William Hensley Lunch Time Chat- Haley

I attended Professor Hensely’s talk about Alaska Native history and land rights. His talk started with a brief history of Alaska and growing up in his small village. He showed what everyday, traditional, life was like. Many of the village residents gathering on the beach cutting fish, processing beluga, drying meant and etc. He talked a bit about the impact of westernization on his village and Alaska, beginning with Russian invasion and going onto missionary groups beginning bringing christianity and western culture. This was a time of dying culture for Alaska Natives, traditional dancing and language were made illegal and people were forced to leave their traditional ways. He then talked about the impact of statehood on Alaska. Originally, Alaska Natives didn’t know what becoming a state really meant but soon they realized it was a way for the US to take Native Land. An interesting point Hensley brought up was that the US bought the right to negotiate for land, not the actual land from Russia and that even after statehood, much of Alaska’s land still belonged to the native people. He ended by talking about the Land Claims Act. This act helped ensure that Alaska Natives got to keep some rights to land.

Talk with Tashina Cooper

Hello! Sorry for the late post this week!!
Prompt:

• What did you learn from Tashina's talk? 
• What were your thoughts on her job and its impact on global relations?

Alcatraz Sunrise Ceremony- Haley

This Indigenous People’s Day I spent the morning at Alcatraz Island watching the sunrise ceremony. This was my first time attending the sunrise ceremony and it was a really cool experience. Throughout the ferry ride there was a constant low drumming and song being sung, I really liked this as it kind of centered me and my thoughts around what I was headed to Alcatraz for and the reasons that the sunrise ceremony, and Indigenous People’s Day in general, is now something that is so widely celebrated. I liked that there was an opening prayer on the boat, as it reminded me of my culture and ceremonies that we do back home, always starting with a prayer. At the ceremony grounds, I liked how everyone was circled together around the fire and dancers as it made me feel really connected to everyone else that was there. My favorite part of the entire ceremony was when at sunrise itself everyone stood up and faced and raised out hands in the air towards the sun. I’m really happy I attended this event and I plan on going again next year!

"A Red Girl's Reasoning ...& Creating": Indigenous Women Creatives in Kanata/Canada 10/16 - Kaylee B

Professor Watchman's lecture had two main parts. The first was to discuss her analysis of "A Red Girl's Reasoning," which is a short film that follows a Blackfoot woman vigilante as she attempts to right the wrongs the justice system has failed to do. We watched the film together in the lecture, and a preview of the film can be found above...  One of the main topics we discussed was the idea of retributions and what that means. One thing we she pointed out is that it is different for every tribe. I think this is an important overarching idea, that Native tribes are not homogenous, especially given the current events.

The second portion of her lecture highlighted on her work in Indigenizing academia. She is the first Native American faculty member to receive tenure at her University, Mt. Royal. Mt. Royal has committed to "Indigenizing" their curriculum, and she is leading this effort. She explained that the eventual goal is to have all students take about 4 classes before they graduate that will give them exposure to Indigenous ideas, cultures, etc. This could be things like Linguistics looking at Native languages or English majors taking courses that include novels by Native authors. I think this is a really great initiative and reminded me of one of the things we did in Intro to CSRE, which was propose ways for Stanford to get their students more engaged with issues of Race.

I didn't take a picture... my b, but Delphine and Greg were both there and saw me.

Elizabeth Warren Conversation

Hi class! Thanks for an engaging conversation this week. We realize that these conversations can be tricky, and sometimes frustrating, but these are issues that continue to face our communities every day and we need to be able to talk about them. In addition, we also acknowledge and appreciate the energy ya'll bring to have these conversations.
Each week Justin or I will post prompt(s) to get your thoughts flowing. However, you don't need to respond to all/any of them, we just want to hear what you have to say :)

Prompts for this week:

• What does it mean to be indigenous? Can it be based on genetic testing, or is it more about being actively involved in a community?
• How has colonization impacted the disconnect between people and culture?
• How did your thoughts change (if they did) before we had our conversation to after our conversation?
• What about our conversation made you feel uncomfortable? What about it made you feel empowered? 
• Did anything surprise you?

