Two Events - Adam, SNAGS-BioAIMS Dinner, ASB EDUC96 Class

Event 1: SNAGS - BioAIMS Frybread Dinner

I went to the SNAGS - BioAIMS Frybread Dinner at the Native American Cultural Center on Friday, March 8, 2019, and it was a great way for me to connect with current Native grad students and network and all of that fun stuff. I helped shape some of the frybread there, and I was asked to give a food/water blessing too, so I got to do that. It seemed like really fancy ingredients like it was delicious gourmet à-la-mode c’est la croix on pointe du jour or whichever they call it but was good nonetheless. I rated it a 10/10 on Yelp. It was a very nice and wholesome experience

Event 2: Alternative Spring Break Class EDUC96

Throughout the quarter, I have been involved with Alternative Spring Break, which is a community service program that runs through Spring Break, and I co-lead our ASB trip with Gracie Young (Griffin's sister for those who know him), and we do a variety of activities with our 10 students, such as a Kahoot we did, talking with people actively engaged in digital language revitalization, learning the Cherokee language, and dedicating most of our time creating paper prototypes of Cherokee language learning apps that the students will demo at New Kituwah Academy and Cherokee Central Schools on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Reservation next week. Our students have made a lot of progress on the prototypes, and they will be able to use the skills learned and utilized in class for whatever major they decide to do. (You shouldve signed up for our ASB it was LTE, plus we had 波霸奶茶 on the last day)

Adam's Final Project - Panbread

For my final project, I made panbread for everyone (in Shoshone, neme tekkappeh, in Paiute, numu tukabu, sometimes called Indian Bread, I guess up north in Canada (BC, AB) they call it Bannock), which is the old-school way to make bread besides ash bread, which you would still find in southern Utah/Arizona, and it actually predates the frybread that we eat. My grandparents taught me how to make this bread, and I got better with practice. You can eat it for dinner, usually we have it for hamburger potatoes, sometimes spaghetti, or when we make beans, you can eat it for lunch, and you could make a breakfast sandwich out of it.

This is a food that's not really cooked that much anymore since everyone just makes frybread all the time, but it's usually the older ones that still make it. You'd need a really strong oven to cook it because you have to cook it at 500 for about an hour. It was hard to make it in the Muwekma kitchen since there's no broil option 😪😪 but it was a fun experience sharing bread with all of you, glad you all liked it

Final and 2 events -Corey

I attended the Snotty Nose Rez Kids Lunch talk and Peter Williams Dinner talk at the NACC. I didn't get a chance to take pics.

As for my final project. I have been making music lately and I made a song called Kill the Man, Save the Indian. It is a metal song about Native people's relationship with colonization and reclamation of identity. In that way you are killing the "man" to save the "Indian", instead of the other way around.

Here is a link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dZSnOw3jCI91pRVLUs9NXCChDGlYuEJS/view?usp=sharing

Alicia Final

I know I said id write about traditional Yup’ik regalia but I thought the history behind my name/Yup’ik names, in general, was more interesting.

A year before I was born, my grandmother passed away. My mom being the youngest child of nine siblings took this loss the hardest. She was roaming this world without direction and needed a reason to pick herself back up again. She tells me she prayed to God and asked him to give her a baby girl. That same year, my mom got pregnant with me. When I was born, she named me Alicia Christina Nugarrluk Evan. Alicia is a derivative of my grandmother's name, Alice. My middle name, Christina, came from my grandmother’s mom who was Christine. My Yup’ik name is the exact same Yup’ik name as my grandmother's Yup'ik name. In my culture, if you are named after someone, you are their namesake. So even after that person passed, you sort of carry their name and role. So for me, being named after my grandmother,  gave me some of her roles. There are people who refer to me with the same relation that they had to my grandmother. For example, if my grandmother was their aunt, I am now their aunt too. My mom tells me that when my grandmother died, she had a hole in her heart but since I am named after my grandmother, I filled that hole. Recently, I asked her what my name would be if I was a boy and she told me she never picked a boy name or even though about it because she knew I would be a girl. When my mom had my younger sister, she knew exactly what her Yup’ik name would be. Her Yup’ik name is Cingarrkaq. This name is after my grandpa. My sister is seen as my grandfather's namesake. My mom always tells us that she has her mom and dad with her because my sister and I are their namesakes. My name is a significant part of my identity. I carry this name with respect because even though I never met my grandmother, I know she is with me every step of the way.

This naming system is commonly seen in the Yup’ik culture. Normally, people are named after only the deceased. Example, when someone is pregnant, even if a name was picked for that child, if someone suddenly dies in the family, the parents will name their child after the person who passed away. This is a commonly seen trend in the Yup’ik culture, and when I have children, they will most likely be named after someone too.

Two events-Alicia

(I don't have any pictures)

I attended a kickback at the NACC hosted by the Hawaii Club. There was an array of local Hawaiian foods for everyone to enjoy. We all sat, ate, talked, and watched the song contest on TV. It was a very chill time.

