Highlights from the Labriola Center
This past August, the Labriola Center hosted Indigenous ASU students from SPIRIT in partnership with American Indian Student Support Services. The Center also collaborated with Alliance of Indigenous Peoples to host a Welcome for new and returning students at both West Labriola and Tempe Labriola. Labriola Center at West attended West Fest and Labriola Center at Tempe attended Passport to ASU. You can learn more about our center's spaces and services by watching the Labriola Welcome Video, linked below.
The Labriola Center's Welcome Video
Both Labriola Centers at ASU Hayden Library and Fletcher Library had the opportunity to collaborate on creating a video that shows our spaces and research materials for Indigenous students, scholars, staff, and faculty. The students who helped record footage were Tait Wilson (Afro-Indigenous and Tohono O'odham), Mafi Pamaka (Tongan), Ashley Davis (Diné , and Nataani Hanley-Moraga (Diné /Húŋkpapȟa/Chicano). Senior Program Coordinator Eric Hardy (Diné) and Director Alex Soto (Tohono O'odham) advised and provided feedback on drafts, footage layout, and production. Labriola Librarian and Archivist Vina Begay picked the music. Nataani Hanley-Moraga, also known as Hzo, produced the music for the welcome video. This video was a collaborative work of art, and it could not have been done without the students and staff. See the video on our Center here to learn more about the Labriola Center and its unique research opportunities!
SPIRIT with the Labriola Center
Kicking off our first month of the 2023 Fall semester, we hosted some fun educational events with this year's American Indian Student Support Services’ (AISSS) SPIRIT program, which is a program directed towards aiding first year and transfer Indigenous students getting accustomed to ASU. Over 75 Indigenous students attended an "after party" at the Labriola Center in room 236. The after party was designed so that new and transfer ASU Indigenous students could meet Labriola staff and become familiar with our second floor space.
In room 236, there was a button making station which was very popular. Students were able to either design their own buttons using paper and colored markers or cut out tribal nation emblems. Thank you to the Makerspace for letting us use their button making machine! The Tempe Makerspace is located in Hayden Library on the 3rd floor, opposite to the Labriola Center. They offer equipment like 3D Printing, Sewing Machines, Tech Equipment, and even have a green room for recording footage!
Our events included an evening with live performances by Indigenous DJs Acro and Hzo on Monday, August 7th. DJ Acro is known for his ghibli beats and music portfolio. You can find more of his work on Spotify here. Hzo not only works for the Labriola Center as a Library Aide, but he also makes music for our social media videos! You can find more of Hzo's work on SoundCloud here.
One of Labriola's Library Aides, Eli Shepherd (Diné) played guitar with some of the students. Rhythmic blues woven with laughter cascaded throughout the room. The festivities were further enhanced with the Labriola Center's bright red Popcorn maschine, with ready-made popcorn offered to students. Overall, the event was a success and wonderful networking opportunity for the new and transfer ASU Indigenous students!
The following day, we held a series of activities throughout the library, starting with a scavenger hunt created and directed by Labriola West’s program coordinator Yitazba Largo-Anderson to help acquaint students with the layout of Hayden library. The scavenger hunt began outside room 236, with students divided into groups of 4. They were paired with a Labriola student aide, who helped them navigate Hayden Library. Depending on what question they began with, the students either interacted with the Indigenous Open Mic Night book display by finding the call number for Poet and Author Jake Skeets (Dine') or by finding Vine Deloria's "Custer Died For Your Sins" in our Open Stacks. You can access it as an ebook here. Then, the students were directed to go to the Welcome Wall, an art piece created by the Indigenous Design Collaborative at ASU. The artists who designed the Welcome Wall are Thomas “Breeze” Marcus (Tohono O’odham, Akimel O’odham, Hopi, Ponca, and Otoe), Douglas Miles (Apache, Akimel O’odham), and Vyal Reyes (Zuni, Yaqui and Rarámuri). Its purpose is to connect an urban environment with inclusivity, and bring awareness towards the 22 (soon to be 23) federally recognized tribes within Arizona State. You can find the Welcome Wall on the lower level of Hayden Library. Students were encouraged to write down the different ways to say hello in the languages within the installation. Following the Welcome Wall, the students had the opportunity to explore the Lurhs Arizona Reading Room, located on the first floor on the southwest side of Hayden Library. Within Lurhs, there was a #LandBack Book Display and National Endowment for the Arts Book Display on author and bestseller Louise Erdrich (member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa). The final clue for the scavenger hunt led the students to the Labriola Center, located on the third floor of Hayden Library. They either needed to pull out a vinyl from our records or find a scholarly journal. The winners got Hot Cheetos, candy, and a zine.
Next was a community archive activity led by our Indigenous librarian/archivist Vina Begay. Within this session, students brainstormed on how archiving can be incorporated into their lives and help their communities. Then to finish off their time with us, our Director Alex Soto and Labriola Temepe’s senior program coordinator Eric Hardy introduced students to the online research practices they will be using throughout their time at ASU as students.
Welcome Back Scones with Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and the REZ, an Urban Eatery
The following week, on Tuesday, August 22, the Labriola partnered with Alliance of Indigenous Peoples to bring in Indigenous caterer, The REZ, an Urban Eatery, to provide blue corn scones to students at both the West and Tempe Labriola locations. The West event was in collaboration with the AISSS Planner Party. At both locations, students joined us. For those who haven't been to our spaces before, they got to enjoy the tasty scones and were excited to try an Indigenous baked good and engage in conversations on food sovereignty. You can read more about food sovereignty by checking out this Libguide here.
The Labriola Center at West Fest
On Wednesday, August 16th, the Labriola Center tabled at ASU West Fest in Glendale, Arizona. The purpose for this was to bring awareness to new and returning ASU Indigenous students about the research opportunities and academic resources available at our center in Fletcher Library. Mafi Pamaka (Tongan) assisted Yitazba Largo-Anderson (Dine') with welcoming students and informing them about the Labriola Center. West Fest took place in the Sun Devil Fitness Center in the main gym. Tables filled the room and a DJ played Britney Spears throwbacks and Black Eyed Peas songs at the front. The floor glistened brightly with the overhead fluorescent lights. Soon after 5pm, hundreds of feet from new students shuffled into the room and moved about to each table. They collected pamphlets, sweet treats, and information about the various organizations at ASU West.
The Labriola Center at ASU's Passport in Tempe
That same day, Wednesday, August 16th, the Labriola Center at Hayden Library participated in Passport, where new and returning students had the opportunity to connect with over a thousand ASU student organizations and engage with activities on the Concourse, Level 1, and Level 3. The Labriola Center tabled on the first floor with a newly established Indigenous student organization called the "American Indian Arts Association." On the third floor, the Labriola Center hosted numerous Indigenous organizations and ASU departments, such as Alliance of Indigenous Peoples with Culture Connections, American Indian Graduate Student Association, American Indian Social Work Student Association, American Indian Student Support Services, American Indian Studies, ASU's Career and Development, ASU Public Allies Arizona, Office of American Indian Initiatives, Turning Points Magazine, and Women's Council of Indigenous Doctoral Scholars. The Labriola Center hosted DJ Reflekshin, a Diné beatmaker and musician based in Arizona, who performed music while students mingled and explored. There were well over a thousand students who participated in Passport at ASU!
Upcoming Events
In collaboration with Center for Imagination in the Borderlands, the Labriola Center will host its Indigenous Open Mic Poetry Night with Kinsale Drake on Thursday, September 28. She will also be leading a workshop the day prior to our Open Mic.
Check out our upcoming events by visiting our events page here.