Native American Indigenous Alliance

George Mason University associate professor Gabrielle Tayac’s course, HIST 397 Public History in Action, looks at how indigenous communities interact with our student population through community-based engagement and projects.

Honoring Native American Heritage Month with the Native American and Indigenous Alliance

George Mason University’s Native American and Indigenous Alliance (NAIA) works each semester to foster a sense of community for Mason’s Native and non-Native students. But the month of November is an especially busy time for this student organization.

It’s common to think of Indigenous peoples as living in the past. We may think of them around Thanksgiving or in old films and books. But Native Americans are very much here and now, said Jeremy Campbell, and after decades of struggle, that’s starting to be recognized.

In 2018, U.S. legislation granted federal recognition to six tribes in Virginia. A George Mason University team has been partnering with two of them, the Upper Mattaponi and Chickahominy nations, as they embark on being sovereign nations.

Mason students attended a screening of the documentary “Guardians of the Forest” and the talkback with leaders of the Maijuna indigenous group in Peru, who were featured in the film.