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Pepperdine Honors Native American Heritage Month

November was first declared the national month of Native American Heritage awareness in 1990 by President George Bush and has been recognized as such ever since. To commemorate Native American Heritage Month, Pepperdine University will host celebrated Native American actor and physician Evan Adams, followed by a Native American Heritage Chapel service. Both events will honor Native American culture, history, and traditions reflect within the community and the wider population.

On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the Native American Student Organization and the Office of Intercultural Affairs will host actor and physician Evan Adams in a "Celebration of Native American Heritage." Adams is from the Sliammon First Nation (Powell River, BC, Canada), and is best known to the public for his role as Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the 1998 film, Smoke Signals. The performance earned him numerous awards, including an Independent Spirit for Best Debut Performance. The event begins at 8 p.m., in the Hahn Fireside Room on the Malibu campus.

"Adams is going to be speaking on what it means to celebrate Native American Heritage," says Mark Cruz, co chair of the Native American Student Organization. "He will highlight his journey from actor to medical doctor and speak to the current conditions of American Indian country, and the need to help educate and inspire future generations of American Indians.

He is currently an Aboriginal Health Physician Advisor in British Columbia, and the director of the Division of Aboriginal People's Health in the faculty of medicine at the University of British Columbia. He completed his MD at the University of Calgary, his Aboriginal Family Practice residency at St Paul’s Hospital/UBC (as Chief Resident), and a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

"Adams represents much more than a character," continues Cruz. "He is a gentleman that has gone from an acting career to becoming a physician, and it serves as a great story that our paths are not cemented. Change can occur with determination, passion and hard work. We are honored that he has agreed to come to Pepperdine and serve as our inaugural Native American Heritage Month speaker."

The commemoration at Pepperdine continues on Thursday, Nov. 19, with a Native American Heritage Chapel event from 3:30 to 4:25 p.m. in Stauffer Chapel, Malibu. The service will include traditional Native American music and prayer, with scripture readings and a prayer from Cruz. A student reflection on Native American culture and Christian heritage, will be followed by a student sharing the experience of working and serving on a reservation this past summer.

The chapel service will celebrate faith through the experiences, language, and culture of Native Americans, to reflect the Native American influence in the Pepperdine community, which includes people from the Pala and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and the Klamath (Oregon), Cherokee (Southeast United States), and Shoshoni (Northwest United States) tribes.

For more information about Evan Adams' lecture, contact Mark Cruz, and for more information about the Native American Heritage Chapel, contact the University Chaplain's Office at (310) 506-4352.