Native American Heritage Month

Walk the Land – Native American Heritage Celebration

SAVE THE DATE!

Maricopa Campus (City of Maricopa)

Native American Heritage Month Celebration 

To honor Native American Heritage Month, CAC is hosting a “Walk the Land” celebration to acknowledge the important contributions of our tribal communities and to honor their diverse cultures, traditions, and histories.

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Location: 17945 N. Regent Dr, Maricopa, AZ 85138

1:00pm – 1:25pm: Check-in and Appetizers

1:30pm – 2:30pm: Dr. Laura Tohe, Arizona State Poet Laureate 

2:30pm – 3:00pm: Optional Creative Activity (TBD)

Virtual Presentation

Conversations with Colleagues: Organizational Alignment and Cultural Competency

Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 3pm – 4pm

Teams Meeting Link: TBA

Signal Peak Campus (Coolidge)

Native American Heritage Month Celebration 

Monday, November 16, 2026

Location: 8470 N. Overfield Road, Coolidge AZ 85128

10:30am – 11:00am: Participant check-in & Group assignment

11:00am – 11:15am: Opening | Land Acknowledgment | Prayer

11:15am – 11:45am: Group Activities – Session I

11:45am – 12:15pm: Group Activities – Session II

12:15pm – 12:50pm: Lunch & Keynote Speaker: Ginger Sunbird Martin “Connection to Land & Water”

12:50pm – 1:00pm: Closing | Thank You | Evaluation

To honor Native American Heritage Month, CAC is hosting a “Walk the Land” celebration to acknowledge the important contributions of our tribal communities and to honor their diverse cultures, traditions, and histories.

History

The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. The celebration was an effort led by Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, who rode across the nation on horseback seeking approval from 24 state governments to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.”

Similar proclamations (with name variations) have been issued each year since 1994. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

We encourage all CAC students and employees to be intentional this month to learn about the tribal lands that your campuses populate.

Reflect on how you can support and/or advocate for greater recognition, learning, and collaboration of Indigenous cultures.

Highlighted Local  and Virtual Activities 

Nationwide Websites:

1. Smithsonian works with Native American communities to revive & sustain indigenous languages: Native Voices
2. National Museum of the American Indian provides resources to support teaching & learning about Native Americans: Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative
3. Rock Your Mocs Week is a worldwide Native American & Indigenous Peoples virtual unity event held annually via Social Media to create a positive opportunity to celebrate tribal individuality and to honor indigenous peoples worldwide: # Rock Your Mocs
4. Native Lands Digital – an Indigenous-led nonprofit in Canada created a searchable map of Native territories, languages, & treaties: Native Land Digital
5. Learn about the history of Native American Reservations

Watch/Listen:

1. View a recording of the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo.
2. Revitalization of Indigenous Food Ways: Chef Sherman TED Talk
3. PODCAST: Stolen: The Search for Jermain (description: Missing & murdered indigenous women and girls):
4. Arizona Public Media – documentaries and full-length movies about indigenous histories: AZPM Native Heritage
5. 35^th Annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest (2/15 – 2/16/2025)

Arizona Tribal Colleges

1. Diné College | Tsaile, AZ 
2. San Carlos Apache College | San Carlos, AZ
3. Tohono O’odham Community College | Sells, AZ

Scholarships for Indigenous American Students:

• Gila River Indian Community – Tribal Education
• Institute of American Indian Arts
• ASU Indigenous Leadership Academy
• U of AZ American Indian Alumni
• Fastweb
• Phoenix AISES Scholarship Program
• American Indian Services

Visiting American Indian Tribal Lands in Arizona

Visit Arizona American Indian

Support Local Native-Owned Businesses:

1. Emerson Fry Bread | Phoenix, AZ
2. Fry Bread House | Phoenix, AZ
3. Native Coffee from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian community | Salt River, AZ
4. Sana Sana: Food Medicine for the People | Phoenix, AZ
5. The Stand on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Reservation | Scottsdale, AZ
6. The REZ An Urban Eatery | Phoenix, AZ
7. M&D’s Snack Stand | Scottsdale, AZ
8. Kuvua Design | Indigenous Graphic Designer
9. Native Health of Phoenix
10. SMCC’s American Indian Student Center
11. Phoenix Indian Center 

Arizona Degree Programs:

1. ASU American Indian Studies program
2. NAU Applied Indigenous Studies
3. UAZ American Indian Studies
4. MCCCD Sustaining & Advancing Indigenous Nations