Our colleagues at the Native American Program have scheduled events and activities for Indigenous Peoples' Month.
On the Second Monday of October (this year, Monday, October 12th, 2026), we celebrate alongside many communities, Indigenous Peoples' Day. At Dartmouth, the Native American Council recognizes Indigenous Peoples' Day through reflection, advocacy, programming, and community engagement throughout the months of October and November.
In 2026, beginning September 30th, view banners and images in the Brickway of Baker-Berry. A trivia slideshow in Baker library and in Collis 303C will be running throughout October. From October 9th through October 16th, see tribal flags hanging in the Collis Atrium and lightpole banners around the Green. Enjoy Indigikitchen recipes at Dartmouth Dining’s Harvest Fest on October 14th.
Building Community in Nature
Friday, October 9th
Meet at Robinson Hall at 3:30PM
Join the Native American Program’s Carley Malloy and Outdoor Programs’ Willow Nilsen for a guided walk and discussion through Pine Park. Learn more about the non-human communities around us, and how plants and trees have provided food sources and remedies throughout their existence. We will discuss how globalization has impacted communities throughout the Northeast, and within the Upper Valley.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day with Natives at Dartmouth
Monday, October 12th
The Green, 12:00PM
Join Natives at Dartmouth for an annual demonstration on the Green. Students, staff, and faculty gather for a silent demonstration and brief readings.
Dartmouth Charter Lunch and Learn
Tuesday, October 13th
The LINK: Baker-Berry Library, Berry 180, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Join the Native American Program and Dartmouth Dialogues to learn more about Dartmouth's founding charter and Mohegan member Samson Occom. Dartmouth Community members are welcome to join. Lunch will be served. RSVP linked here.
Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band Lunch & Performance
Wednesday, October 14th
Lunch: Collis 303, 12:30PM
Performance: Spaulding Auditorium, 7:30PM
Lunch RSVP to come. Learn more about the performance and purchase tickets on the linked Hopkins Center for the Arts website.
Healing Across the Diaspora: Queer Indigeneity
Thursday, October 15th
Collis 212, 12:00PM
Join the Native American Program and OPAL’s Queer Student Advising and Latine and Caribbean Student Advising for lunch, community, and conversation about identity.
Indigenous Peoples’ Fashion Show
Thursday, October 15th
Hood Museum, Russo Atrium, 8:00–9:00PM
Join this annual celebration of Indigenous fashion, creativity, expression, and design. This program is co-sponsored by Natives at Dartmouth, Hokupa'a, the Native American Program, and the Hood Museum of Art.
Forgotten Founder Screening
Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th
Loew Theater, 7:30PM & 1:00PM
This event is free, but registration is required.
This new documentary uncovers the history of Mohegan minister and educator Samson Occom, whose fundraising efforts were instrumental in Dartmouth's founding. Co-directed by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, a direct descendant of Occom, and filmmaker Signe Taylor, this new documentary uncovers the largely erased history of Samson Occom, a Mohegan minister, educator and Indigenous intellectual whose fundraising efforts were instrumental in the founding of Dartmouth College. Despite his central role, Occom's contributions—and the promises made to Native communities—were minimized or omitted from the historical record. Weaving together past and present through an intimate, intergenerational lens, the film features three of Occom's descendants—two as interview participants and one portraying Occom on screen—creating a rare dialogue between history, memory and lived experience. Through Indigenous voices, archival materials and embodied performance, Forgotten Founder explores legacy, accountability and survival. As the United States continues to reflect on its 250th anniversary, the film arrives at a critical moment. In an era when history itself is fiercely contested, Forgotten Founder calls for a fuller, more honest reckoning with America's origins—one that acknowledges Indigenous presence, contribution and resilience, and insists that these stories be restored to the center of our national memory.
Film Runtime: 28min. Discussion and panel follows.
Participatory Mapping for Defending Territory with Dr. Sarah Kelly
Thursday, October 29th
Collis 303, 5:30PM
Three Sisters Festival
Sunday, November 1st
Collis Common Ground, 2:30–4:00PM
Late Night at Rauner: The Story of Ada Blackjack
Tuesday, November 3rd
Rauner Special Collections Library, 6:30PM
Join the NAP, Hood Museum, Dartmouth Libraries, and the Institute of Arctic Studies in learning more about Ada Blackjack with the display’s curator, Maya Razvi.