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Image for event: Wassaja and Other Famous Native Americans in Illinois

Wassaja and Other Famous Native Americans in Illinois

2025-11-01 14:00:00 2025-11-01 16:00:00 America/Chicago Wassaja and Other Famous Native Americans in Illinois The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Saturday, November 01
2:00pm - 4:00pm

Add to Calendar 2025-11-01 14:00:00 2025-11-01 16:00:00 America/Chicago Wassaja and Other Famous Native Americans in Illinois A featured program for Native American Heritage Month. The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

The Urbana Free Library

The Lewis Auditorium

A featured program for Native American Heritage Month.

Join our special guests Rosalyn LaPier and David R. M. Beck to hear the fascinating stories of Native Americans living in Illinois in the early 20th century.   

University of Illinois’ famous alumnus, the Yavapai man Wassaja or Carlos Montezuma, was one of the most renowned physicians in the U.S. in the early 20th century. He was also a national advocate for Native American causes and issues from his base in Chicago. Learn about him and other Native men and women leaders who made northern Illinois an intellectual mecca for Indigenous people in the early 20th century.

Rosalyn LaPier is an award winning Indigenous writer, environmental historian, and ethnobotanist.  She works within Indigenous communities to revitalize traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and to strengthen public policy for Indigenous languages.  She has written two award winning books, two Blackfeet language lexicons, and dozens of articles and commentaries and she  has over 25 years of teaching experience at research universities & Native American-controlled institutions at the undergraduate & graduate level.  She splits her time between living in the lands of the Peoria & Potawatomi peoples in Urbana, Illinois, the Salish in Missoula, Montana, and the Blackfeet reservation. She is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana and Métis.

David R. M. Beck is the author and co-author of several award-winning books on the history of federal American Indian policy and urban American Indian history, His most recent book, Bribed with Our Own Money, examines federal use of coercion and bribery in an effort to eliminate the U.S. relationship with American Indian nations in the 1950s and 1960s. Dr. Beck taught in the Native American Studies Department at the University of Montana for more than two decades, and prior to that at NAES (Native American Educational Services) College and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

This program is cosponsored by Native American House at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, and is part of Native American Heritage Month.  See the complete listing of programs here.

 

AGE GROUP: | High School Students | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Teen | Adult |

TAGS: | Native American Heritage Month |

The Urbana Free Library

Phone: 217-367-4057

Hours
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Mon, Oct 20 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Oct 21 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Oct 22 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Oct 23 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Oct 24 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sat, Oct 25 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Oct 26 12:00PM to 5:00PM

About the library

Conveniently located at the corner of Race and Green in downtown Urbana.

Upcoming events

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Mon, Oct 27, 9:30am - 11:30am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Mon, Oct 27, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Oct 28, 10:15am - 10:40am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Oct 28, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Oct 29, 2:40pm - 4:25pm
Urbana Middle School

Wed, Oct 29, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Oct 29, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Teen Open Lab - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Oct 30, 10:15am - 10:45am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Oct 30, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Oct 30, 3:20pm - 5:00pm
Dr. Williams Elementary School

Fri, Oct 31, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - Cherry Alley,Children's Area,The Lewis Auditorium

Sat, Nov 01, All day
The Urbana Free Library - Children's Area

Sat, Nov 01, 11:00am - 12:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Sat, Nov 01, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Sun, Nov 02, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Mon, Nov 03, 9:30am - 11:30am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 04, 10:15am - 10:40am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 04, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 04, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Nov 05, 10:30am - 11:30am
Prairie Winds of Urbana - Dining Room

Wed, Nov 05, 2:40pm - 4:25pm
Urbana Middle School

Wed, Nov 05, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Nov 05, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Teen Open Lab - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Nov 05, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 06, 10:15am - 10:45am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 06, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Orchard Downs Community Center

Thu, Nov 06, 11:30am - 1:30pm
Urbana City Building - 400 S. Vine St.

Thu, Nov 06, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 06, 3:20pm - 5:00pm
Dr. Williams Elementary School

Thu, Nov 06, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - Archives

Thu, Nov 06, 5:30pm - 6:15pm
Urbana Park District Health and Wellness Center

Fri, Nov 07, 10:00am - 11:00am
The Urbana Free Library - Archives

Fri, Nov 07, 10:35am - 11:25am
Hilton Garden Inn

Fri, Nov 07, 3:45pm - 4:45pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Fri, Nov 07, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - Archives

Sat, Nov 08, 11:00am - 11:45am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Sat, Nov 08, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Sun, Nov 09, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Mon, Nov 10, 9:30am - 11:30am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Mon, Nov 10, 1:00pm - 4:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 11, 10:15am - 10:40am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 11, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 11, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Nov 12, 2:40pm - 4:25pm
Urbana Middle School

Wed, Nov 12, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Teen Open Lab - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Nov 12, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 13, 10:15am - 10:45am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 13, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 13, 3:20pm - 5:00pm
Dr. Williams Elementary School

Fri, Nov 14, 11:40am - 12:40pm
Urbana Early Childhood School

Fri, Nov 14, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - Children's Area,The Lewis Auditorium

Sat, Nov 15, 11:00am - 11:30am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Sat, Nov 15, 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Independent Media Center

Sat, Nov 15, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Cancelled
Sat, Nov 15, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
The Urbana Free Library

Mon, Nov 17, 9:30am - 11:30am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Mon, Nov 17, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium
Registration opens Monday, November 3 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Nov 18, 10:15am - 10:40am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 18, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 18, 5:00pm - 7:30pm
The Urbana Free Library

Rescheduled
Tue, Nov 18, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
New date Tuesday, November 18, 5:00pm - 7:30pm
The Urbana Free Library

Tue, Nov 18, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - Online

Wed, Nov 19, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Satterthwaite Conference Room

Wed, Nov 19, 2:40pm - 4:25pm
Urbana Middle School

Wed, Nov 19, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Nov 19, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Teen Open Lab - The Lewis Auditorium

Wed, Nov 19, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Thomas Paine Elementary School

Thu, Nov 20, 10:15am - 10:45am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 20, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Thu, Nov 20, 3:20pm - 5:00pm
Dr. Williams Elementary School

Fri, Nov 21, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
6th Grade Center

Sat, Nov 22, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Krannert Art Museum

Mon, Nov 24, 9:30am - 11:30am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Mon, Nov 24, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 25, 10:15am - 10:40am
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium

Tue, Nov 25, 3:00pm - 5:30pm
The Urbana Free Library - The Lewis Auditorium