Photo courtesy of Ashley Herrera Mantanico ’27
MHC students and staff celebrate the Zowie Homecoming in the Zowie Banteah Cultural Center.
Kannille Washington ’28
Staff Writer
In an open room, a community gathers with food, beading and lively conversation. On Friday, Sept. 12, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., the Zowie Banteah Cultural Center hosted its annual Zowie Banteah Homecoming. Thirty years after its original opening on the top floor of the Eliana Ortega Cultural Center, the promise and mission of the center continues—in its new location between Ham and MacGregor Halls—to thrive under the organization of the new Building Manager and Program Coordinator, Ashley Anai Herrera Mantanico ’27.
“It is important to know that a lot of students were part of the reason why this space is here in the first place because they were advocating for their representation in the 90s and 2000s during a time where there was none,” Mantanico ’27 shared in a statement. Zowie Banteah ’96 herself was a student here at Mount Holyoke. She was a psychology and education major with a minor in Native American studies who led the dream and mission to make the center a reality. Now, in 2025, students continue to gather and support indigenous students on campus.
The Mount Holyoke College verbal Land Acknowledgement says, “This land acknowledgement seeks to verbalize Mount Holyoke’s commitment to engage in shared responsibility as part of our collective humanity. We urge everyone to participate in action steps identified by Indigenous community based organizations.” With any mission statement, it is important to consider how verbal promises become reality. While Mantanico notes she is “really appreciative and grateful,” she also highlights an important question: “Are we being taught how to support indigenous and Native American communities?”
Her actions so far prove she is on the right track in supporting these communities herself. With various events such as the Zowie Banteah Homecoming and the recent trip to Harvard’s 27th annual Powwow, she has started the year off strong in engaging the students and community in indigenous events. With the beginning of our Hortense Parker celebrations on campus, we can see there is a strong outlook for future events and much hope in Mantanico’s drive as she continues in her role.
This support is not just the work of one or two students, though. There is a legacy of student initiative. Mantanico highlights Katie Dick ’19, Nezbah Rita Young’25 and Juliette Gagnon Strong Heart ’24 as students who made the space what it is for her and many other community members today.
“They made it feel like a home, and that's what it is, it's a home for us”.
Madeleine Diesl ’28 contributed fact checking.