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Indigicat hosts Spirit Week at start of Native American Heritage Month

Many+indigenous+student+organizations+and+clubs+gathered+on+the+UA+mall+lawn+to+celebrate+Indigenous+Peoples+Day+on+Oct.+14.
Desiree Guerrero
Many indigenous student organizations and clubs gathered on the UA mall lawn to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 14.

The Indigicat Student Association will be hosting a Spirit Week from Nov. 12 through Nov. 15 on the University of Arizona campus. 

The Indigicats, along with Native American Student Affairs, will be hosting different cultural activities during the week as part of Native American Heritage Month.

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Sophie Hungrywolf, president of Indigicat, said the club has hosted the spirit week during heritage month for at least three years. 

Tuesday, Nov. 12, is Beadwork Tuesday. 

“We’re doing beadwork Tuesday, so basically on Tuesday, you just wear anything beaded or any kind of beadwork you want,” Hungrywolf said. “If you want to wear traditional jewelry, that’s fine.”

Wednesday is Wildcat Spirit Wednesday. Students are encouraged to wear anything in UA’s colors.

Thursday is Traditional Dress Thursday. “Whatever tribe you’re from, or whatever you want to wear that you feel is traditional,” Hungrywolf said. “I know there are some people that wear traditional mixed with contemporary clothes.”

Friday, Nov. 15 is Rock your Mocs Friday.

“We know that some tribes, they don’t all have moccasins,” Hungrywolf said. “So it’s Rock your Mocs, but also traditional footwear.”

Hungrywolf also said they are hosting Frybread Friday on Nov. 15. 

“At the Native American Student Affairs, we’ll be passing out mini frybread and showing the movie ‘More than a Frybread,’” she said. 

Hungrywolf said the spirit week is meant to bring Native American students together.

“It’s just to bring the students together. It is around a culture,” Hungrywolf said. “Some people, they do feel comfortable wearing bead work or other stuff like the traditional dress … If they don’t, they can say, ‘I’m wearing this for spirit week.’”

She also said it was a chance for students to express their culture.

“I know this one girl, she wore her traditional Apache dress and her professor — she had a 600 student class — and her professor asked her to go up and talk about her dress,” Hungrywolf said. “It’s just kind of that, especially for Native American Heritage Month, we want people to know we’re still here and especially that we’re on campus.”

RELATED: Miss Native American University of Arizona pageant continues to share tradition and culture

Hungrywolf said the spirit week is the only thing they are doing for Native American Heritage Month, but they do have other events for the rest of the semester. 

“We’re having a frybread sale on Nov. 21,” Hungrywolf said. “For the rest of the semester, we’ll be having a winter social Dec. 3 and that will be in collaboration with the American Indian Student Initiative.” 


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