great about it is that it’s not just a student group; faculty and staff get involved, and I’m looking forward to it.”

He is also looking forward to the Indigenous Food Station Takeover, where a station at Commons will be serving Diné food such as mutton stew and blue corn mush. He said that celebrating Indigenous Peoples goes beyond eating the food and recognizing the history. He hopes that with these events students can recognize that Native peoples have made invaluable contributions to everyday fields as well, such as engineering, art, and literature.

“There’s just diversity and community and laughter and contemporary people and culture and history,” Makomenaw said. “And with these events, there’s an opportunity to really enjoy that and get to understand that we are here.”

Joshua Ching ’26 (Kanaka Maoli), a student staff member in charge of programming, helped put together the Native Voting Rights Panel earlier this month. 

Ching said that this event is an attempt to bring to light the contributions Indigenous Peoples can make in the polls.

“It was all about really trying to find a way to talk about the many barriers to voting access that impact Native communities that are sort of brushed over in the broader landscape of electoral politics,” Ching said.

He referenced the 2020 election in which Native nations were integral to the Democrats’ win of the state of New Mexico. He hoped with the panel that he could push conversations outward by bringing in experts on the subject to Yale.

Mara Gutierrez ’25 (Diné/Navajo Nation), head of house staff at the NACC, said that in light of the recent election, Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month is more important than ever.

She said that historically, Indigenous students haven’t always felt safe at Yale due to likely being from reservation communities or more diverse urban communities. She hopes that with the NACC’s presence and this month’s events, Indigenous students won’t feel “alienated or tokenized.”

“I feel like one of the things that often gets overlooked is that for tribally enrolled members, [being Indigenous] is a political status and not so much a cultural one,” Gutierrez said. “And so with all of these political events happening, it’s important to keep in mind that we need to maintain our tribal sovereignty.”

Avery Maples ’26 (Cherokee), another student staff member in charge of programming, said that the importance of these events is meant to highlight the continued existence of Native peoples in America.

“Native American Heritage Month is important to recognize our histories, struggles, resilience and perseverance,” Maples said. “The NACC does a wonderful job harboring the Native presence at Yale, and we are extremely lucky to have these spaces to be all together.”

With the help of the Native and Indigenous Student Association at Yale, Maples plans to assist in the coordination of the festivities by encouraging attendance and facilitating a sense of community with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students at Yale. 

Additionally, Maples encourages students to get involved with the NACC and the Indigenous community at Yale year-round.

“I think everyone needs to know that our events are open to everyone and we welcome everyone,” Maples said. “We welcome everyone, whether it’s someone who grew up on the reservation like me, someone with an Indigenous background who wants to connect more, or people who are just interested in being part of our community and seeing it forward.”

The NACC is located at 26 High St.