The First Nations Heritage Month Celebration, held Nov. 20 at UT Southwestern, showcased both the beauty of Native American culture and the legacy of overcoming challenges dating back generations.

The event, hosted by the Office of Institutional Opportunity, was intended to be meaningful and honor the Native American heritage and traditions while sharing the experience with the campus community, said Shawna Nesbitt, M.D., M.S., Vice President, Chief Institutional Opportunity Officer, and Professor of Internal Medicine.

First Nations BRG Chair Roland Brunette said he hoped the event educated the campus community about the culture of indigenous people and issues they face.

The ceremony began with a welcome to the audience from UTSW’s First Nations Intertribal Alliance Business Resource Group (BRG). First Nations BRG Chair Roland Brunette said that by teaching about the past he hopes to brighten the future. Mr. Brunette, a Technical Support Supervisor in Information Resources, said there’s much for others to learn as he sometimes encounters people who tell him they didn’t realize indigenous people still exist today.

“That’s our main purpose, to educate,” said Mr. Brunette, who noted that the BRG currently has about 32 members and is hoping to expand. “We want people to know that we are still here and to share what our culture is all about. We also want people to understand some of the issues we face.”

A member of the Anoli Dancers gets into character performing in his elaborate, colorful costume.

Top among those concerns is the lack of health care accessibility for indigenous people and the unique medical issues they encounter, including elevated cases of diabetes and heart disease, according to Goldie Stands-Over-Bull, M.D., a board-certified family physician at Texas Native Health who delivered the event’s keynote address.

During her presentation, Dr. Stands-Over-Bull spoke about Native American health care needs and how the resources available to them have evolved over the past 100 years. While there have been incremental improvements, many barricades still exist to putting indigenous peoples’ health care on par with others, she said.

Goldie Stands-Over-Bull, M.D., a family physician at Texas Native Health, speaks about the challenges Native Americans still encounter with access to health care.

“COVID-19 was drastically more terrible for Native Americans than other groups,” Dr. Stands-Over-Bull said, sharing that she lost four elders from her family during the pandemic. Every indigenous senior who lost their life to the virus dealt a devastating blow to the effort to preserve their language and culture. “We need to find out why this happened and what can be done to improve the care that’s available in the future.”

Overall, life expectancy for Native Americans is about five years shorter than that of other Americans. Dr. Stands-Over-Bull estimated that about 12,000 indigenous people live in Dallas and Tarrant counties and that two-thirds of those individuals have no health insurance. Every month, 100 to 200 new patients sign up at her clinic, located just minutes away from UT Southwestern on Record Crossing Road in Dallas, glad to have a physician dedicated to indigenous people of all ages. But more must be done to improve their lack of insurance coverage and financial resources, to resolve transportation issues that keep them from receiving regular care, and to soothe 200 years’ worth of distrust created after tribes were removed from their ancestral homelands.

The highlight of the gathering was a pair of spectacular appearances by the Anoli Dancers of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, world-champion performers who share their songs, dances, and stories around the globe. Group leader Michael Roberts said he’s been demonstrating ancestral songs and dances as long as he can remember, explaining their origin, meaning, and cultural significance to audiences. He is currently teaching his grandchildren to uphold the family tradition.

A song comes to life in dance as a member of the Anoli Dancers performs for the audience.

The First Nations Intertribal Alliance BRG promotes and teaches the cultures of tribal affiliations while advancing the needs and professional development of the tribal community at UTSW. According to Mr. Brunette, anyone at UT Southwestern is welcome to join, not only people with Native American ties, thus creating more awareness and interest.

“Mr. Brunette has worked hard with his team of leaders to create the First Nations Intertribal Alliance BRG, and they hope to expand the engagement of employees to participate, learn about, and share the culture of Native Americans and their history in the U.S.,” Dr. Nesbitt said. “We look forward to continuing to bring cultural events that educate and recognize nationally celebrated heritage months.”