SLCC Celebrates Native American Heritage Month With Stories

To kick off Native American Heritage Month, Salt Lake Community College hosted a storytelling event with Larry Cesspooch, a contemporary Native American storyteller. The event was held Nov. 8 in the Student Event Center and was sponsored by the Student Writing and Reading Center, Arts and Cultural Events and the Publications Center.

Native American man with headdress holding a stuffed coyote toy

Larry is a respected figure and a spiritual leader in the Ute community. He grew up on the Uintah and Ouray Ute Reservation in northeastern Utah and served in the U.S. Navy as a Radioman. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts and the Anthropology Film Center and uses all forms of media to tell his stories, including film, music and lectures.

“Everybody has a story. And our people have many stories,” Larry told the audience. “Story is passed down knowledge of where we came from, how we came to be.” Larry is known for his ability to weave history, culture and humor into his tales, connecting the past with the present within his narrative. His storytelling reflects not only the rich heritage of the Ute people but also serves as a bridge to foster understanding and appreciation for Native American traditions.

“Stories like the Creation story have many different versions. Somebody on the other side of the mountain, say over Southern Utah, have a different version of this. And Paiutes and all the different ones might have a different version, but they are basically the same,” said Larry. He told the Ute version of the Creation story and the history of his people in Utah using props such as animal puppets and traditional artifacts to tell his stories.

Man in a native american headdress holding a hoop, telling a story

In addition to the storytelling event for Native American Heritage Month, a flag ceremony was held on Thursday, Nov. 9 to honor veterans for Veterans Day. A prayer and traditional smudging were offered by Virgil Johnson, a Marine veteran and former tribal chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and of Tribes of Utah. Native American dancers also performed a traditional jingle dress dance. The ceremony was recorded live here.

A young native american dancer in colorful attire dancing, with men drumming in the background

If you missed these two events there are still activities to participate in during the rest of November including a Powwow, Round Dance and a movie social. These events are all designed to provide students and the community with opportunities to engage with and learn from Native American perspectives.

Native American Heritage Month is an annual celebration in November that promotes and enhances cultural awareness within our Native American students and communities. These events are sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs who supports underrepresented ethnic students through mentoring, student access and success coaching, workshops, cultural programming and more.

The Native American Heritage Month events at SLCC are free and open to the public. For more information about the Native American Heritage Month events at SLCC, visit the website here.

Here are the rest of the events taking place at SLCC this month:

Powwow 101

Learn about Native American regalia and powwow culture. Presented by Jacob Crane and Michelle Eagle Plume.

Monday 11/13 from 2 - 4 p.m.

ODMA lounge space

Round Dance

Celebrate Native Heritage Month with the social round dance, vendors, turkey, an opportunity drawing and cake walk.

Saturday 11/18 from 6 - 11 p.m.

LAC

Movie Social

Relax before Thanksgiving break and learn about modern native culture by watching small production Native American films.

Monday 11/20 from 2 - 4 p.m.

ODMA lounge space

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