American Indian Association of Illinois
The American Indian Association of Illinois is a nonprofit dedicated to transforming Chicago’s Indigenous communities through education, policy reform, cultural preservation, and more. They orchestrate the Black Hawk Performance Company, which regularly presents dances and drum performances throughout the city.
- 🥁 The Black Hawk Performance Company’s next show is Nov. 11 at noon at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Ketapanen Kitchen
Jessica Walks First, a classically trained chef and member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, started the Ketapanen Kitchen pop-up and catering service “to bring Indigenous cuisine to the forefront of Chicago’s culinary scene.” By serving traditional and modern Indigenous dishes, they aim to show how many familiar dishes originated with Indigenous people.
- 🍽️ Check out Ketapanen Kitchen’s Instagram to find out where they’ll be popping up next! You can also schedule private cooking classes, chef services, cultural presentations, and more on their website.
Center for Native Futures
The Center for Native Futures at 56 W. Adams St. is Chicago’s only all-Native artist-led arts nonprofit that advances Native art by fostering contemporary artists. Many of their exhibits feature Indigenous Futurism(s), a movement that aims to expand possibilities by imagining realities without colonial limitations.
- 🐚 One of their current exhibits, “Pocket Full of Shells,” explores the shared kinship of collecting shells along the Shinnecock shore and, in contrast, a reference to military shells and how communities resist. It will be on display through Jan. 16.
American Indian Center
The American Indian Center at 3401 W. Ainslie St. was originally founded in 1953 to help Indigenous people cope with moving to Chicago as federal policies forced thousands of people off reservations and into urban centers. Now, it’s dedicated to fostering bonds between Natives and non-Natives by hosting a variety of celebrations, workshops, food distribution events, and other community gatherings.
