Read "Dying Words" in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which highlights the Native American Languages in Crisis Conference held at Penn in May.

Read "Lenape host Native American Languages in Crisis Conference in Pennsylvania" in News From Indian Country.

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The Association of Native Alumni (ANA) promotes the interests and welfare of Native American alumni, strengthens and deepens friendships, encourages active recruitment and retention of Native faculty and students and furthers Penn's commitment to the advancement of Native American higher education.

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Letter from Ann Dapice, PhD (NU'74, GR'80)
Chair and Founder of the Association of Native Alumni:

Weli kishku! It is a good day! Several years ago as I read my latest mailing from Penn and noted upcoming alumni activities, I suddenly realized that of all the alumni groups representing a variety of constituents, there was a major omission: Native alumni. As a Lenape-Cherokee alum I felt the oversight strongly, especially since I'd recently been asked to help Penn with Indian student recruitment and retention. Since then I have been working with Native alumni, Six Directions (Penn’s Native American student organization), the Greenfield Intercultural Center and Penn Alumni Relations to create such a group. The Association of Native Alumni (ANA) has now been established. We are excited to spread the word about ANA, and to collaborate with our sister groups in the Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance.

If you are a Native alumnus or alumna, or if you have an interest in the Native American community, we would love to hear from you. As we move forward in our efforts to promote the interests of Native students, alumni, and the greater Native community, we seek to encourage the accurate presentation of Native history, culture and issues in university courses; to increase awareness that the University resides on land that is original to Native inhabitants and thus their history is part of the history of the University; to encourage the active recruitment and retention of Native students both to strengthen the welfare of the native community and also to strengthen the University; and to encourage the employment of Native scholars and administrators who are active in, and recognized by, the larger Native community.

ANA is an appropriate acronym since "Ana" in Lenape means mother. Not only is Penn our alma mater, but our own indigenous peoples, our ancestors, are in a sense the alma mater — nourishing mother — of the University of Pennsylvania. If you are interested in joining ANA, or would like to learn more, we look forward to hearing from you!

Wanishi,
Ann Dapice, PhD (NU'74, GR'80)