Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success

The annual Nikkomo celebration will take place at the Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center on Friday, December 7^th 2012 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  The event is open to the campus community. The cultural Center is located in 110 Orchard Hill Way in the Basement of the Chadbourne Dormitory. 

Nikkomo is one of many Algonquian “thanksgivings” celebrated throughout the year that correlate with harvest times. It’s the final thanksgiving celebration of the year, signaling the beginning of winter and a coming together of people.  In recognition of this particular Native American tradition of the Nimpuc Tribal Nation of Massachusetts, the Josephine White Eagle Cultural centers hosts an annual Nikko pre-winter celebration at the cultural center.  At the University of Massachusetts the Nikkomo reflects the principles of Nikkomo by being mindful for the resources we have(sustaining community), how we share resources (social justice), and being mindful of how we interact with each (respect for self, respect for others, respect of the past and respect for the generations to come.)   

On campus Nikkomo is also a time when students faculty and staff come together to share a meal that they themselves have prepared (a very large potluck), before cramming for finals, preparing for travel to homelands to be with family and loved ones during the holiday season, and pre-paring for the coming winter.  It is a time to resolve disputes, and come together to co-support each other during the cold moons of the winter season.  

For more information please contact Jon Hill at jghill@anthro.umass.edu or Joyce Vincent dvincent@acad.umass.edu