CASSIE TOMLIN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Miss Native America pageant winner Amanda Cheromiah, a psychology freshman, performs a poetry reading during the traditional talent segment of the contest Saturday night.

Groups throughout the UA community are celebrating Native American Heritage Month with events that recognize the achievements of American Indians from the past and the present.

About 200 students and community members attended the 2004-2005 Miss Native American University of Arizona Pageant Saturday night. Five women representing the Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo Laguna tribes competed to win the title, which has been awarded annually since 1983.

The contestants performed contemporary talents, such as poetry, storytelling and tae kwon do, as well as traditional cultural talents, such as Navajo basket weaving, dancing and corn grinding.

The winner, freshman Amanda Cheromiah, performed free verse poetry and a prayer in her native Pueblo Laguna language. She implored the American Indian students in the audience to learn their native languages in order to communicate with older generations and to teach their history to younger generations.

"If you can't understand your language, you can't understand your people and your elders," she said during her presentation.

Karen Francis-Begay, director of Native American Student Affairs, said Miss Native American UA should be "a young lady who's a cultural ambassador who will be a spokesperson and provide education to a wider audience."

The 2003-2004 Miss Native American UA, Bijiibaa' Garrison, a pre-health education senior, said there were numerous highlights of her reign. She attended the grand opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., in September.

She also attended powwows and pageants, held rug weaving workshops and read a poem at the Department of Multicultural Programs and Services December graduation ceremony.

Garrison said Native American Heritage Month is an important tool to reach out to members of the university community who may not know about Native American culture.

"It's important to celebrate the diversity of Native American students and show our presence on campus," Garrison said. "It shows that we're a part of the campus community."

Ryan Chee, president of Beta Sigma Epsilon, an American Indian fraternity founded at the UA, said that Native American Heritage Month is good not only for cultural and social reasons, but as a retention tool as well.

"A lot of the students here are from Northern Arizona tribes. They're far from home and constantly exposed to Caucasian and Hispanic cultures," Chee said. "(Native American Heritage Month) is a good way for them to stay at the UA. It's good for them to keep their culture in mind."

Francis-Begay said Native American Heritage Month has been celebrated officially on campus for about 15 years. She said this year a variety of different events have been added to appeal to the general population, specifically students, staff and faculty.

On Thursday, there will be gourd dance on the UA Mall to honor Native American military veterans, Francis-Begay said. There will be drumming, singing and dancing by the veterans, which will make it "a real special community gathering," she said.

The Panther Creek Singers, a drum group made up of UA students and community members, will also perform traditional songs, Francis-Begay said.

As a part of Heritage Month, NASA will hold an open house Nov. 19 to showcase their programs and services, Francis-Begay said.

Francis-Begay said while NASA has been located in the Robert L. Nugent building since 1989, there have been some "significant changes over the last couple years."

The American Indian Graduate Center recently joined together with NASA, Francis-Begay said. The AIGC relocated to the Nugent building in August after construction near their former location on Helen and Vine streets forced them out, she said.

"It's been a nice union of two key support areas for students, both undergraduate and graduate," Francis-Begay said. "We wanted to let the campus community know that change had taken place."

Other events throughout the month will highlight the achievements of American Indians associated with the UA.

On Nov. 15, there will be a screening and discussion of the film "Skins" at 7 p.m. in the Gallagher Theater. The film, which is about two brothers and their lives on an Indian reservation, was directed by UA graduate Chris Eyre, who also directed the movie "Smoke Signals."

On Nov. 18, Ofelia Zepeda, an instructor in the linguistics and American Indian Studies departments and a member of the Tohono O'odham tribe, will give a reading of her poetry in the Special Collections section of the library.

In 1990, President George Bush declared the first National American Indian Heritage Month to celebrate the achievements of American Indians throughout the country's history.