ECU holds powwow for Native American awareness month

GREENVILLE, NC (Oct. 30, 2008) — Native American Awareness month will kick off at noon, Nov. 1, with a powwow at Mendenhall Student Center. Sponsored by ECU’s Native American fraternity, Epsilon Chi Nu, the powwow provides an educational and cultural opportunity for both native and non-native Americans to meet.

Activities continue throughout the month, featuring cultural exchanges, lectures and storytelling, with a keynote address Nov. 13 by physician and author Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord. She is the author of “The Scalpel and the Silver Bear” (1999). The book tells of her journey from the reservation to become a surgeon and her work to combine Navajo philosophies of healing with western medicine to create models of healing environments. She is the associate dean of student and multicultural affairs at Dartmouth Medical School. The lecture takes place at 4 p.m. in the Great Rooms at Mendenhall Student Center. Reception to follow.

Other events include: ECU’s Health Sciences Campus will feature Ouray Clark, who will share native crafts and music from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Brody School of Medicine, 2N-86. On Nov. 5, Joey Crutchfield and Connie Glast will offer storytelling and drumwork from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Brody 2S-04.

On Nov. 6, ECU medical humanities professor Todd Savitt will moderate a film and discussion, “Unnatural Causes; Bad Sugar,” that explores racial and socioeconomic inequities in health, particularly diabetes in Native American communities, from 12:30-1:30, Brody 2N-86.

On Nov. 10, ECU history professor Chris Oakley will moderate the film, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” at 6 p.m. in room 2409 at Joyner Library. At 7 p.m., Nov. 11 at Ledonia Wright Cultural Center, “Smoke Signals” will be shown. For more information, contact Andrea Bristol at 328-5731 or . Web site is: http://www.ecu.edu/ecudiversity