The month of November marks not only the start of Native American Awareness month, but also the beginning of a new week celebrating Native cultures created by two Iowa State students.

The event, which begins Monday, is an all-encompassing celebration of Native American customs and traditions, as well as a way to bring up issues facing natives and their tribes today.

A common theme among native students is feeling of cultural misrepresentation, something that has become an even bigger issue during the past decade with sports teams and colleges coming under fire for their representation of tribes and its people.

Halloween weekend featured a push to remove culturally offensive costumes from parties and the homecoming football game, such as the common staples of a warrior or Pocahontas through signage posted at the various residence halls.

In its current state, Iowa State offers no activities or groups specifically created by Native Americans for Native Americans. Currently, only 75 students claim Native American descent at Iowa State.

“As soon as we get this started we are hoping to get all the Native students together and restart the organizations,” said Sydney Allen, sophomore in earth science and one of the minds behind the week.