Although the main focus of the NMU Center for Native American Studies is directed at the academic programs within the discipline of Native American studies, the Center fulfills multiple roles.  The Center has a wide outreach to tribal nations, K-12 schools, and the general public of the Upper Great Lakes Region.

Past community outreach efforts.

  • D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans members listened to storytelling from Shirley Brozzo, NMU Instructor, published writer and Anishinaabe from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.                                         
  • N8V Dance Fitness is a popular workshop for students and community members alike, which will continue this fall starting on Wednesday, Sept. 25th at 10am. N8V Dance Fitness at NMU is put on thanks to a partnership between the NMU Center for Native American Studies and the Sault Tribe Community Health. The workshops were made possible by the Sault Tribe Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country grant with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Reimagine STEM Summer Youth Academy and Educators Institute - Two activities happened in the summer of 2017: Reimagine STEM Summer Youth Academy that took place in June, both on the NMU Campus and Lake Nesbit, and the Reimagine STEM Educators Institute in July. The NMU Center for Native American Studies and the NMU Office of Diversity and Inclusion along with multiple partners were recipients of this first-ever co-hort of NSF INCLUDES pilot projects.
  • Anthology Project - Grace Chaillier collaborating with over 80 authors and artists to put together the book, Voice on the Water: Great Lakes Native America Now. 
  • Hosting Remembering the Songs - an evening of American Indian music, poetry, and film.  Presented by the HeartLines Project and made possible by the Center for American Indian Policy and Applied Research and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
  • Medicine Wheel Academy - an exploratory weekend for high school students interested in the health and medicine fields.  
  • The Zaagkii Project: Over the course of the summer, youth volunteers spent time doing pollinator protection work throughout the Marquette area working with the Zaagkii Initiative, otherwise known as the Wings and Seeds Project. 
  • Pumpkin Garden: The NAS 488 - Native American Service Learning Project worked with Native American children as part of a service learning project to grow a pumpkin garden. As part of the project, they built an Oshaakaaniniikwezens to help the okosimaan gitigaan grow.
  • Waaseyaasibii’ige – Writing with Light Photograph Project: This endeavor involved American Indian students from across the Upper Peninsula developing skills in photography and using the visual medium as a vehicle for storytelling and personal reflection. The project included a series of hands-on workshops. In March 2007, the participants celebrated their efforts with an exhibit at the U.P. Children's Museum. Read the NMU news release, Writing with Light Reception, that promoted the project.
  • Over past summers, camps and activities were held on the NMU campus by the Center for Native American Studies for area youth.