Mindful, no doubt, of where the institution is located and who attends classes, Northern Michigan University is marking Native American Heritage Month in November.

A slate of activities and events are planned for the coming weeks. It started Wednesday with a documentary on American Indigenous peoples in the American justice system called “Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice,” followed by a panel that had filmmaker Audrey Geyer as well as two of the featured lawyers, Rich Vander Veen and Karrie Biron.

At 5 p.m. Eastern time today in the Maple Classroom, professor of Native American Studies April Lindala will host an event on the “Importance of Native American Representation in Media.” Lindala will show two short films, then compare and contrast them. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

This year’s theme of the annual Sonderegger Symposium will be “Perspectives on 1820 and Beyond,” based on the current Beaumier Heritage Center exhibit called “Claiming Michigan: The 1820 Expedition of Lewis Cass.”

The symposium will be in NMU’s Northern Center ballrooms from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time Friday and is free and open to the public.

A free screening of “Bones of Crows,” a movie about a Cree woman who survives Canadian Indian residential schools, is set for 6:30 p.m. Eastern time Dec. 1 at the Whitman Hall Commons.

Finally, from 1 to 7 p.m. Dec. 2, the annual Learning to Walk Together Powwow will take place in the Northern Center Grand Ballroom.

Native American history is our history. Attending any of these events will provide an excellent opportunity to learn more.

And as the old saying goes, knowledge is power.