LA JOLLA, Calif.

The 2008 California Native American Day Celebration is being held at the University of California at San Diego, UCSD announced. The celebration opened Sept 26 and runs until Nov 7,

 This is the third year UCSD is participating in the state-wide celebration. The  campus celebration will include discussions on the environmental sustainability; the repatriation of important Native American cultural items; and the personal experiences of a tribal doctor.

Mike Connolly Miskwish of the Campo Band of the Kumeyaay Nation gave the keynote address, “On Sacred Ground: Environmental Sustainability on San Diego Reservations.”

Connolly is the chief executive of a private consulting firm, Laguna Resource Services, Inc., specializing in Native American projects such as energy project evaluation and support, and forest resource inventory assessment. He is a councilman for the Campo Kumeyaay Nation, has served as director of the Campo Environmental Protection Agency and is the author of numerous articles on environmental sustainability.

On Oct. 13, “Grave Injustice: UCSD Repatriation Teach-In” will be presented from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Student Services Center. Four panelists will discuss the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a federal law requiring remains found on federal land to be returned to the tribe with the closest cultural affiliation.

As part of the celebration, a Native American Film Festival will feature In the Light of Reverence, Doe Boy, and The Business of Fancy Dancing.

On Nov. 7, Dan Calac, M.D., medical director of the Indian Health Council, Inc., (IHC) will speak on ”Pathways to Life Experience From a Tribal Doctor.” 

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