An opening prayer, American Indian dances and a buffalo barbeque today will kick off the annual Nizhoni Week, which promotes American Indian cultural awareness on campus.
The activities are organized and sponsored by several American Indian student groups and businesses, including the C.I.R.C.L.E. Society of American Indians, the American Indian Business Association, the American Indian Medical Society, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and the Morningtalk Buffalo Ranch.
Jennifer Moore, a C.I.R.C.L.E. Society co-chairwoman, said that nizhoni is Navajo for "beautiful" and Nizhoni Week began when the society was still the Kiva Club during the 1950s.
"It's been going on forever," Moore said. "It's a tradition for UNM to have this."
The opening prayer begins at 6:30 a.m. on Upper Johnson Field. Three American Indian dance groups will be at Zimmerman Square from noon to 1 p.m. Jemez Headstart, the Dinä Tah and the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers are scheduled to perform.
Moore said the Jemez Headstart dancers are children from the Jemez Headstart group and the Dinä Tah dancers are older students from Albuquerque high schools who perform Navajo dances.
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The buffalo barbeque will be in the Mesa Vista Hall East Courtyard from 1-3 p.m. and Moore said everyone on campus is invited to attend.
"For the barbeque we actually went out and hunted the buffalo we're eating," she said. "One of our members' dad raises them and he offered it to us, but we actually had to go hunt it because they roam around."
Tuesday's events include an open mike poetry reading at Mesa Vista Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., a pueblo throw and the Miss Indian UNM pageant at the UNM Science and Technology Park at 7 p.m.
The business association is sponsoring the throw, where food, candy and coke is thrown out to the crowd. The Miss Indian UNM will be crowned that night.
Wednesday's lone event is the Mutton King Contest in the Mesa Vista East Courtyard from 6-7 p.m. Moore said it is an adaptation of the Miss Indian UNM pageant for the guys.
"We actually have a crown and prize money," she said. "They do some of the stuff like Miss Indian UNM, like make bread or braid hair."
Thursday includes High School Day, when 40 high school students from around the city will get a taste of college life as the student groups encourage them to pursue higher education.
"We'll have a panel discussion with undergraduates and graduates, they'll do a rope course at Johnson," she said.
The students will be taken on a tour of UNM, which will be followed by the panel discussion from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Dane Smith Hall, Room 120.
The day also includes resource booths at the Duck Pond from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Organizations from on and off campus interested in hiring students will be there to promote themselves.
Friday caps the week's activities with a Freshman Recognition Banquet featuring broadcast journalist Conroy Chino.
Robbie Whitehair, a co-chairwoman of the Society, added that Chino is an advocate for American Indian communities in New Mexico and has a master's degree in broadcast journalism from Harvard University.
For more information on Nizhoni Week, call 277-8447 or 277-6343.
