This celebration reflects the rich culture of the Americas prior to colonization and, most importantly, it recognizes resilience and reflects thriving Indigenous cultures today. Many students are building their skills at college and at the same time maintaining their cultural connections.
“To be Indigenous is to live in the present with the memory of the past and the responsibility for the future. We youth are strong, keeping alive our ceremonies and fighting for our land back. We push back. We fight,” says Emma Sundberg, a Biology student who is a member of the Wiyot Tribe and current president of the Indian Tribal & Educational Personnel Program (ITEPP).
Indigenous knowledge focuses on protecting the environment, strengthening health, aiding in sustainability, and bringing balance to the world. IPW events serve to strengthen the place-based learning environment that Cal Poly Humboldt provides students. Historical reflection helps students understand the wrongs of the past and the corrections for the future.
1992 marked the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 arrival in the Americas. For many, this was a reminder of the devastation endured by Indigenous peoples of the Americas during Columbus’s arrival.
This anniversary sparked mass protests of Columbus Day celebrations throughout the United States. Students at Cal Poly Humboldt joined in protest, and in 1996, students officially declared Indigenous Peoples Day as a replacement for Columbus Day.
A collaboration of students, faculty, and staff from ITEPP, Indian Natural Resources, Science, & Engineering (INRSEP), Department of Native American Studies, Department of Social Work, and the Council of American Indian Faculty, and Staff will provide the campus community with an opportunity to explore foods, dance, art, environment, education, language, and resilience through a Native lens.
Indigenous Peoples Week Schedule (Oct. 11–17, 2025)
Saturday, Oct. 11
Native American Studies & Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute Indigenous Foods Festival
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Wiyot Plaza (between the Native American Forum and the Behavioral & Social Sciences building)
Sunday, Oct. 12
News From Native California Magazine: California Indigenous Foods
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Native American Forum, Behavioral and Social Sciences 162
Monday, Oct. 13
ITEPP’s Indigenous Peoples Week Kickoff
Noon–1 p.m.
Gutswurrak Student Activities Center Quad
Baduwa’t Documentary
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Native American Forum, Behavioral and Social Sciences 162
Many Moons Film Screening & Q&A
3 – 4 p.m.
Library Fishbowl 209
Undamming the Klamath: The River Flows Free Panel Discussion
4 – 6 p.m.
Native American Forum, Behavioral & Social Sciences 162
Tuesday, Oct. 14
Conversations on Altruism with Dr. Joe Giovannetti
4 – 6 p.m.
Native American Forum, Behavioral & Social Sciences 162
Wednesday, Oct. 15
Landscape Care & Hands-On Work Day
1 – 4 p.m.
Wiyot Plaza (between the Native American Forum and the Behavioral & Social Sciences building)
Lourdes Pereira: Intellectual Property and Information Science in Indian Country
4 – 6 p.m.
Native American Forum, Behavioral & Social Sciences 162
Thursday, Oct. 16
COMPASS-INRSEP Open House
1 – 2 p.m.
Feuerwerker House
Rou Dalagurr Open House
4 – 5:30 p.m.
Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute
Coyote and the Monsters / Yet to Slay Exhibition Opening Reception
4:30 – 6 p.m.
Goudi’ni Native American Arts Gallery, Behavioral & Social Sciences 104
Friday, Oct. 17
Diverse Male Scholar Initiative & ITEPP Movie Night
5– 7 p.m.
Native American Forum, Behavioral & Social Sciences 162
Ongoing Exhibition
Coyote and the Monsters / Yet to Slay Exhibition
Oct. 16 – Nov. 22
Goudi’ni Native American Arts Gallery, Behavioral & Social Sciences 104
For more information and event details, visit humboldt.edu/itepp/indigenous-peoples-week