Community and tradition with the Indigenous Student Alliance
Ella Tracy
“The club shall provide, to the best of its ability, resources and support for Indigenous students to learn about their culture, make their own regalia, travel to ceremonies, eat cultural foods or participate in Indigenous related activism... Club founders chose the name Indigenous Student Alliance because the club’s goal is to create a connection, relationship, association, and union between Indigenous students at St. Catherine University.”
The above statement comes from Article 1 of the Indigenous Student Alliance (ISA) club constitution. Since the club’s founding in fall of 2023, members and leaders have lived out this vocation.
The ISA board members hosting a trivia night.
Current club president and founder Sofia Vanderlan ‘25 (English, Communications minor) gave insight into some of the club’s recent activities. “It’s so nice being organized now that we have our feet under us,” Vanderlan said. Connecting with other organizations on campus and spreading the word has further spurred their momentum.
For several weeks in March, the ISA featured hand-made spirit dolls in the library. The club members and leaders learned how to make the traditional dolls during their weekly crafting circles. Katies might recall attending trivia nights hosted by ISA once per semester.
The club attended a powwow this semester, which provided the opportunity to engage with the indigenous community outside of St. Kate’s. This supports Vanderlan’s goal to “find new ways for Native students to connect with one another outside of class and outside of being at St. Kate’s.”
Vanderlan is currently working on graduation regalia for club members and leaders. Notably, she is hand-making traditional beaded medallions for leaders of the club. “Each person’s medallion is customized based on tribe traditions,” Vanderlan explained. She is also making several beaded graduation caps and stoles. “The goal is to honor our graduates,” Vanderlan said.
The mock-up of ISA’s sweatshirt design
Another current project is the creation of a sweatshirt that features the tribes of all Indigenous students on campus. There are 10 tribes represented in total. The sweatshirts will have the ISA emblem, the tribe’s name in its original language and the name translated as accurately as possible in English. Vanderlan recalled having a similar garment in high school and looks forward to finalizing the sweatshirts for St. Kate’s students. “Having your tribe represented on the sweatshirt is just another part of finding community here,” Vanderlan said.
Vanderlan said that any questions about the club and programming can be directed to isa@stkate.edu. The club can also be found on Instagram @stkates.isa.
