Experience culture, honor history with Indigenous Peoples Day
Teisha Simmons, College of Indigenous Studies dean
Oct. 8, 2026
— By Teisha Simmons, College of Indigenous Studies dean
On Monday, the ҹɫ¸£Àû Troth Yeddha’ Campus and our rural campuses will gather to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. As dean of the College of Indigenous Studies, this day carries personal meaning for me. It is a moment to reflect on our history, honor our resilience and share the beauty of our living cultures.
My grandmother was born in 1915, living fully off the land in harmony with the seasons and the traditional ways passed down through generations before her. In the decades that followed, those lifeways experienced significant interruption. My mother, now nearly ninety years old, entered a boarding school at nine years of age, missing out on many of the traditional practices that had sustained our family for centuries.
Today, my mother is a boarding school survivor who continues her path of learning and renewal. In recent years, she has embraced opportunities to learn the skills she could not as a child. She has learned to weave beadwork, tan fish skin, learn our songs and work with traditional plants as medicine. Through these lifeways, she is doing more than acquiring skills. She is restoring cultural knowledge and completing a circle of healing that touches the memory and spirit of my grandmother as well.
My family’s story reflects a journey shared across many Indigenous communities. When traditional practices are interrupted, reclaiming them brings strength, purpose and renewal. Learning our songs, speaking our languages, practicing our crafts and dancing together builds individual and community resilience.
Indigenous Peoples Day is a celebration of this ongoing story and an open door for everyone in our university family. Whether you are Indigenous or non-Indigenous, joining in these celebrations offers an opportunity to experience the richness of Indigenous knowledge, arts and histories that enrich our entire Alaska community.
Please join us on Monday at Troth Yeddha’ on our main campus and across our rural campuses as we honor our elders, celebrate living traditions and look ahead together with hope and joy.
For a full list of events and activities, please visit the College of Indigenous Studies webpage.