Final

In house seminar Jaysha gave a presentation on the history of Hawai’i and specifically the colonization of the Native Hawaiian people.  This was the inspiration for this write up. As a Native Hawaiian person I feel so incredibly lucky to be in the space that is Stanford.  I have the opportunity to learn about my culture and to be around other indigenous people every single day. While I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity, it is difficult for me not to think about the other Native Hawaiians who live on the mainland and do not have the same opportunity as me.  My tutu is a prime example of the impact of colonization on Native Hawaiian people. She grew up in a time where it was not an acceptable or allowable thing to speak or practice traditional Hawaiian olis (chants), dances, etc. She was not allowed to learn her Native language in the boarding school which she attended.  Her father, my great grandfather, worked on a sugar cane plantation and was not allowed to progress through the ranks due to his race. I see the trauma of colonization manifested within my tutu every time I speak with her. There are remnants of self-hatred regarding this aspect of her identity which time has not been able to completely erase.  Upon my starting school at Stanford, she told my mom that she was surprised, but pleased, that almost all of my friends were Native of some sort. She told my mother that she left Hawai`i to go to school on the mainland to get away from her home, and that she only wanted to be friends with non-Hawaiians as she did not see the value in her own people.  Being at this school, living in Muwekma, taking house seminar and Native Hawaiian language, I am privileged. I have had the chance to make a lei, a kihei, to learn new olis. As a Native Hawaiian who is not from the islands, I acknowledge both how I have struggled to be in touch with my culture, but also how this has resulted in a deeper desire to garner more knowledge than perhaps I would have if I had been born in Hawai`i or had more access to this information growing up.  I hope that every Native Hawaiian, from the islands or not, will be able to learn extensively about our culture at some point in their lives. This ongoing pursuit for cultural knowledge is the way that we will combat ongoing colonialism, and reclaim our indigeneity.

Second Event: Stew at the NACC

For my second event I attended a stew and fry bread dinner at the Native American Cultural Center.  This dinner was intended to honor the First Nations Fellows (pictured above).  Several of the fellows performed traditional dances and chants from their tribes.  It was very enlightening to see these performances from a variety of Native cultures.  I specifically was interested in the chants and songs that the Australian Native fellows did as I have had minimal exposure to this. I found this experience to be filled with joy.  It was a happy celebration of this group of people where we could all be together as a community and eat delicious food. 

Event #2: Sibs Pumpkin Carving-MiMi Tarter

I met my sib Jade, and I read all the posters that were up for I think Cherokee language class? Not sure but it was the history of all of ethnic involvement at Stanford. It was really interesting + I carved a Harry Potter pumpkin!

P.S. I also went to the Powwow planning session earlier this quarter but (big surprise) I didn't take a picture there!!!!

Event #1: NACC Frybread Social-MiMi Tarter

I really enjoyed this social! I had never had frybread before. I forgot to take a picture but y'all saw me there so please pass me :)

Final Project: Tweet Tweet - Kaylee B

As we were discussing “There, There,” last week, I enjoyed some serious self-reflection. As I mentioned in my post about Elizabeth Warren, my connection to my Native identity came through my estranged father who was forcibly adopted from the Pine Ridge Reservation as a baby. Coming to Stanford it was a goal of mine to learn more about Native communities and my own connection to them. When we were discussing the book, I thought about how much personal and intellectual growth I have experienced over the past 4 years. I was thinking about how I would have read the book as a freshman versus how I am reading it now.

The more I learn about Native issues, the more responsibility I feel. Nelson Mandela said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” By being well-read on the issues, reading other debates, and understanding the history and social structures that contribute to the problems Natives face I feel more prepared to educate others. I also acknowledge that I have been lucky enough to listen and learn from other people. They have shared their knowledge with me to make me less ignorant. Therefore, when I see or hear something that bothers me, I try to assume the best. I try to assume that a person does not know any better, but perhaps with a little insight they will be more informed to understand in the future.

One of the best parts about this class was the space to openly discuss. I have taken many Native Studies classes, but there is often not time to discuss current events. One of my favorite classes this quarter was the one where we discussed Elizabeth Warren, because I had been having so many thought about the situation, but did not have a structured place to talk and hear how others were feeling. This past summer I began to use Twitter quite a bit more and through this was able to connect to a lot of Indigenous scholars and activists. These people have kept me up to date on many issues, as well as provided incredibly useful threads on important topics. I have seen so many incredible tweets about such important topics, therefore, I would like to share some of my favorites and use them to provide support to this paper. One of the best parts about Twitter is seeing Natives doing great things and gaining representation.



