Who We Are
The Program in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) at The University of Texas at Austin supports students engaged in the study of American Indian and Indigenous Peoples’ histories and cultures in Texas, the United States and beyond. We are committed to develop relations of dialogue and collaboration with native communities and organizations in Central Texas. We fully embrace principles of respect, care and reciprocity towards the native lands on which we UT carry out scholarly work. At UT Austin, the NAIS Program supports the Indigenous student community in their effort to create spaces of diversity and inclusiveness on campus. NAIS offers both an Undergraduate Certificate and a Graduate Portfolio program. We run an exciting NAIS Speaker Series that provides students, faculty and community members the opportunity to learn from and connect with indigenous intellectual life from around the world. We also offer our undergraduate and graduate students support for summer internship and research projects.
What We're Fundraising For
Showcasing Native American and Indigenous Cultures, Artists and Activists
Details: This initiative focuses on providing support for Undergraduate outreach and events.
NAIS funding is currently helping students to support programming on campus and outreach. NAIS provides additional support for Indigenous students’ projects; but we would like to do more! This fundraising initiative would allow the program to enrich and expand student programming and allow them to reach more students. The goal is to invite well known Indigenous artists and activists to UT Austin in order to spread awareness of issues that are affecting Indigenous Peoples locally and globally.
Your Impact
Showcasing Native American and Indigenous Cultures
This initiative would allow the program to support student programming and allow them to reach more students and invite to campus well known Indigenous artists and leaders to spread awareness about Native American and Indigenous life in Texas and beyond. It would also help our undergraduate student group, the Native American and Indigenous Collective (NAIC) to build awareness amongst students regarding land issues and the global environmental crisis as well as questions of social justice and indigenous rights. Ability to support local Indigenous leaders and artists by showcasing their work at the University of Texas.
Research & Support for Indigenous Outreach in Greater Austin, Texas area, and worldwide
This initiative has already allowed students to participate in “Indigenous Storytelling” at the Austin Public Library and the Museum of History in Fort Worth, besides UT campus. Additional funding would allow students the creative opportunity to expand their potential outreach and sharing their native knowledges in the community. Future potential outreach projects include a student podcast, land acknowledgement surveys, beading workshops for the community, sponsoring Danza performances, and more. Through this fundraising initiative we would also be able to provide support for our students in the form of scholarships: Social Justice Scholarships, for students who wish to expand their engagements in Indigenous communities; and NAIS Research Scholarships, to support students aiming to develop collaborative research projects in Native American and Indigenous contexts.
