BYU students from many cultures and backgrounds gathered together to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, Oct. 14.
Though not officially recognized as a federal holiday, BYU Multicultural Student Services believed it was an important day to highlight.
“There’s not a lot of indigenous people here in BYU, so we don’t really get exposed to that culture a lot. It’s good to have events like this where people can come and learn, “ Nathan Saez, a student employee at Multicultural Student Services, said.
The event featured booths lining a wall with hands-on crafts the students could do to learn more about indigenous cultures. They had the opportunity to create their own Ojo de Dios (God's eye) and Huichol yarn paintings, which both originated from indigenous people in Mexico.
Vendors also came selling handmade crafts representing their cultures. Throughout the event, presenters came to educate students on the history of various indigenous groups. The event ended with a Native American hoop dance performance.
Refreshments included several foods made from corn including blue corn cookies and champurrado, a traditional Mexican drink. A sign explained that corn, or maize, is significant to many indigenous people in the Americas, “serving as a food source and cultural symbol.”
“It’s kind of like a comfort drink, the champurrado,” Shiegrid Henrandez, the center's administrative services coordinator said.
“I was giving away champurrado, and a lot of the students are from this culture, and they told me that that felt like home for them because that’s usually what our grandparents give us,” Hernandez said.
Whether or not the students were familiar with the foods and customs at the celebration, all were educated and had a uniting experience.
“It’s just a heartwarming feeling that others are open to welcome somebody else’s culture and to learn and to be more united,” Hernandez said.
The Multicultural Student Services plans on celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day again in the future.