Celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day

On October 12th, 2026, the Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) community came together to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day. Students, faculty, and community members started the morning off with a guided meditation led by Associate Professor of Anthropology and NAIS Co-Director, Maisa Taha. 

Thinking about our relationship to Lenapehoking and the Indigenous stewards of this land, we set out on a nature walk through Mills Reservation. The group reunited back on campus just in time for lunch at Freeman Dining Hall, where a curated menu of recipes native to the Americas was being served throughout the day. Members of the NAIS Club along with staff from the New Jersey Center for Indigenous Justice (NJCIJ), greeted diners, taking the time to discuss Indigenous culinary traditions and the importance of sovereignty and cultural revitalization. In a demonstration of those values NJCIJ Director, Precious Benally, presented the university's Land Acknowledgement and call to action at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences' monthly meeting. We wrapped up the day at Coder House with a delicious meal of Navajo Tacos, the sounds of drumbeats and laughter filling the air long into the night.