However, there are still a lot of problems that exist in the world. Twitter is useful for learning about those problems, but also learning how to deal with those problems. Twitter is a great place to connect with people that I would not otherwise encounter. Many Natives take the time to point out issues, or provide academic research to make claims, or even give you examples of how to respond to debates. For example, I have seen suggestions to educators about better ways to teach their class about Natives. I have learned more about debating the mascot and costume issue.



One important theme that the Elizabeth Warren discussion brought up is what it means to be Native. Identity is a tricky thing because in some ways it is important everyone has an opportunity to explore and find community. As this issue came up I tried to think about what I thought it meant to be Native. Luckily, I knew where to search for help coming up with an answer. The first tweet listed stated a point that really resonated with me. I wrote about this in my blogpost, but I am going to reiterate it. I believe that being Native is a feeling and a way of being rather than a percentage or a thing you own. For example, if someone tells me “they have Native ancestry” or “their great-grandmother WAS Native” or “they’re a little Native,” I do not usually find myself feeling a connection to them. This is because they are not taking it on, but trying to justify it. Being Native American is an active thing. It means feeling a part of the Native community at large. Someone who is connected to their Native identity, even if someone’s blood is not “100%” Native (although I personally don’t think DNA determines race…), phrases their connection in a much more active. People say things like “I AM Native,” or “I AM Lakota”



On the other hand, identity is not an entitlement, a phase, or something to take lightly. It is important to protect Native status because it can be used to harm Native communities. For example, phrases like, “well I’m part Native and dressing up as Pocahontas doesn’t offend me,” excuses actions that are harmful and racist. There is also a lot of harm that can be done by associating phenotype with identity. This leads to Natives being asked to validate their identity through blood quantum or explain why they don’t look a certain way.


I recently saw that genealogy kits are expected to me one of the top selling Christmas gifts this year. It is important to consider what these types of “tests” tell us and what value that information has. I think most Natives would agree that DNA does not determine Native identity. Maybe it can tell about race, but race is a social structure created to other. It is also important to consider why. Two of the biggest theories are that by learning one has the DNA of a minority, it can excuse white guilt. If one learns that they have “native DNA” then they are not part of the problem, rather they are the victim of it. In intro to CSRE, we learned that this is a way of “transcending whiteness.” There is also a belief that there is some sort of benefit to being Native, such as casino money, free tuition, or other sorts of hand outs. There are people who believe if they can check the box then they too will reap these lucrative benefits.

House Sem Final- Haley

For my final project I made a qaspeq, which is a traditional Alaska Native garment. I decided on making a qaspeq as my final project for a few reasons. The first is that I felt it connected to our class discussions around being a “modern native.” The reason I thought this is because the style of qaspeq I made is a much more modern version then what would have been worn historically. Traditionally women’s qaspeqs would be more dress like and have a skirt at the bottom and only men’s qaspeqs would be short like the one I created. These qaspeqs would most frequently be worn when performing in traditional dance festivals. However, recently there has been a lot of modern styles of qaspeqs being created, specifically shorter versions for women, making them much more common to wear every day. The style I made is also more modern because usually qaspeqs have hoods and full length sleeves.

Another reason I decided to make a qaspeq for the final goes along with being a modern native but more so was along the lines of the huge push for cultural revitalization in Alaska that has been happening. Recently, there has been a growing movement to re-popularize traditional actives and practices. Some of these include traditional tattooing, language knowledge, and dance. The cultural revitalization movement in Alaska reminded me a lot of our first class when we talked about the cultural revitalization movement in Hawai`i. Sometimes I feel disconnected from this movement because I am all the way in California and cannot easily participate in language learning or dance festivals. I saw this project as a small way I could participate. Not only am I keeping the knowledge of how to sew qaspeqs alive but I am also helping to normalize the use of traditional clothing in an everyday environment. 

