Films by award-winning director and producer Chris Eyre are just some of the events that will be featured during Marquette's two-week celebration of American Indian culture.

American Indian Weeks, which began Feb. 21, lasts until Friday, said Natalie Gross, interim assistant dean for multicultural programs in the Office of Student Development.

Students can visit the Alumni Memorial Union room 111 at 7:30 p.m. today to hear an "American Indian Flute Performance" by a current Marquette student.

Darren Thompson, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he taught himself to play the flute a little over a year ago. Since then, he has played at 12 universities throughout the country and has performed with several Grammy winners, including Rita Coolidge, Mary Young and Bill Miller.

"Not only will it be an educational and cultural experience, but it will also be entertaining," he said of his performance. It will be a "cultural experience" from an "American Indian perspective."

On Wednesday at noon, students can attend "Education At-Risk Urban Youth," a Soup with Substance featuring Carol Sample, principal of Spotted Eagle High School in Milwaukee, Gross said.

The event will be held in room 227 of the AMU, she said.

"The lecture will focus on youth of color, specifically American Indians, as well as on all at-risk youth in general throughout Milwaukee," Gross said.

Students can also visit the Varsity Theatre at 9 p.m. to watch "Smoke Signals," a 1998 film directed by Chris Eyre, she said. The movie, which stars Evan Adams, Adam Beach and Irene Bedard, is about two American Indian men who travel together and learn from each other, Gross said.

On Thursday, the White Buffalo Inter-tribal store display will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the second floor of the AMU, Gross said.

Gross described the display as a "way to find authentic items" of American Indian art and home decor.

Eyre will speak at the "From 'Dances with Wolves' to 'A Thousand Roads'" lecture at 5 p.m. in the Weasler Auditorium, she said.

The evening will begin with a screening of Eyre's latest film, "A Thousand Roads," which is a signature film of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, Gross said.

After the lecture, students will have another chance to view "Smoke Signals" at 8 p.m. in the Varsity Theatre, she said.

"Like all of our events, the events are important to educate people about the American Indian history, culture and people," Gross said. "We realize that two weeks is not long enough to educate people about the culture, but this is a way for us to celebrate our American Indian students, faculty and staff as well as educate students who don't know much about the culture."

All of the events are free and open to the public, she said.

Lisa Heming, office coordinator in the Office of Student Development, said the events planned will "expand horizons and allow students to gain a better understanding of the American Indian culture."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 1 2005.