American Indian culture has often been considered something that occurred in the past. What most don't realize, as Colleen Boyd points out, is American Indians are part of the past, the present and a very important part of the future.
"What I promote among students is to do anything they can to learn to work and operate in diverse environments," Boyd, Ball State University Native American studies minor program director said.
Today the program's Native American Film Series begins for this semester, which is supported by the Native American Students Association and focuses on diversity issues.
This semester's theme is "Cycles of Change: Indigenous Dialogues With (In) the Global Environment" and will feature three films on three different dates throughout the rest of the year. The series has been held since 2005, and has been directed by Boyd, with the help of her husband, John Boyd, the faculty adviser for the Native American Student Association on campus.
The first film of this year's series, "A Thousand Roads" was released the same year the NASA film series debuted on campus, and was directed by Chris Eyre, an American Indian who has received various awards for his works. Eyre is one of many American Indians who have made an excellent contribution to the arts field, but many people don't know about it, John Boyd said.
"There are so many people out there from Indian countries that are providing all kinds and forms of expression. We have all these new folks that have been very creative and that people really don't know about," John Boyd said.
Colleen Boyd said the purpose of the event is to educate students, staff and anyone else who is interested, and get them more familiar with American Indian culture.
"Native issues are to me particularly compelling because it's the foundation for the Americas. You can't really understand the American history, you can't really understand the culture of the Americans, and you can't really understand any of that if you don't understand indigenous issues," she said.
Ball State NASA president Shauna Larson said she believes it is very important to promote this event. She has demonstrated passion and dedication to her work with NASA, and this led her to win the Multicultural Distinguished Service Award last year.
Larson strongly recommends students and faculty come to this event to learn more about the culture.
"Movies can often really reach out and educate people," Larson said. "We're on a society where entertainment is really prevalent and important to us. You want something to keep us interested in, and movies are a way to do that. One of the most important things for the Native Americans here on campus is to educate the rest of campus."
NASA has been working on diverse projects, such as trips to American Indian reservations, to help communities that are in need. They are also planning new events and panels to inform people about American Indian culture and society.
Go see"A Thousand Roads"Tonight at 7 p.m.
"The Story of the Weeping Camel"Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
"Another Wind is Moving"Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
All Films:Where: Burkhardt Building Rm. 300Admission: Free
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