Final Project Write-Up

For my final project I decided to make traditional Native Alaskan dance fans. I decided on this project because I feel as if traditional dance is a major aspect of all Native American tribes throughout America and also because Native dance has had a major impact on me personally. In Yup’ik culture there are two different types of dance fans. One is made out of wood and caribou hair and is meant to be used by females and another is made of wood and swan feathers and is meant to be used by males. Both types of dance fans are used by their respective genders in traditional dance festivals throughout Alaska. Drummers/Singers sing traditional Yup’ik songs and beat on a drum that is made out of wood and stretched seal skin while women dance along to the beat standing up and while men dance kneeling down. Both the women and the men hold their dance fans in their hands and use them to create swift and flowing movements that tell a story along with the words that are being sung. While growing up I participated in dance festivals once a year and have filled the roles of a dancer and a singer. Dance festivals have been a very important part of my life, they allow me to gather with many of my relatives throughout the state and it also connects me with my culture and ancestors. Instead of creating a traditional male dance fan I made some slight modifications. The dance fans I created are much smaller than ones used for dancing. Another difference is the base of the dance fan is made from Alaskan grass instead of wood and the feathers used on the fan are ptarmigan feathers instead of swan feathers. Overall, I created dance fans because I felt as if traditional dance is a very prominent feature in all Native cultures and it is one that strongly resonates with me. 

Professor Hensley's talk about Alaska Native history

     I attended Professor Hensley’s talk about Alaska Native history and land rights. One thing about his talk that I really connected with is when he was talking about growing up in rural Alaska. He talked about how while growing up he did a lot of fishing for salmon and hunting for caribou. I also have grown up with this similar experience as my summers consist of fishing for salmon in rural Alaska, hunting for caribou in winter, and hunting moose in the fall. Another aspect of Professor Hensley’s life that I resonated with is when he was talking about how the Russian invasion had impacted his ancestors. My ancestors were also impacted by the Russian invasion and my family still worships Russian orthodoxy. Overall even though Professor Hensley and I are from different tribes and region in Alaska, I found a lot of similarities between us throughout his talk. 

Final Project: Corporate Interests Threatening Tribes--Again (Arjan)

While Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has garnered significant opposition due to his agenda--which includes shrinking national monuments containing environmentally sensitive lands sacred to many tribes in southern Utah--his comments suggesting pushing tribes to privatize their lands are particularly egregious to Native communities across the country.

Zinke said to the National Tribal Energy Summit in May 2017: "If tribes would have a choice of leaving Indian trust lands and becoming a corporation, tribes would take it." By advocating for tribes to sell off of tribal lands, these comments are extremely similar to the sentiment that the US government took during the period known as Termination.

Primarily under the Eisenhower Administration, the US government took steps to dismantle sovereign tribal governments across the country by ending the relationship between the federal government and tribes through the revocation of their reservations--primarily with the goal of assimilating Native people and reducing their financial support of tribal governments. Through this shrinking or termination of reservations, industries like mining were able to expand into those areas and utilize the natural resources--all without the consultation of tribal governments.

The policy was so catastrophic for Native communities that it was ultimately abandoned in 1970. Though many tribes were able to fight off attacks on their sovereignty, the many that did lose their reservation status were forced to reapply or otherwise accept their tribe's loss of self-governance.

Zinke's proposal to allow the privatization of reservation lands would prove equally as catastrophic for Native communities. It represents a further attempt to sell off lands to companies that wish to exploit their resources and devastate their cultural significance, much like with the revocation of Bears Ears and Gold Butte National Monuments in Utah and Nevada, respectively. 

Trail of the Iron Horse by C. M. Russell. The expansion of railroads into places like Montana without the consultation of Native tribes represents an important example of the US government supporting corporate interests in squandering the rights of Native peoples and allowing the violation of treaties.

Unfortunately, these attempts to force a corporate agenda on Native peoples is not new: the US government has been doing so since the beginning of its relationship with tribes after the American Revolution. For instance, tribes in the South were chased out in the early 19th century on the Trail of Tears in order to make room for commercial farming and expansionist settlers. Tribes in the Midwest saw their tribal rights destroyed by the expansion of homesteaders and commercial interests like railroads expanding eastward. Such breaches of treaties and tribal rights are an egregious theme that continues to this very day, though many people may believe that it ended decades ago.

As Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "By steering the government toward Termination-era policies. Trump threatens the health and prosperity of Native Americans and drags us all backwards. This approach has devastated Indian Country before. We cannot allow it to happen again."

