SIERRA VISTA — In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Cochise College is hosting a traditional dance performance and poetry reading on Tuesday, Nov. 20 on the Sierra Vista Campus.

The Redhouse Dancers will open the program by demonstrating a collection of traditional Native dances from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on the courtyard lawn, located south of the Student Union.

The Redhouse Dancers perform each year on the Cochise College Sierra Vista Campus in honor of Native American Heritage Month.

In spirit of the original dance group, family members will describe the symbolism of the dances, including a hoop dance and an eagle dance. By sharing their Native spirituality and musicality, the Redhouse Dancers will enlighten their audience as to some of their Native traditions and values.

The Redhouse family dance group of the Dine Nation was initiated by the late Rex Redhouse in 1969. Along with Rex, the group included his wife, Maria, and their six children. The dancers have performed traditional Native American music and dances at schools, conventions and other venues to educate audiences about Native American culture.

Sierra Vista holds special memories of the family; Rex Redhouse was stationed at Fort Huachuca during the 1970s.

As adults, the Redhouse family has cultivated a unique musical style, ranging from jazz and blues to traditional Native flute music. They have won several musical recognitions, including Grammy nominations and international awards.

The program will also include a presentation by Rex Lee Jim, Vice President of the Navajo Nation. With degrees in English from both Princeton and Middlebury College, Jim is an internationally celebrated author, playwright, medicine man and poet. According to the Princeton Alumni Weekly, Jim is “unusual in the degree to which he keeps one foot in the traditional world and another in the wider world beyond it.”

Jim has written several books of poetry, one translated in three languages: Navajo, English and Irish. In addition, he has written, acted in, directed, and produced several video productions. At Cochise College, Jim will be reading a selection of his poems.

Jim describes his purpose for writing in the Princeton Alumni Weekly: “I write to explore who I am, how I exist and live, in relation to all living things.” He continues with expressing his views on some of his short, conceptual poems: “They are like taking a breath, one breath at a time.”

Jim’s poetry reading will begin at noon in the Student Union community room and last for about a half hour, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Throughout the program, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Cochise College Student Government Association will run a workshop teaching the art of making dream catchers and simple beadwork.

The public is invited to this free event, which is sponsored by the college’s Cultural Events Committee, the Cochise College Student Government Association and Tanya Biami’s communications class.

The college’s food service provider, Sodexo, will be offering a Native American buffet, including Indian tacos, for $6. For more information, contact Biami at (520) 515-5316 or biamit@cochise.edu.

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