Native American Heritage Month is celebrated each November as a time to honor and uplift the traditions, languages, and stories of Native and Indigenous peoples. It recognizes and commemorates the cultures, knowledge, and contributions of the Indigenous peoples who have flourished on and cared for this land for thousands of years. This month also acknowledges the devastating impacts of colonization, genocide, and displacement that many Native communities endured, while celebrating their strength, resilience, and continued presence today.
Santa Monica College currently stands is the ancestral unceded territory of the Tongva or Gabrielino, Kizh, and Chumash peoples. We honor the indigenous caretakers of these lands and their elders, past, present, and future.
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Join our events!
All-Women's Resilience and Sovereignty Education Panel
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Time: 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: SSC 183, Orientation Hall
Description: The panel will explore the diverse experiences and cultures of Native and Indigenous
women, centering resilience, sovereignty, and self-determination in the 20th/21st
centuries. Through discussions of identity, womanhood, and cultural preservation,
the panelists will highlight the strength, leadership and the contributions of Native
and Indigenous women.
- Odilia Romero, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CIELO
- Dr. Nikki Barry, Assistant Professor at UCLA
- Amia Roach-Valandra, Communications Specialist at United American Indian Involvement
- Erin Espinosa, Co-Program Manager of Workforce Development at United American Indian Involvement
Día de los Muertos
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Time: 11:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
Location: Main Quad
Description: Celebration honoring and remembering loved ones who passed away through colorful,
decorations, flowers, food, and family traditions. There will be Aztec dancing, sugar
skulls decorating, face painting, and food!
Organized by the Latino Center, Basic Needs and Student Equity Center.
Traditional Beading Workshop with Mandy Lamere
Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: Art Room 220
Description: Beadwork is profoundly important as both an art form and traditional knowledge, conveying
identity, storytelling, and historical narratives through the beads woven in fabric.
Mandy Lamere will lead the beading workshop and present on the importance and vitality
of beadwork and shared the importance and vitality of beadwork in Native American
and Indigenous cultures.
Indigenous Student Transfer Tips and Success with Sabrina Rigor, SMC Alumna
Monday, November 9, 2026
Time: 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Description: Learn from SMC Alumna, Sabrina Rigor, about her personal journey, experiences and
advice for navigating the transfer process. Native and Indigenous students will gain
valuable insights, helpful application tips, and guidance to support them as they
take the next steps towards transferring to a four-year university.
NAHM Celebration: Resilience and Sovereignty Education Fair
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Time: 11:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
Location: Main Campus Quad
Description: The celebration centers Native and Indigenous experiences and sovereignty. It brings
the community together to honor Native and Indigenous cultures, talents, history,
and leadership while creating space for Native and Indigenous students to build connections
and find belonging in higher education. The event features Indigenous educational
organizations, traditional foods, special guests, and a land acknowledgment by the
Gabrielino-Tongva Tribal Council.
Indigenous Short-Film and Documentary Watch Party
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Time: 2:15 to 4:15 p.m.
Location: HSS 104
Description: Gather to watch Indigenous and Native short films and documentaries celebrating indigeneity
through diverse forms of creativity, storytelling, and community discussion.
Indigenous Students Mixer: Language Revitalization with SMC Student Clubs
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Time: 11:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
Location: SMC Quad
Description: Explore and celebrate indigenous languages alongside Indigenous Scholars Club and
SMC clubs through traditional phrases, language exchanges, interactive games, traditional
dance, and community connection.
Leather Workshop
Friday, November 20, 2026
Time: 12 to 2:45 p.m.
Location: Student Equity Center (Cayton Lower Level/MPR)
Description: Learn about traditional leatherwork and Indigenous medicine with the Indigenous Scholars
Club and community elder. Participants will have the opportunity to honor these cultural
practices by creating and taking home their own medicine bag.
Thank you to the Art Department, Associated Students, Center for Media and Design,
Counseling Department, Decolonizing the Academy Committee, Division of Equity, Pathways,
and Inclusion, English Department, Events Department, Ethnic Studies Department, Global
Citizenship Committee, History Department, Indigenous Scholars Club, Latino Center/Adelante
Program, Maintenance and Operations Department, Oaxacans at SMC, Office of Student
Life, Reprographics, SMC Library, SMC Marketing, Student Equity Center, The Corsair,
and all of our Guest Speakers, Elders, Dancers, Singers, and Vendors.
Your independent and collaborative efforts with and for Native and Indigenous students
to support Indigenous visibility have fundamentally changed Santa Monica College and
its legacy for generations to come.
This month honors the histories and perspectives of our Native American and Indigenous
ancestors. It is through their courage, resilience, and dedication to our communities
that we continue to thrive on Turtle Island today. We honor their sacrifices, the
wisdom they’ve passed down, and the strengths that continue to guide us. May we continue
to walk in their footsteps and uphold their legacy as we strive to keep our cultures,
languages, and histories alive and thriving for future generations.
We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to the Chumash and Gabrielino
Tongva peoples for their original and ongoing stewardship of the land we occupy and
for preserving Santa Monica’s beauty for over 7,000 years.
A heartfelt thank you to Matika Wilbur, former artist-in-residence at Santa Monica
College, your commitment to Indigenous visibility, paved the way for Native and Indigenous
students. United American Indian Involvement for bringing their sacred space with
their tipi, the first ever to be on SMC grounds, and the Wildhorse Native American
Association for having our first ever Native American singing and dancing here at
Santa Monica College. To all of our community elders, a huge thank you.
A special shoutout to Julia Velasco and Montse Guzman for their unwavering dedication,
time, and energy in setting the foundation in changing the fabric of Santa Monica
College by centering Native and Indigenous communities.