Event #1: 30th Anniversary

I really enjoyed attending the dinner commemorating the 30th anniversary of the creation of Muwekma-Tah-Ruk. I found it extremely interesting to get to hear about the history of Muwekma from several of the people who were pivotal in its founding and to learn about the movement that Native students started to push for its creation. In addition, I thought it was great to see so many students, whether Native or Native-adjacent, coming out to celebrate such an important event in Stanford's history.

30th Anniversary Dinner

The 30th anniversary dinner was a really lovely night and the sense of community in the air was tangible. It was cool to hear about the history of the house and its founding since this is my first year living in Muwekma, but this house holds such a lasting significance for so many people. I also enjoyed the memory-sharing because it was a reminder that sometimes the memories you hold closest to heart are just small things that end up feeling very meaningful. I wish the Ohlone speakers could have made it but regardless it was a great night at Muwekma.

Muwekma Alumni Speaker Series: Kauanoe Batangan

I thought it was really valuable to hear about Kauanoe's experience since he had been in our shoes and graduated not too long ago. I admired his dedication to giving back to his community and strong attachment to home. It was also interesting to learn more about the Kamehameha schools and their importance to the island since multiple people in Muwekma went there and it was a big part of their life. His experience with the First Nations' Futures Institute was very interesting as well and I want to learn more about how Stanford partners with indigenous communities. I am excited about Kauanoe's future and the future of Native Hawaiian representation under strong leaders like him.

Make-up Post: Native women elected to Congress

For my make-up post I wanted to write about the recent election of Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland to Congress since it was really exciting news. In the last class when we finished Skins, multiple people brought up that they feel that only the negative things about Native life and rez life are emphasized in the media, and I thought this was an awesome example of positive things going on in the Native community.

Having Native voices in Congress is crucial because of the history of Natives being written out of history and leadership, despite the U.S. being on Native land. This is a strong step toward decolonization and it's impressive that these women are stepping up into very public roles to advocate for their communities in a time when government is in a particularly precarious state. Also, given the long history of distrust of the federal government, hopefully having Davids and Halland in Congress will help the U.S. take steps toward repairing that damaged trust and creating policies that benefit indigenous people. Davids has emphasized her history of working and living on the rez, collaborating closely with tribes to create economic development opportunities so it will be interesting to see how this manifests in her new role as Congresswoman. I'm also excited about Haaland's commitment to advocating for affordable housing, expanding Medicare, gun reform, and more.

Week 6 Make-Up Post: Culture Revitalization on the Rez - Kaylee B

Native American Reservations and their residents are an incredible example of resilience. Decades of trauma and persecution led many Natives to choose to distance themselves and their children from traditional lifestyles. Despite the hardships and often seemingly limited opportunities on various Reservations, many people are using them as a harbor for culture revitalization. They have given Native youth a new opportunity to connect with their culture, such as language, ceremony, and art. By allowing Natives to occupy a space that is primarily Native and filled with important knowledge sources, youth have found new opportunities to connect with their heritage.

The Rez is filled with loved ones and perhaps a sense of comfort, therefore, it is not feasible or desirable for some to leave. But colonial norms demand productivity and education for success, so many Natives are turning inward to find this. For example, many tribes are offering language immersion schools. This allows those who may not have had access to the language before, the opportunity to be immersed in language and connect more with the culture. This is an important skill and also preserves the language for the tribe moving forward.. Similarly, some people have been able to learn traditional crafting skills, like weaving or pottery. This is a form of healing, a way to preserve customs, and contribute to the society. Further, it is a beautiful example that when we judge someone within a society that is made for them we are more likely to find their talents and strengths. It is less likely these type of programs would have emerged without Reservations because Natives would likely be more scattered and more occupied with white ways of life. But by resisting and choosing to look inward for better opportunities, Native Reservations allows youth to learn about traditional ways of being. They have been shown to help heal intergenerational trauma and ensure that these traditions are not lost forever.

Muwekma Alumni Speaker Series: Kauanoe Batangan

I really appreciated Kauanoe Batangan's talk at Muwekma. I enjoyed hearing about his experiences at Stanford and then after Stanford. I learned a lot about different organizations and departments that he worked for in Washington D.C., including being a former congressional aid, that led him to his passion of politics back in Hawai`i. During his talk, you could hear and see the dedication he has for helping native people, especially native Hawaiians. He ran for Hawai`i House of Representatives this year and now has joined another campaign that he believes in for the future of Hawai`i.