Please post responses of at least 200 words. 

The Marshall Trilogy, and Introduction to Federal Indian Law - Karen Biestman Lecture - Oct. 3

I go to the NACC all the time. The Native community was my first home at Stanford. Karen Beistman was one of the first friendly faces to help anchor me in a sea of trouble my freshman year, so it was incredibly interesting to finally hear her lecture in her own element on American Indian law in that space. My history teachers in secondary school were better at taking time to discuss people of color and their perspectives in U.S. history and government, but I had still never heard of the Supreme Court cases that she went over. The way she talked about Marshall was particularly complex — she seemed to hold a great amount of respect for this old white man who in attempts to compromise and give Native Americans some semblance of land rights essentially created a “big brother” system of native nations within the U.S., but she was also explicitly critical of how these decisions impacted tribes. After knowing about the hundreds of broken treaties between indigenous tribes and the U.S. Federal government, the fact that the conquests of indigenous people, particularly the Unites States’ conquest of North America has been the largest “legal” — in which I refer to the use of laws, judges, and a paper trail — conquest in the world struck me as well. 

(I'm sorry I didn't take any pretty pictures!) 

Alcatraz Sunrise Ceremony

"Ohhhh" 

Darkness. Coffee. People Huddled Close. Unusual Warmth. Wind at Sea. Shuffling Footsteps. Drums. Circle of People. 

The Indigenous People's sunrise ceremony begins with a sound -- an unpleasant ring from a cell phone reminding me to wake up -- and ends with a sound -- the laughter and snores of our community in cars leaving San Francisco.  But its the sound in the middle, of the journey and the circle and the ceremonies, that stays with you: a slightly drawn out "Ohhhh". The dancers step to drums and to singers, carrying the voices of many long gone (but not) in a resounding, resilient echo. They remind each other that we are still here. And we infuse that life blood into the air, into the sun with every "Ohhhh" we put forth in unison. Elders speak on Creator and our relation to the land. We as humans have tried so hard to make ourselves separate -- as if we are not animals that do not depend on nature as much as its care depends on us. We are stewards, and fostering that in ourselves and each other and our children and our elders is the difference between life and death. Alcatraz is a hauntingly beautiful place, and one can only wonder how beautiful it would have been before it was paved in concrete and chains and misery. Because despite the prison in the background, and the warm weather that speaks to irregular climate, and our tired bodies, the sun rising on our circle was a beautiful sight to behold. 

Alcatraz 10/8/18

I attended the sunrise ceremony at Alcatraz on Indigenous People's Day on 10/08/18.  The ceremony was not only beautiful, but also incredibly meaningful.  Being on Alcatraz served as a great reminder to acknowledge Native activism that occurs and has occurred in the past and the power behind making a stand.  I felt empowered throughout the whole ceremony and believe that my bond with the Native people, as well as those who stood in solidarity with us, was largely strengthened.   I hope to attend again through the years I have ahead of me at Stanford and am very grateful for the opportunity. 

Alcatraz Reflection 10-08-18

I really enjoyed visiting Alcatraz for the sunrise ceremony on Indigenous Peoples Day. Even though I live locally it was the first time I had gone. I loved feeling connected with the native community and the earth while fighting against "Columbus Day." Watching the sunrise with my Stanford Native family brought us closer together and will be an experience I will never forget. My favorite part of the ceremony was when we welcomed the sun, hands raised. I felt one with the earth, and it reminded me of our interconnectedness.

Hawaii reflections 10/9

Word Count: 200-300 words

 

Prompt Idea: As we saw in the videos, there a paradigm shift, and a strong revitalization of Hawaiian traditions and knowledge amongst the younger generation. How do you think this will continually improve & impact the Hawaiian community as a whole? How do you think colonization previously affected Hawaiian traditions?