SIERRA VISTA — Cochise College will host its annual Native American Heritage Celebration with all-day events on Tuesday, Nov. 18 on the Sierra Vista Campus.
Free activities are from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Student Union and outside on the lawn.
The Redhouse Dancers perform at Cochise College during a previous Native American Heritage Celebration.
“It’s a fun and educational program for all ages,” said Cochise College’s arts and humanities chair, Tanya Biami.
Headlining this year’s celebration is actor Gary Dale Farmer (Cayuga), who will host a discussion on Native American media and Native voices in Hollywood from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Farmer’s memorable roles include co-starring with Johnny Depp as Nobody in “Dead Man” (1995) and playing Arnold Joseph in “Smoke Signals” (1998). He is also a filmmaker, publisher, activist and blues musician in his band, “Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers.” He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2011 Native American Film and Video Festival at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Opening the celebration is Charlie One Horse Hill’s (Yaqui) drum-making demonstration from 9 to 9:55 a.m. From 10 to 10:55 a.m. is a rug-weaving presentation by Alex Martinez from the Zapotec tribe in Oaxaca, Mexico. The Redhouse Dancers, a family group of the Dine Nation formed under the late Rex Redhouse in 1969, perform from 11 to 11:45 a.m.
“In the spirit of the original dance group, family members, along with Alex Beeshligaii, will describe the symbolism of the dances, including a hoop dance and an eagle dance,” Biami said. “By sharing their Native spirituality and musicality, the Redhouse Dancers will enlighten their audience on some of their Native traditions and values.”
From 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., Dr. Laura Tohe (Dine), author and librettist, will offer a presentation based on her most recent book of oral histories, “Code Talker Stories.” From 1:30 to 3 p.m., four poets will read selections from their work and discuss their writing: Ian Ellasante (Choctaw), Mario Matus Villa (Chiricahua Apache), Jody Thompson (Cherokee Nation) and Bill Wetzel (Blackfeet). At 3:15 p.m., Pascal Enjady (Chiricahua Apache) will present the documentary “Two Year Promise,” which depicts the history of the Chiricahua Apache imprisonment.
Also offered during the celebration is a bead stringing activity from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a Native American buffet, including ingredients to make Indian tacos (frybread, cheese, lettuce, beans, salsa), a drink and dessert for $7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Student Union Cafe.
Following Farmer’s appearance on campus, the college’s Multicultural Film Series will offer free screenings of the film “Smoke Signals” at three locations in Cochise County: 6 p.m. Nov. 19 in room 900 on the Sierra Vista Campus; 6 p.m. Nov. 20 in the Little Theatre on the Douglas Campus; and 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Central School Project in Bisbee. The film is 90 minutes and light refreshments will be provided.
For more information about the Native American Heritage Celebration or the Multicultural Film Series, contact Biami at (520) 515-5316.