Graceland University Celebrates First Americans

The Graceland University Intercultural Office with the help of Student Senate will sponsor a Native American Indian Heritage Month event Thursday, Nov. 16, from 4-5 p.m. in Carol Hall. The event, which is open to the public, features Ray Slick, an enrolled Meskwaki Nation member currently living on the Meskwaki settlement in Tama, Iowa. Slick will discuss the American Indian culture and its history in Iowa, including the Meskwaki Settlement along with the contributions and customs of Native Americans.

Slick received his Associate of Arts degree at the Haskell Indian Nations University, a BA in social work at the University of Iowa and master’s in social work at the University of Northern Iowa. In his bio, Slick states that “traditional values need to be practiced and to be learned in order to be effective with all the tribal nations. The Red Road is real and it is there we need more people on it!”

“Ray Slick is well known in Indian country. He has been sharing knowledge about our ways for many years,” said Dee White Eye, Graceland University Personal Counselor, who is from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. She continued, “Ray has a lot of good life experience that makes his discussions very interesting. I am looking forward to learning even more from him!”

The Graceland University Native American Indian Heritage Month event celebrates not only rich history but also the contributions throughout the years of our nation. “I’m very excited to have Raymond Slick come to our community to share about a part of Iowa cultural and history that many of us have never learned about before,” said Diana Jones, Director of the Intercultural Office.

Published, in part, from a story originally written by Gary Rees for the Lamoni Chronicle.