Native American Studies UC Davis

Professor Liza Grandia's open access book, "Kernels of Resistance: Maize, Food Sovereignty, and Collective Power" is a finalist for the ACLS Open Access book prize in Environmental Humanities for the last five years. Winners to be announced in October! Link to download the book (for free!) in comments...

We're pleased to announce 30 finalists for the 2026 ACLS Open Access Book Prizes and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Awards.

Five open access books in each category—anthropology, environmental humanities, history, literary/media studies, multimodal works, and political science—advance to the final round for six $50,000 prizes.

Learn more: bit.ly/43rZPDD

Rekindling Fire and Culture Recipient Spotlight 📣🔥

Danny Yellow Feather Manning (Mountain Maidu) is one of our grantees. Danny has helped Tribes throughout the state get their cultural fire programs going. This grant will support his mentorship and the purchase of equipment that will support cultural fire trainings.

Help us celebrate Danny and the amazing work he does! 🔥🥳

Danny is just one of our recipients, expect more spotlights on our page.

Please join us, the CAN Counselor and NASGSA, to learn more about nopales, how to harvest them and clean them up. This workshop will start promptly so please meet at 10:00 am at corner of Blue Ridge Rd and Orchard Park (by Baggins End Domes).
Depending on the weather, please wear appropriate shoes.

If you have any questions please email the CAN Counselor at [email protected].

📅 Date: Friday, May 1st
🕕 Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Meet at the Corner of Blue Ridge Rd and Orchard Park (By Baggins End Domes)
✅RSVP: bit.ly/486Vp8c

Image Description:
A white poster with green water color splashes and green nopal drawings, titled "Nopal Harvesting" below the Nest logo- featuring a red humming bird. Details of the event read "Date: Friday, May 1st Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Location: Meet at the Corner of Blue Ridge Rd and Orchard Park (By Baggins End Domes) " next to a map with a pin in the meeting spot. Below is a QR code and link leading to https://bit.ly/486Vp8c with "RSVP Please!" above

PRESIDENT’S POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Seminar Series: Bureaucracies and Borders: Indigenous Immigrants and the Limits of Legalization

Michelle Vasquez Ruiz, Ph.D.
UC President's Postdoctoral and Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Chicana/o and Central American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
April 15 / 12:00pm / Hart Hall 3201 or Zoom

As Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) increases brutal enforcement of immigration laws nationwide, border security advocates still promote the myth of merit-based immigration. The claim that there is a “right way” to immigrate ignores the historical function of immigration laws in restricting access to citizenship for racialized communities. For Mexican Indigenous immigrants, the system is even more restrictive, with anti-Indigenous practices and policies creating a bureaucratic labyrinth of complex requirements, documentation hurdles, and language barriers that make legal entry to the US far more difficult.

This talk examines the specific impact of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) on Zapotec and Mixtec immigrants, considering how the path to “legalization” can be slow and fraught, sometimes exposing Indigenous immigrants to employer abuse and criminalization. By centering Indigenous experiences, this talk challenges dominant narratives of legality and merit and reveals how immigration law operates as a site of anti-Indigenous colonial violence.

Everyone interested is welcome. Lunch served.

https://ucdavis.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=311f065a96594273207ea2134&id=d1a4adbb4d&e=5e67329dd3

Join us for a powerful conversation on Mapuche education, language, and resistance led by Silvia Calfuqueo and Kelly Baur. The presentation will be bilingual in Spanish and English.

Wednesday, April 22: 1:10-2:00pm
3314 Hart Hall in person
or on Zoom: http://tinyurl.com/mapuche-davis

Hope to see you there!

Join us for this inaugural event in the Judge Abby Speaker Series, featuring a panel of distinguished jurists and scholars honoring a pioneer whose career has transformed the landscape of tribal justice. Lunch will be provided!

Monday, April 13, 2026
12-1 p.m.
King Hall - Room 1001

Donate to Honoring & Supporting Tom Phillips, Sr. at this Time, organized by Crystal Phillips Virtual Blanket Dance for Tom Phillips, Sr. — A Pillar of Our Co… Crystal Phillips needs your support for Honoring & Supporting Tom Phillips, Sr. at this Time

Culture Week 2026 is here! 🎉

Join us for a week of community, culture, and celebration at UC Davis from March 30 – April 4. From workshops and wellness events that lead up to Big Time and Powwow!

Alt Text:
A navy blue UC Davis Culture Week 2026 schedule graphic displaying events from Sunday, March 29 to Saturday, April 4. The schedule includes Spring Quarter Opening, Big Time Workshop, Etiquette Training, Bingo Night, Waffle Wednesday, Native American Studies Graduate Student Symposium (Thursday and Friday), Big Time event on Friday evening, and Powwow on Saturday from 11 AM to 9 PM at the University Credit Union Center. Decorative elements include Indigenous-inspired artwork, animals, and cultural motifs, along with UC Davis and partner organization logos at the bottom.