At UCLA, Cherokee artists and language keepers will work alongside students to make films, while five Native American women serving as federal judges have gathered for a rare conversation about law and public life. These projects are among the stories UCLA is sharing for Native American Heritage Month, showing how Indigenous people are shaping art, education, law and public health today.
The work matters because Indigenous stories and knowledge have too often been left out of classrooms and public institutions. UCLA’s programs bring Native voices into those spaces, while research from the university also points to serious health challenges facing American Indian and Alaska Native adults in California.
The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television has formed a partnership with the Cherokee Nation. Students will work directly with Cherokee artists and language keepers on animated films, documentaries and workshops. The collaboration also includes exchanges with students at Cherokee Film Studios in Oklahoma, creating opportunities to learn across communities and generations.
At the UCLA School of Law, the Native Nations Law and Policy Center organized an April panel featuring five Native American women who serve as federal judges. Judge Diane J. Humetewa, the first Native American woman to serve as a U.S. federal judge, was among them. The judges discussed teaching Indian law, the need for greater civic awareness and their own career paths.
UCLA’s Fowler Museum has also focused on how museums handle Native belongings and cultural heritage. In a recorded session, repatriation coordinator and curator of Native American art Allison Fischer-Olson explained how the museum puts the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act into practice. The federal law guides the return of Native American human remains and certain cultural items to descendants and eligible tribes.
A UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study found that American Indian and Alaska Native adults make up 5% of California’s adult population and face high rates of chronic disease and other health concerns. More than one-third have elevated blood pressure. The study also found that 32% have hypertension, heart disease, diabetes or a combination of those conditions. The researchers noted that gaps in data can make it harder to respond to public health needs.
Other stories highlight Indigenous leadership and creativity. Teri Red Owl and AnMarie Mendoza of the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission discussed efforts to reclaim water resources in Payahuunadü, or the Owens Valley, in eastern California. UCLA alumna Tazbah Rose Chavez, a writer, director and co-executive producer on the Emmy-nominated series “Reservation Dogs,” reflected on Native representation on screen. Composer Raven Chacon, the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, described making field recordings by placing microphones deep in the earth and letting wind play small instruments.
Together, the projects connect cultural expression with practical questions of rights, health and recognition. They also show what can change when Native artists, scholars, judges and community leaders are heard directly—in classrooms, museums, studios and public conversations.