American Indian Heritage Month was celebrated with a performance featuring bird singers, drummers and dancers in an effort to bring awareness to the importance of the month of November and the existence of American Indian organizations on campus.

The California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) partnered with the American Indian Student Alliance (AISA) to showcase a taste of American Indian culture from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 12 on the USU lawn.

“We ask bird singers, bird dancers, fancy shawl dancers, grass dancers and drum groups to help us in our goal of letting the campus know that we are here,” said AISA president, Laila Basquez.

According to Basquez, AISA wishes to bring awareness of and establish a safe learning environment for American Indian students on campus.

“By putting on this event, we hope to spark a desire in students to educate themselves about the American Indian students that they are attending classes with,” said Basquez. “With this goal in mind, we hope it fosters a diverse collaboration will all students on campus.”

Basquez said AISA, as well as the CICSC, are always open to questions that any student might have about American Indian culture. They are located at the CICSC in SBSB 1118 and are available Mon. through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We hope that students will take away an appreciation for the different cultures that make our campus rich,” said Basquez. “To want to discover something new and to do so is only a ‘hello’ away.”