News and Events for the FIU Global Indigenous Forum: September 2019

GIF News September 2019.– Draft 09 24 19

Greetings from the FIU Global Indigenous Forum:

As a new academic year begins at Florida International University, please join us on Oct 14 as we celebrate Indigenous Day, and on October 15, a dialog on “Earth Citizenship from Indigenous and Western perspectives.” In November, faculty from the FIU Community-Based Research Institute present their interventions to ameliorate Native American youth substance use.

Now in our seventh year, a recent FIU News story as well as a Conference podcast and an FIU Global Learning interview present perspectives on the history, successes and challenges of the FIU Global Indigenous Forum (GIF), and the student club, the Global Indigenous Group (GIG). http:/indigenous.fiu.eduabout-us/history/

INDIGENOUS STUDIES COURSES AND STUDY ABROAD

Ecuadorian Amazon: Indigenous Cultures and the Environment. ANT 3212 World Ethnographies. ANT 4930 Topics in Anthropology: The Amazon. Spring 2020. Dr. Juliet Erazo Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies. Students meet weekly on Thursdays, 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm, on the MMC campus throughout the spring semester. They also spend one week in the Ecuadorian Amazon learning about indigenous knowledge of, and relationships to, the environment. They gain exposure to how to conduct research in Cultural Anthropology working directly with Kichwa and Waorani communities while being housed in the beautiful Andes and Amazon Field School.Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies.

https:/abroad.fiu.eduindex.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10179

Spirituality and Sustainability. REL 3161. Spring 2020. Mondays 11:00AM - 1:45 PM. Department of Religious Studies. Thomas Pliske, Lecturer Emeritus, Dept. of Earth and Environment. Two elements common to virtually all creation traditions are the spiritual origin of humanity and a wider spiritual kinship of humans with one another, the earth and universal Nature. This course explores the world’s great spiritual traditions: Indigenous, Eastern (Vedic India, Buddhism, Taoism) and Western (Abrahamic: Christianity, Judaism, Islam) seeking out the roots and threads of our contemporary concepts of sustainability and earth stewardship. This course will meet your requirement for Global Learning.

FIU EVENTS (For information see indigenous.fiu.edu, or 305-348-2247.) These events are free and open to the public.

October 14, 2019. FIU Indigenous Day 10:00 AM – 4:00 pm. Celebration of Indigenous peoples and issues on the Graham Center north lawn. Organized by the student club, the Global Indigenous Group.

October 15, 2019. Democratizing the Conversation on Earth Citizenship. An Intercultural Dialogue from Indigenous and Western Perspectives on Humans and Nature.

3:15 to 4:50 PM. FIU Modesto Maidique Campus. Room SIPA 103. Organized by the FIU Global Indigenous Forum. For colorful flyer and information see: http:/indigenous.fiu.eduevents/2019/democratizing-the-conversation-on-earth-citizenship-indigenous-and-western-perspectives/

In our relationship with the Earth and with universal Nature, we have much more in common than divides us. Every major religion, East, West and Indigenous, has a creation story based in a Power greater than ourselves in the origin of our planet and of humankind. We differ in the details, but in the acknowledgment of a creative Force, we agree. Western science has created the most complex physical representation of the earth’s journey ever seen, one whose evolutionary and ecological dynamics closely parallels the spiritual truths of many established religious accounts. Yet, at the same time, we are creating environmental destruction, including loss of biodiversity, pollution, ecosystem disruption and climate change. How can spiritual traditions and practices, especially those of indigenous peoples, help us to envision and establish a sense of balance between humans and the earth, a confluence of modern science and ancient wisdom?

Speakers

Thomas Pliske is Lecturer Emeritus in the Dept. of Earth and Environment, and the Department of Religious Studies at FIU. He is the author of numerous articles in scientific journals and the books, Light, Truth and Nature and A Himalayan Hope and a Himalayan Promise. He holds a PhD in evolutionary biology from Cornell University. He teaches a new Global Learning course with Indigenous content in spring, 2020. Spirituality and Sustainability (REL-3161)

Rubi Hurtado is traditional musician, dancer, researcher, and professional journalist from the Xauxa-Quechua people of Peru. She is a founding member of both the Kuyayky Foundation, and the FIU Global Indigenous Forum. She holds a BS in Journalism and a BA in Anthropology from FIU. Her MA in Biology Conservation from Miami University in Ohio focused on Indigenous environmental relations in Peru, Mexico, and India.

November: A University-Community Partnership to Ameliorate Substance Use Among Native American Adolescents. Date to be announced. Organized by the Global Indigenous Forum.   Native American youth report higher rates of alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drug use than U.S. adolescents from any other racial/ethnic group. This is a significant research priority across public health, health disparities, dissemination and implementation sciences, and underscores the need for empirically-based substance use interventions tailored for Native American youth. Dr. Michelle Hospital, in the FIU Department of Biostatistics, and Dr. Staci Leon Morris in the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, present their research and effective interventions incorporating Native American cultural values involving tribal elders and stakeholders as partners. Both are Associate Directors in FIU’s Community-Based Research Institute (CBRI).

SOUTH FLORIDA COMMUNITY EVENTS

September 28, 2019 American Indian Day 2019 - Miccosukee Tribe Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida celebrates American Indian Day. American Indian Day is a celebration of what it is like to be an Indigenous, First Nations member in today’s world. This celebration enables visitors to get a glimpse of Miccosukee heritage and lifestyle as well as the cultures and traditions of other tribes. Miccosukee Resort and Gaming. Tamiami Trail and Chrome Ave. https:/www.eventbrite.come/american-indian-day-2019-tickets-66209330891?aff=web

October 5. 11 AM – 3 PM. Seminole Pedro Zapeda. Hands-On Demonstration: Dugout Canoe Carving. HistoryMiami. The art of dugout canoe carving, an art learned from experienced Tribal members such as Ingram Billie Jr. and his brother Brian Zepeda. Pedro is a contemporary visual artist who strives to preserve his cultural traditions while incorporating them into modern times. HistoryMiami 101 West Flagler Street. https:/www.historymiami.orgpedro-zepeda/

November 1-2, 2019. American Indian Arts Celebration. Dance! Music! Arts! Culture! Every year the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum hosts an annual American Indian Arts Celebration (AIAC) on the Museum grounds in the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. Enjoy traditional and contemporary arts and crafts, dance and music of the Seminole, Southeastern and other Indian tribes from across the country. https:/www.ahtahthiki.comevents/

The mission of the FIU Global Indigenous Forum is to bring global Indigenous issues, voices and awareness to the FIU campus and world community through activities and academic programs. Check the Global Indigenous Forum web page often at: http:/indigenous.fiu.edu Follow us on facebook at: https:/www.facebook.comGIGFIU Instagram at #IndigFIU For professional Indigenous opportunities join us on LinkedIn: http:/bit.lyFIU-GIF To learn of the various ways you can contribute to support our vision. See http:/indigenous.fiu.edugiving/

If you do not care to receive emails from the FIU Global Indigenous Forum, reply to this email with a friendly “No Thanks.”