Hyhotah Ckonsqwe, a member of the Mohawk nation, sings as students of Rockfield Elementary School participate in a Native American game called Medicine Hoops set up on DUC South Lawn on Friday. Ckonsqwe has traveled to every state except Hawaii giving presentations like this. Several elementary schools came to campus to learn about Native American culture. CHRIS WILSON/HERALD

This weekend, DUC South Lawn was littered with tipis. A buffalo grazed on the grass. Native American presenters spoke about their heritage and performed their nations’ dances.

The department of folk studies and anthropology and Native Nations, an educational program designed to inform people about native cultures, set up the Native American Living Village.

The event took place on Friday for elementary schools and on Saturday for the public.

Associate Anthropology Professor Darlene Applegate initiated the event and helped bring Native Nations to Western.

“We’re interested in helping the campus and surrounding communities learn more about different cultures,” Applegate said. “One of the cultures we’re really interested in promoting is Native American culture.”

November is National American Indian Heritage Month.

It “celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the United States,” according to the Library of Congress Web site.

During the two days, several Native American speakers informed crowds about their cultural heritage and the traditions of their nation, or tribe.

Susan Mullins was one of those speakers.

Mullins, born Kwaronhia:wi, is of the Mohawk nation and is the founder of Native Nations.

“I run this program so that people are aware of the native people that are in Kentucky and all over the United States,” Mullins said.

She is also on the Kentucky Arts Council, a state government agency that develops and supports the arts in Kentucky.

“They get us into the school system to give students the history and culture of native people,” Mullins said.

According to Mullins, the nations that were present at the event were the Apache, Cheyenne, Caddo and Mohawk.

Crowds were given demonstrations of the nations’ traditional dances.

In addition to the native people from mainland America, Native Hawaiians gave a dance demonstration as well.

They performed the hula and several dances from other Polynesian cultures, including the Máori from New Zealand.

In keeping with the communal values of Native people, people were encouraged to join the performers and learn the dances several times during the demonstrations.

Lily Malloy and Catherine Walker, both 6 years old, joined in during the hula demonstration. They explored the nations with their grandmother, Drue Belcher.

Lily and Catherine have been learning about Native Americans at Potter Gray Elementary School.

Belcher, an office associate in the department of folk studies and anthropology, brought her granddaughters to the event as a surprise.

“I didn’t tell them we were coming to this until we got here,” Belcher said.

There was a myriad of activities offered at the event including storytelling and archery. But the little girls and their grandmother agreed that the dance demonstrations were the most fun.

“I liked the dancing because they showed me how to do the moves,” Lily said.