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This weekend and next week in Indian Country, there is an array of events for the community to enjoy.
There is a film screening of the food sovereignty documentary “Gather,” a canoe history lesson part of a Madeline Island Speaker Series, and several other history lesson opportunities for those interested in learning more about the original people of Turtle Island.

Here is Native News Online’s weekly round-up of arts, culture, and entertainment offerings around Indian Country.

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Community Nourishment: “Gather” Film Screening
August 3, 2023, 7-9:30 pm
Detroit, MI 

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit is hosting a film screening of “Gather,” a 2020 film that captures the growing and vast food sovereignty movement. After the film, “Gather” chefs and activists Twila Cassadore and Nephi Craig alongside local food sovereignty activist and farmer Kirsten Kirby-Shoote discuss how they have been reclaiming and healing their spiritual, political, and cultural identities through food. This panel will be moderated by Black agrarian activist and Detroit farmer Shakara Tyler.

Odawa in the 21st Century
August 4, 2023, 3-4:15
Vanderbilt, MI

Join the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa’s Historian Eric Hemenway for a history lesson on the Anishinabek Odawa, their culture and history, current struggles and challenges. Bring your camp chair or fold-out chair, as the presentation will be outdoors next to the Discovery Center.

Miami Indian Heritage Days: Miami Beadwork
August 5, 2023, 1-4 pm
Fort Wayne, IN

Interested in learning about the history of the original peoples of Indiana? Thrown by the History Center in Fort Wayne, you can join Katrina Mitten for five to seven dollars for a monthly series that teaches the heritage of the Miami and other regional Native American groups.

Madeline Island Speaker Series: Dugout Canoes with Sissel Schroeder
August 9, 2023, 7-8 pm
Kenosha, WI

Join UW-Madison Archeology Professor Sissel Schroeder for a history lesson on Native American canoes in Wisconsin’s waterways. The Archeology team with the Wisconsin Historical Society recovered two dugout canoes from Lake Mendota, near Madison. Consider attending this free event to learn what these canoes tell us about Indigenous history in Wisconsin. 

This event is part of the Madeline Island Speaker Series, presented in partnership with the Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve and with support from Madeline Island Museum Friends donations. 

Youth GONA in the “D”
August 11-13, 2023
Detroit, MI

Consider taking your youth to this event focused on gathering Native American youth together in order to learn about belonging, mastery, and interdependence. The event is free to any youth and their family who stays in the hotel, and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. 

In The Spirit Arts Market and Northwest Native Festival
August 12, 2023, 10 am - 5 pm
Tacoma, WA

This event is an arts market and Northwest Native Festival, an annual summer celebration of diverse Native arts and culture. This festival is hosted by the Washington State History Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and Museum of Glass. Consider enjoying the event by shopping among and talking with artist vendors, listening to Native music, watching dynamic cultural dance, making art, exploring exhibitions and more.

National Navajo Code Talkers Day in the United States
August 14, 2023
United States

National Navajo Code Talkers Day is observed annually on August 14. It was first proclaimed in 1982 to honor the contributions of the Natives who served in the US military during the Second World War, using the Navajo language to support the war effort

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About The Author
Neely Bardwell
Author: Neely BardwellEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Neely Bardwell (descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indian) is a staff reporter for Native News Online covering politics, policy and environmental issues. Bardwell graduated from Michigan State University where she majored in policy and minored in Native American studies.

May 02, 2025 Neely Bardwell
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Two students making waves in Indigenous art and filmmaking were honored this week as winners of the 2025 Tribal College Journal (TCJ) Student Art and Film Contest.
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The Sundance Institute has announced its 2025 Native Lab cohort, continuing its long-standing commitment to nurturing bold, original work by Indigenous filmmakers.
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The Broad Museum in Los Angeles will open a new exhibition on May 10 featuring work by Jeffrey Gibson, the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States solo at the Venice Biennale.
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On Wednesday, NDN Fund announced the successful closing of a loan with the Native Conservancy, an Indigenous-led land trust based in Alaska’s Copper River Delta. As the impact investment arm of NDN Collective, NDN Fund provides braided capital—combining financing with capacity and power-building support—to Indigenous-owned and led businesses working to strengthen their communities.
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