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Native American Heritage Month at CSUMB

CSUMB Professor George Baldwin among presenters

Flute player David Wolfs Robe will visit CSU Monterey Bay as part of the university’s celebration of Native American Heritage Month.

Other activities include film screenings, a panel discussion of contemporary Native American issues, presentations and a photo exhibit. All activities are free and open to the public but parking permits must be purchased from machines on the parking lots.

He is an accomplished flute maker, performer and educator who brings traditional music and original compositions to life. His performances weave delicate melodies and improvisation into a landscape with the sounds of nature while also emphasizing the importance of cultural preservation.

His workshop will be held from noon to 2 p.m., Nov. 4. It is open to beginners and experienced players and will focus on the grandfather flute. People who have instruments are asked to bring them.

Wolfs Robe will also present a concert and lecture at 7 p.m., Nov. 5, in the University Center ballroom. Those who plan to attend the workshop or concert are asked to RSVP to hwilde@csumb.edu or call 582-3890.

At 6:30 p.m., Nov. 4, a panel of tribal guests and scholars facilitated by CSUMB faculty member Ruben Mendoza will discuss contemporary Native American issues.

CSUMB Professor George Baldwin will present “Digital Reservations: Songs and Stories About Growing Up Indian” at 7 p.m., Nov. 6. In this entertaining presentation, Dr. Baldwin (pictured at right) incorporates traditional native storytelling and original songs to offer a rare glimpse into contemporary Native identity. Growing up on several Indian reservations – not his own – Baldwin offers a humorous look at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the small government-funded communities that served the tribes during the 1960s.

His social commentary spans 55 years of federal policy and the cultural change that such polices fostered on our country’s Indian reservations. Dr. Baldwin is a recognized member of the Osage and Kansa tribes of Oklahoma. He has worked for dozens of Native tribes as a social activist, promoting self-determination through tribal reorganization, integration of new technologies, and education. He is a founding faculty member at CSUMB and a professor in the Social, Behavioral, and Global Studies Division.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE:

NOV. 4****• Noon-2 p.m. – Grandfather flute workshop with David Wolfs Robe, Ocean Hall, Suite B, Room 120. Ocean Hall is located on Inter-Garrison Road near Third Avenue, across from the Otter Sports Complex

5-6:15 p.m. – “The Legacy of the Grandfather Flute” film screening and producers panel, Alumni and Visitors Center, Gen. Jim Moore Boulevard and Inter-Garrison Road

6:30-8 p.m. – “Contemporary Native American Issues” panel discussion with tribal guests and scholars. Facilitated by Professor Ruben Mendoza, Alumni and Visitors Center, Gen. Jim Moore Boulevard and Inter-Garrison Road

Our Native culture is like a delicate weaving, with each strand representing a part of our world. The flute is just one of those strands. If you cut just one strand, over time you will lose the entire weaving. . . . – David Wolfs Robe.

NOV. 57-9 p.m. – Grandfather flute concert and lecture with David Wolfs Robe, University Center ballroom, Sixth Avenue and B Street.

NOV. 67-9 p.m. – “Digital Reservations: Songs and Stories about Growing Up Indian,” presented by Professor George Baldwin, University Center ballroom, Sixth Avenue and B Street

NOV. 145-7 p.m. – Fray Junipero Serra, Native Californians and the Legacy of the Franciscan Missions: Missions Photography Exhibition with photographer Dr. Ruben Mendoza, Student Center west lounge. The Student Center faces the main quad, enter parking lot 12 off Inter-Garrison Road

6-8 p.m. – “Two Spirits” movie screening and discussion, in the Otter Cross Cultural Center located in the Student Center. The Student Center faces the main quad, enter parking lot 12 off Inter-Garrison Road.

“Two Spirits” interweaves the tragic story of a mother’s loss of her son with a revealing look at a time when the world wasn’t simply divided into male and female, and many Native American cultures held places of honor for people of integrated genders.

Driving directions and a campus map are available here.

Native American Heritage Month is sponsored by the Division of Social, Behavioral and Global Studies; dean’s office of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science; Student Activities and Leadership Development; Provost’s special events fund; and Otter Cross Cultural Center.

Photos of David Wolfs Robe by Bill Leydon

Our Native culture is like a delicate weaving, with each strand representing a part of our world. The flute is just one of those strands. If you cut just one strand, over time you will lose the entire weaving, so I strive to keep this part of our Native culture alive, evolving, and intact. I wish to share it with the world. – David Wolfs Robe.

The CSUMB Library provides materials that may be of interest to those wishing to delve further into the themes covered by some of these events