On Friday, Nov. 1, Clark College welcomes
the community as it hosts “Educating for the Seventh Generation,” a celebration
of Indigenous cultures.

The event will begin at 5:00 p.m. with free food and
refreshments. At 5:15 p.m., dancers from the Ke Kukui Foundation will perform. At
5:45 p.m., there will be a welcoming address and the presentation of the
Dreamcatcher Scholarship, which supports a Clark College student of Indigenous
ancestry. Grand Entry for a powwow will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by an
Aztec performance at 6:15 p.m. The colors will retire at 10:00 p.m. Informational
tables and vendors selling Native arts and crafts will also be at the event.

The event, which
is free and open to the public, will be held in the Gaiser Student Center on
Clark College’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver
Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone
needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this
event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at
(360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), prior to the event.

This
is the 10th year
that Clark College has coordinated and hosted an event in honor of Native
American Heritage Month. It is one of four signature events hosted by the
college annually to celebrate diverse cultures. According to organizers, “Educating
for the Seventh Generation” references “our responsibility to teach the future
Seventh Generation to maintain our resources, traditions and customs. It is the
way of caring and preserving for the Seventh Generation, which is a true
sustainable practice.”

Information about this event is online at www.clark.edu/cc/native-american. Information about Native American Heritage Month is available at http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about/index.html. Images from the 2018 celebration are available via Clark’s Flickr album at https://www.flickr.com/photos/clark_college/albums/72157699995239382.

On Friday, November 1, the aroma of fry bread wafted through Gaiser Student Center as Clark College hosted its annual “Educating for the Seventh Generation,” a celebration of Native American cultures and mini-powwow. The event included food, music, dancing, and socializing among the estimated 275 guests.

Native American flautist Isaac Trimble provided music as guests arrived. Then emcee Sande Allman and arena director Ed Goodell got the event started. Clark College President Bob Knight and Clark College Trustee Jack Burkman welcomed the assembled guests on behalf of the college and its trustees; Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt also offered a welcome from the city. Native American military veterans led the grand entry, after which there was an invocation and then an honoring of the recently passed. Clark College Facilities Services fiscal specialist Lori Jimerson spoke in memory of longtime Clark employee and supporter Bob Moser, who died in December 2012. Moser was a strong supporter of Clark’s Native American student group when it was first receiving charter in the early 1990s.

Much of the rest of the evening was given to dancing, including a “Tiny Tots” dance hosted by Child and Family Services and a series of exhibitions of the powwow dance styles of all the tribes in attendance. Guests also enjoyed “Indian Tacos” served in the adjoining cafeteria, while drummers provided music for the occasion. The dancing continued late into the evening, with a diverse range of dancers–from grandchildren to grandparents, some dressed in full regalia and others in jeans and T-shirts.

This is the fifth year that Clark College has coordinated and hosted an event in honor of Native American Heritage Month. It is one of four signature events hosted by the college annually to celebrate diverse cultures. According to organizers, the title references “a responsibility to pass on and teach the future seven generations to protect our resources, culture and heritage.”

A selection of photos are below. Click here to view the full Flickr album.

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