The Lawrence Kansas Monthly Blog

  Today I wanna take the time to celebrate the most important month in the history of Lawrence. Let’s start off the story with Native American Heritage month. On August 3rd, 1990, President George H. W. Bush  declared the month of November as  National American Indian Heritage Month , also referred to as  Native American Heritage Month . The bill read in part that "The President has authorized and requested to call upon Federal, State and local Governments, groups and organizations and the people of the United States to observe such month with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities".  This landmark bill honoring America's tribal people represented a major step in the establishment of this celebration which began in 1976 when a Cherokee/Osage Indian named Jerry C. Elliott- High Eagle authored Native American Awareness Week legislation the first historical week of recognition in the nation for native peoples. This led to 1986 with then President Ronald Re...

Hope you’re ready, cause I’m gonna blow your mind with this one. Cause it’s time for another Lawrence Kansas story. Let’s start out with Haskell University. I remember like it was yesterday…or something like that. My family and I got together here in Lawrence and got to go to a Pow Wow festival. We were there from back in the day and it was exciting to watch. We heard the drumming and the singing during the ceremony. Ever wonder what Pow Wow music looks, hears, and feels like? Well… It’s  a gathering with dances held by many  Native American  and  First Nations   communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or public, indoors or outdoors. Dancing events can be competitive with monetary prizes. Powwows vary in length from single-day to weeklong events. And in Lawrence, they still do it every year. I remember that time when my family and I went there to see my friend Phillip ‘Bigg Ph...