UC Merced Commemorates Native American History Month

Sometimes, a hummingbird is more than a hummingbird.

Bill Leonard was at work in a cabinet shop several years ago when a hummingbird entered and paused directly in front of his forehead. A moment later, the bird turned and flew out of the shop.

"I knew he was trying to tell me something," Leonard, an elder of the Southern Sierra Miwuk tribe, told an audience in the UC Merced Conference Center. "I don't know what it was, but he took something from me and my life changed for the better."

Leonard said he left the shop and saw the bird had fallen to the ground.

"He gave me everything he had," Leonard said.

The story was part of a gathering to mark Native American History Month. Leonard offered a blessing and he and his wife, Pam, sang a traditional Native American song.

Amanda Putnam, assistant director of admissions, has organized the event for the last four years, starting when she was the Native American recruitment specialist for the university. After a hiatus last year, she said she was glad the event returned for 2026.

"It's a place for us to all be in community," she said. The annual event is open to people of all backgrounds who are interested in learning more about the Native American and Indigenous cultures.

Attendees talked about their experiences at UC Merced and their hopes for the semester ahead as they ate traditional fry bread tacos and chia pudding. They highlighted opportunities for Native American and Indigenous students, including the Native American and Indigenous Student Coalition, or NISC, and the Toloma 5K, tentatively set for February.

Native American History Month is a national effort designated by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. This year's theme is "250 Years and Beyond: Building a Culture of Service in Indian Country."

Delia Saenz, vice chancellor and chief diversity officer at UC Merced, said the Leonards are longtime supporters of the students, staff and faculty at UC Merced - Pam is a retired university staff member.

"They are always teaching wisdom," she said.

Events such as Tuesday's are vital to a campus that each year welcomes students with a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds.

"Our division is all about creating inclusion on campus," Saenz said.

In his blessing, Leonard asked for the spirits of the land the university occupies to protect and care for those who live and work here now.

"Walk the Earth in kind of a prayerful way, with good intentions and good thoughts," he said. "Protect yourself by asking the spirits of the land to help you out … if you see a hawk flying overhead, pay attention. Maybe he is trying to tell you something."

As for the hummingbird that had a message for Leonard, the bird survived the encounter. At the end of the gathering, Pam Leonard prodded her husband to finish the story.

"I picked him up and put him on top of a swamp cooler to keep him away from the cats," Leonard said. "When I went back, he was gone."

Message delivered.