Department of Indigenous Studies, University at Buffalo

10/04/2026

Join us for an evening of dance, Native artistry, and community at the NIEA Social!

This year, the Social takes the place of our Convention Powwow to honor the customs and traditions of the Tribal Nations in the Buffalo region. We invite Convention attendees, families, and the local community to gather at Buffalo RiverWorks for an evening celebrating connection and community.

Browse the artist market, support Native artists, and cheer on dancers in the Smoke Dance Competition!

🏆 Prizes awarded in each category:
1st Place: $75 • 2nd Place: $50 • 3rd Place: $25

Competition categories:
• Youth Girls and Youth Boys, ages 6–12
• Teen Girls and Teen Boys, ages 13–17
• Men and Women, ages 18+

Prizes will be awarded separately in all six categories.

📅 Friday, October 9, 2026
🕕 6–9 PM
📍 Buffalo RiverWorks
359 Ganson St., Buffalo, NY 14203
🎟️ Free admission. All are welcome!

Interested in vending? Register for the Artist Market:
https://ow.ly/ZBXm50ZU4Vi

09/30/2026

Today we wear orange for all those Indigenous children who were forced to attend residential and boarding schools throughout the United States and Canada. We mourn those who never made it home. As we grapple with the impact these institutions continue to have on our communities we continue to push forward and heal these devastating intergenerational wounds. We continue to survive, get degrees, learn our languages, tell our stories, heal our families, rebuild our communities, and become even stronger for all those children who had to endure the atrocities of the boarding schools. Our students, staff, and faculty all came together to help spread awareness on campus. Our ancestors would be proud to see all the Indigenous excellence.

09/29/2026

Nya:weh to the UB Humanities Haudenosaunee-Native American and Indigenous studies Research group for leading an important discussion on the Legacy of Thomas Indian School. Nya:weh to Dr. Meredith Palmer, Irene Wheeler, and Sharon Francis for sharing their knowledge and experiences with us to give voices to those who can’t speak for themselves. Nya:weh for all those that could join us and contribute to raising awareness for Orange Shirt Day and its importance. Remember to wear your orange shirts tomorrow to honor those children that never made it home

07/17/2026

This weekend we are setup in Allegany at the Marvin Joe Curry Veterans Pow wow come on down and signup for our events list or follow us on aocial media to get some free swag

07/10/2026

Come on down to the 179th Tuscarora Picnic and Field Days. Make sure to stop on by our table under the big tent to hear more about UB Indigenous Studies Department.

05/29/2026

05/13/2026

Checkout our amazing PhD student and first abd in Indigenous Studies in our department!

Delaney O'Connell explores how returning ancestral belongings — and sometimes allowing their destruction — can better serve communities.

05/05/2026

Honoring, Remembering, Advocating — Every Day

May 5th is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit+ individuals (MMIWG2S+/MMIP), also known as Red Dress Day in Canada.

Today, the UB Indigenous Student Collective student group tabled on campus to help raise awareness and honor Indigenous lives beyond just one day.

04/22/2026

Nya:weh to our Alumni who came out to talk about their Career & Educational Journey. We were joined by UB Alums Ross John jr.(), Madison Tighe (), and Pete Hill (). They discussed how they found their way to UB and how much it influenced their career path. Along with giving great advice for current students.

04/07/2026

Registration for the Conference is now closed as we are completely sold out! There will be NO registration on site. See you all on Friday.