By Sarah Gallaher | Staff Writer
November marks the start of Native American Heritage Month — a period dedicated to the recognition and appreciation of Indigenous contributions to art, culture and history as the first inhabitants of the nation. Recently, Baylor has made efforts to foster relationships with surrounding tribes.
While some departments and organizations on campus have highlighted Native American Heritage Month in the past, Baylor as an institution did not formally celebrate until November 2022 with its official land acknowledgement, which states that the university “strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities” to recognize the loss of these territories due to European colonization and American expansionism.
Jeffry Archer, dean of libraries, museums and the press, assisted the President’s Council by appointing an advisory group to conduct research on the history of the Waco and Independence campuses. Archer currently serves as Baylor’s liaison to Native and Indigenous communities and helps connect local tribes with the administration.
“I think right now, the way we framed the land acknowledgement for Baylor, there’s already a path forward,” Archer said. “What I’m really proud about Baylor is that our land acknowledgment goes beyond that [of other universities]. It provides a framework for having relationships with Indigenous nations, particularly the one that actually lived in the spaces — not only in Independence, but here in Waco.”
Prior to the land acknowledgement, Baylor promoted a few smaller events during Native American Heritage Month, including the Native American Heritage Speaker Series held by the Mayborn Museum Complex. This year, the Mayborn kicked off celebrations with a performance by Indigenous Arts, Culture and Education.
“We have been celebrating for a long time here at the Mayborn,” marketing coordinator Molly Noah said. “I think the first one was back in 2019, so each year has kind of a different theme. … This year’s theme is storytelling, so that went along really nicely with Indigenous ACE.”
In addition to performances and storytelling by Indigenous peoples, the Mayborn also hosted “We Are Waco: Reconnecting with the Wí:ko:ʔ People — A Conversation with Wichita and Affiliated Tribes,” which was a discussion and learning session Monday evening.
“It’s a conversation with the Wichita and affiliated tribes, so that is the tribe that is indigenous to the Waco area,” Noah said. “They are here from the fifth through the ninth meeting with different organizations, different city leaders. It’s really the first visit that they’ve had like this since 1912.”
According to Archer, Baylor took precautions when starting construction on The Quadrangle due to rumors of the land being a burial site for a Native American princess. Archaeologists determined that the land was not a burial site, but they did discover pottery shards that date to A.D. 1166-1268.
“We know oral history is very important to the Indigenous nations, and with the possible stories that there was a grave on that site, we just had to do that additional step to make sure that we weren’t desecrating a space by just immediately doing construction,” Archer said.
Despite Baylor’s dedication to celebrating Native American culture recently, the university does not currently have a student organization designed for Indigenous students. The Native American Student Association existed for a few years in the 1990s and early 2000s, but it later dissolved — likely due to a lack of leadership, according to Archer.
“It’s always a challenge if you have smaller numbers,” Archer said. “You have to not only have students who are willing to do all the work that it takes academically, spiritually and living-wise to be successful at Baylor, but then also to take on a student organization.”
Archer said the Native American Student Association used to host annual powwows and other fundraisers to celebrate their culture on campus. However, he noted that faculty cannot reinstate the group, as only students can lead student organizations.
In light of Baylor’s recent advances in addressing Native American Heritage Month, Noah said she hopes events at the Mayborn and across campus will open doors for “Native-led collaboration” with the Waco community.
