Sun Earth Alliance Indian Club, in collaboration with American Indian Programs, organized “Social Gathering,” a featured presentation of Native Indian American culture, at SCC’s Two Waters Circle on April 25.

The day-long festival contained a number of activities including dance, food and speeches. The event kicked off with the introduction of the Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community and a short welcome speech given by SCC president Jan Gehler followed. On the occasion, gourd dance was also presented on the beats of the Southern Drum. Later, a small session to honor veterans was held.

“The festival is our identity and culture. We are part of it and that is who we are,” Native American SCC counselor Tia Bruised Head said. “In native Indian culture, everything is connected. We gather in a circle, which expresses our connectivity with each other. We gather in same manners at our home with family members and friends to celebrate each other’s company with drums.”

Bruised Head said it is vital to organize such festivals on campus. It brings diversity and acknowledgment of other cultures.

“We learn best about anything, when we enjoy it,” she said. “Today many non-native Americans learned something about native culture.”

“Scottsdale Community College is on Native American reservation and it enhances the value of the festival,” the counselor said.

Claudelle Valencia, a member of the Sun Earth Alliance Indian Club and 1st Attendant Miss Indian SCC, said the festival did a great job of expressing unity.

“This festival is organized to express unity of various tribes and awareness about our culture, which a lot of people want to know,” she said. “They have enthusiasm to show and introduce our culture before others.”

Valencia said SCC has a high population of indigenous people, so it was important to organize the native social gathering at the campus.

“We had to go from a lot of documentations in order to organize this event,” she said. “We started planning in November and through the procedure, SCC administration supported us a lot.”

American Indian Programs Director Ana Cuddington said that the event came to be thanks to the effort of two students.

“The whole event was the idea of two students to organize the social gathering on campus,” she said. “It was a fantastic idea and now this is an annual activity of SCC.”

She said it is the first year and they are hopeful to get more activities in the social gathering next year with a larger number of people and tribes. Many students and faculty members visited the festival, which is a very healthy sign for the event’s future.