Native American Heritage Assembly Featured Indigenous Performance

November 7, 2022

The Ikidowin Acting Ensemble joined CDH today in celebrating Native American Heritage Month. The theater based group performed "We, The Peoples Before." This included stories of the original people of the North recounting their history, remembering their ancestors, and looking toward a future of peace and prosperity.

We, The Peoples Before, uses song, dance, ceremonies, and continued activism to tell stories to restore justice for the American Indian people.

Ikidowin Acting Ensemble is an Indigenous based group out of South Minneapolis. The group focuses on community and creates plays to spread awareness and educate our youth. The program trains peers to lead theater based education using American Indian culture and political history.

CDH students were given a chance to ask questions after the performance. One question was about their native languages and they spoke at length about a time when Native Americans were not allowed to speak their language and how that made it very difficult to pass it on to the next generations.