The Institute of American Cultures offers in-residence appointments to support research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicanas/os. We especially encourage applications that advance our understanding of new social and cultural realities occasioned by the dramatic population shifts of recent decades, including greater heterogeneity within ethnic groups and increased interethnic contact.

For 2020–2021, the American Indian Studies Center will host a Visiting Scholar for one quarter. The Bunche Center for African American Studies will not have a Visiting Scholar this academic year. 

Deadline: 
Applications site will open on October 15, 2019. Completed applications must be received by 11:59 pm January 9, 2020. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will be notified in March.

For more information and to apply: https://www.aisc.ucla.edu/news/iac2021_visitingscholar.aspx

The UCLA Institute of American Cultures (IAC) invites applications for support of research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicanas/os for 2020–2021. The Institute also invites proposals on interethnic relations that will increase collaboration between the Centers and/or between the Centers and other campus units.

Deadline: Applications available October 15, 2019 and must be received by 11:59 p.m., March 1, 2020. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will be notified in May.

For more information and to apply: https://www.aisc.ucla.edu/news/iac2021_researchgrant.aspx

As many of you know, 2019–20 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Indian Studies Center and the Interdepartmental Program. We are trying to complete a comprehensive history of the center in time for the anniversary. To that end, student workers have interviewed some of the first students and faculty in the program. Now we would like to identify others who were here between 1970 and 2010.

If you are interested in being interviewed, or if you know of someone you think we should interview, please email Pamela Grieman at grieman@ucla.edu. For funding reasons, we will first focus on those located closest to Los Angeles, but we are particularly eager to find students who were here during the early days. Thanks so much for your time and consideration! We look forward to hearing from you! Just send an email to grieman@ucla.edu.

The UCLA American Indian Studies Center and its Library had a presence this year at the Association for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference  (ATALM) (held on October 8–10 at the Pechanga Resort Casino, Pechanga Reservation, California). UCLA AISC had an exhibitor’s table with resources, information, and publications and was thrilled to have met prospective students, tribal leaders, collections and cultural professionals, and museum and library colleagues from many Tribal Nations as well as from locations like Aotearoa and Hawai'i.  The three day conference included workshops, panels, and  a great keynote address by Joy Harjo, the new U.S. Poet Laureate. 

Caption: AISC Librarian Joy Holland and Librarian and Archivist Xaviera Flores, a colleague from UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center welcomed visitors in the UCLA American Indian Studies Center Booth at ATALM.

Caption: Roy and Te Whiu presenting on Tribal approaches to collections.

The AISC Library hosted a dynamic talk at Powell Library at UCLA on Friday, October 11, with Dr. Loriene Roy, (Anishinabe), Professor, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin and Whina Te Whiu (Te Rarawa), Curator, Te Ahu Museum, and Vision Holder for Raiatea Tribal Museum and Resource Centre, Aotearoa “Collecting and Caring for Native Archives and Libraries: Serving Native Communities, Serving Native History.” The talk focused on making Native and Tribal protocols a priority in collection care and generated great discussion and questions.

The Library welcomes a new student worker, Jaqueline Robledo to AISC! Jacqueline has a background in English and Chicano Studies and experience working as a student mentor and writing consultant. Jackie will be working in the library on projects and looks forward to meeting our patrons! Glad to have you here, Jackie!

The Library thanks its volunteer, Rey Soto, who has been assiduously working on a book accession being inventoried for the AISC Library and the Center’s wonderful initiative, BRAID (Books and Resources for American Indians in Detention) https://www.aisc.ucla.edu/braid/. Rey has been a valued friend to the Center and is of great service to the entire campus. Rey works as a Data Manager and Programmer in the Department of Epidemiology at UCLA and is the President of the Native Staff Association at UCLA. Thank you, Rey! We appreciate you.

Monday, November 18, 2019
12–1:45 PM
Room 1357, UCLA School of Law

As part of our Native American Heritage Month celebrations, please join the Native American Law Students Association along with the Asian/Pacific Islander Law Students Association for a diverse panel featuring Dr. Trisha Kehaulani 
Watson, from Honua Consulting in Hawaii to discuss the ongoing violations against Native Hawaiian sovereignty and those that are currently taking place at Mauna Kea. We will also be featuring A-dae Briones of the First Nations Development Institute and Angela Mooney D'Arcy of the Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples to offer a comparative lens on Native American sovereignty issues in the U.S.—specifically those that have occurred at Standing Rock and with Native California tribes and communities. We hope to see you there!

Please RSVP here for lunch. This event will be recorded. 

Wednesday, November 20, 2019
3 PM – 5 PM
James West Alumni Center

Join the Institute of American Cultures (IAC) in honoring the 2019-2020 IAC visiting scholars, graduate and predoctoral fellows, and research grant awardees with a reception followed by conversations featuring IAC scholars.  Learn about the research and scholarship that the IAC and the four ethnic studies research centers are supporting.

This year we will be honored with talks by Dr. Jennifer Josten with the Chicano Studies Research Center, J.D. Rebecca Tsosie with the American Indian Studies Center, Dr. erin Khuê Ninh with the Asian American Studies Center, and Dr. Karida L. Brown along with Omar Abdulkarim for the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies.

RSVP: https://bit.ly/2pKboHh

Sunday, November 24, 2019
10 AM – 4 PM
TCL Chinese Theater
The LA SKINS FEST will hold its second Hollywood Pow Wow in front of the iconic TCL Chinese Theater. The Pow Wow takes place Saturday, November 24, 2019 starting at 9 AM. The event will feature traditional singing, dancing and youth performances from numerous tribes around the country.
ALL DANCERS WELCOME!

This is part of the 13th Annual LA SKINS FEST — A Native American film festival — taking place November 19–24 throughout Hollywood. Throughout the day, we will be screening Native American films at the TCL Chinese Theater in auditorium #6 from 10 AM–8 PM.

Special thanks to the Chinese Theater for supporting the pow-wow and the Native American community of Los Angeles.

Master of Ceremonies: Ral Christman — Kumeyaay Nation
Arena Director: Richard DeCrane — Crow/Diné
Host Drum: WildHorse Singers
HeadWoman: Shayna Meguinis — Tsuu’Tina and Cree
HeadMan: Nico Phoenix Northern Paiute/Tohono O’ Odham

For more information, visit http://laskinsfest.com/event/2nd-annual-hollywood-pow-wow