By Mia McCauley, Student Affairs Intern
This Native November, the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Indigenous Student Center (ISC) with the Indigenous Student Center Coalition (ISCC) announced the theme: Love Is… spotlighting a month-long celebration of Indigenous love, resilience, and community. Through a series of events and gatherings, Indigenous students, staff, and the broader community, come together to honor the many forms love takes in Indigenous culture—from family traditions to lasting friendships, and more.
With “Love is…” the ISCC works to foster a deeper appreciation and understanding of Indigenous experiences, showcasing the exceptional way Indigenous people show love to one another.
This year’s theme puts a unique twist on the 1960s newspaper cartoon “Love Is,” coined by cartoonist Kim Casali.
However, the concept holds a more personal significance for Bobbi Skenandore, the Indigenous Student Center (ISC) AUNTIE when the theme was decided on this past semester. Skenandore currently serves as the Administrative Coordinator for Native Nations – UW.
“In the process of selecting a Native November theme,” said Skenandore, “my first step is always to ask students what resonates with them—and in this case, one word that kept coming up was love.” The challenge then became finding a theme that could speak to such an abstract and complex concept.
“As I was sitting in the complicatedness that is the emotion of love, I remembered these cartoons that I often saw in the newspaper when I was younger; the ‘Love Is’ cartoons,” said Skenandore.
Essentially serving as a series of love notes, Skenandore said that her mother collected the cartoons, whether it be via the newspaper, or hand-delivered from Skenandore’s father.
“I remember the cartoons were one of the special ways my parents showed love to each other—so then I thought, ‘What if we indigenized it?’” said Skenandore.
Marketing major and ISC Cousin Ava Belisle, brought this concept to life.
“When I first heard about the ‘Love Is…’ theme, along with the newspaper cartoons, my initial thought was, ‘Oh I could easily make these Indigenous,’” said Belisle.
Belisle explained the design speaks to the Native November 2024 theme, as well as traditional Ojibwe art.
“I am part Ojibwe, from the St. Croix tribe in Wisconsin,” said Belisle. “I deal heavily with woodland florals, which is why I wanted to include that part of my identity in the design, so that’s where the florals come from.”
“I feel like Indigenous love is a lot bigger than how other groups of people show their love; it’s different,” said Belisle.
In Indigenous communities, one of the most popular types of medicine that is used is sweet grass. An exchange of these can be seen in the cartoon as Belisle explains, “it is a big deal when you give someone else medicine; it demonstrates that you want to make sure they are okay; it shows that you care,” said Belisle.
Just as each design element is crafted with loving intention, the same goes for all Native November events— from Keynote: ‘A Conversation with Jana Schmieding,’ highlighting Indigenous visibility and social justice, to ‘Tales from Planet Earth, a free screening of Bad River, a documentary featuring the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
Though all different, each of these events speaks to the greater theme of irrepressible Indigenous love.
“Even though Indigenous love and resilience happens every day, it’s nice to know there is one month that we get to be highlighted,” said Belisle. “Native Americans are not people of the past, we are very current, and we are still here. We are not the sad stories people read in history books, we have so much more to offer.”
Join Belisle and the rest of the ISCC in celebrating Native November 2024, and visit to check out the events held throughout this month.