Indigenous Culture Night focuses on food, dance, legal rights

Jamison Ko LIFE EDITOR

The Native American Law Student Association and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted an Indigenous Culture Night Jan. 27, featuring food and performances celebrating Indigenous tradition.

Over 60 individuals attended the event, including OCU undergraduate students, law students, faculty, and community members.

The event lasted from 5-7 p.m. in the Great Hall in the University Center and served food from a local restaurant, The Social. The menu was based on traditional Indigenous foods and featured items such as Aurora’s blueberry scones and turkey sweet potato chili.

Attendees mingled while they ate until the performances began.

The performances consisted of both songs and dances performed by local Indigenous community members.

The performances were intermixed with informational speeches from the honored guests as they introduced themselves and the significance of their pieces.

A common theme throughout the night was the idea that the “songs bring us back into the presence of God.” These Christian values were highlighted in the songs that rang out from several singers positioned around a singular drum. Songs were played to honor God, veterans, and those who have passed away.

Dancing often accompanied these songs to convey their meaning in a visual manner. Four dancers were present, all clothed in traditional attire. The dancers moved with graceful rhythm and intention. Intricate footwork and calm smiles completed the pieces perfectly. Some dances even featured audience participation where students and families quickly joined in on the fun!

Toward the end of the night, the focus turned toward the law students, as the Indigenous speakers encouraged them to study hard and to specifically learn about sovereignty to support the Indigenous community in their legal cases in that matter.

Emphasis was placed on the importance of valuing these traditions and keeping them alive.

The performers repeated that the people gathered to learn and celebrate these valuable cultures were the future of the tribes, and expressed immense gratitude to the community and welcomed and celebrated with them.

less organizations and families across the OKC area, including Oklahoma City University.

The parade began downtown at 2 p.m. on MLK Day and featured members from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, OCU Pom, Black Student Association, and more.

Despite this being OCU’s first year to participate, OCU students were awarded second place in the College Group Division for their participation. OCU also hosted an MLK Day service project open to all students and staff in the morning before the parade.

UN: Remember the Holocaust

Jan. 27 marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN and its members hold commemorative events and ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and honor the victims and survivors of Nazism.

Auschwitz was the largest camp complex used by Nazis to carry out their “Final Solution,” which was a term used to refer to the intentional planning and execution of millions of Jewish Europeans.

In the roughly five years from 1940-1945 that Auschwitz was open, more than 1.1 million people lost their lives, with almost a million of these people being Jewish.

Prisoners at Auschwitz either were sentenced to forced labor or sent to gas chambers.

When the complex was finally liberated, almost 6 thousand people were found to be suffering or dying.

Through the remembrance of this tragic time, the UN strives to commemorate the victims of the regime while simultaneously promoting holocaust awareness to ensure that we never forget the crimes of the Nazis and the people they stole from our society.

Since 2010, the UN has specified a theme for the annual commemoration.

This year’s theme was “Home and Belonging” which drives reflection on what those terms would have meant to persecuted individuals during their sufferings and in its aftermath.

A statistic from the organization StandWithUs reads that if we were to hold a moment of silence for every victim of the Holocaust, we would be silent for eleven-and-ahalf years.

I encourage you to take even a fraction of that time to remember the tragedies that unfolded during the Holocaust and to remember both its victims and their families.

Jamison Ko Life Editor