The second event I attended was the Nainoa Thompson talk at the NACC & CEMEX Auditorium. At the NACC, we all ate lunch and heard him tell stories about his life and his journey to becoming a Pwo navigator. Along with him, his daughter also spoke and told stories. At CEMEX, it was a more formal event where he was on stage giving a presentation. He went into depth and gave a very moving presentation.

Two Events- Leia

SWIBxSAIO Event:

I attended the SWIBxSAIO event, on March 1st, which was the fireside chat with Amy Yeung, creator of Orenda Tribe and member of the Navajo Nation. It was an engaging insight into Amy’s innovative business, her personal story, and how she is helping her Native community. I found this conversation very intriguing and inspirational, especially with supporting children’s art as a form of empowerment. I enjoyed learning creative ways one can help their community.

SAIO Core Meeting:

The second event I attended was, the SAIO Core meeting, last Sunday, March 3rd. At the gathering, first we conducted a check-in question, then, the Co-chairs went over updates and events happening in the Native community in the coming week. On account I am one of the Sibs Coordinators, I am required to attend Core meetings every week. However, I really look forward to meeting with people in Core, and discussing events that are happening in the Native community.

My Identity- Leia Final

I received my Indian name from my grandfather, Peter Mermejo, as is the tradition in my Pueblo tribe for grandparents to give traditional Picuris names to their family's newborn. My Picuris name is pronounced, “Paw-tho-mo-ba’am,” which in English translates as, “misty rain flower,” representing the fine mist from a waterfall, spraying on flowers growing along a river's bank. During prayer, and especially for blessing after entering our kiva, we have to whisper our names as we breathe on our corn meal, to honor Mother Spirit for creating us. While I was given this name by my grandpa, I was also named Leia Jade by my parents, Sage Mermejo and Joe Varga, who both loved the movie and book series, “Star Wars.” My first and middle names are two of their favorite heroines, both who are fierce warriors called Jedi, and are also courageous, compassionate leaders. Each of my names, that I have been given by family, have sometimes made me question my identity, as someone who is both Native American and Anglo. My mom is half Native American and half Irish descent, while my dad is Anglo, with two grandfathers having immigrated to America, one from England, the other from Hungary. My parents’ cultural backgrounds often impelled me to question my cultural identity, because although I am a quarter Native American, I have sometimes felt that this quantity of “Indian blood” is not enough to identify with as being Native. However, after being raised in Pueblo traditions, attending the Santa Fe Indian School, and residing on my tribe's reservation for the past four years, I feel differently about my Native identity.

From seventh to twelfth grade, I attended the Santa Fe Indian School, a residential school for Native American students, which is owned and operated by the nineteen Pueblo tribes of New Mexico. The experience of attending an institution which supported Pueblo culture and education, markedly influenced how I perceive my Native identity. At the school, I felt like being Native was appreciated and respected, and that it did not matter what percentage of “Indian blood quantum” a person was depicted on a piece of government documentation. The fact a person was Native meant each student belonged to the Santa Fe Indian School community. As a student at the Santa Fe Indian School, I appreciated how Native people are connected to each other through our culture and traditions. Despite my fair skin, hair and eyes, in my heart and mind, I will always be a Native with a Pueblo heritage that should never be disregarded or forgotten. Having lived on my tribe's reservation these past few years, has also strengthened my connection with my Native community, and especially, our traditional customs and doings.

After becoming displaced following a house fire in Santa Fe in 2013, my family and I moved into my grandfather’s house, located on our tribe's reservation, Picuris Pueblo. The transition from visiting our reservation only a few times a year for our traditional doings and dances, to living there permanently, has been a remarkably, amazing experience. I truly appreciate living close to my relatives, and especially, learning more about our history, language and traditions. While growing up, I only remembered some of the traditional doings in the seasonal visits my family made to Picuris throughout the year. I would also try to retain everything my grandpa, relatives and mother would teach me, such as the meanings of ceremony, clans and stories. Still, living in modern society, my beliefs and culture were challenged. Yet, while residing on my reservation, I have become more appreciative of my tribal community and how traditional beliefs, such as caring and honoring our world, belong in a modern existence. Since living on my reservation, I feel more connected to my community, my family, and the ways of our culture. 

Although I had once felt like I was divided between two different worlds, Native and Anglo, and which one I identify with, I feel like my experiences from both attending a Native school, like the Santa Fe Indian School, and having a home on my reservation, have helped me come to the realization that even though I am only part Native, my blood quantum does not make me any less Native, for it is who I am. I also no longer feel like there is barrier between the two worlds. I am proud and grateful to be from both. Every day, I embrace the name that my parents bestowed upon me, and the Picuris name that my grandpa honored me. I carry in my heart, my family, my community, and my culture and our traditions, each an integral part of my identity.   

Final Project - Cooking
I made Indian Tacos, which were adopted into Mohawk food culture during the 70s-90s when POWWOWs began to become a thing in Kahnawake. We make the bread differently, and incorporate beans and other vegetables to our chili sauce to make the tacos more of our own (Mohawks are agricultural people, traditionally)

Final Project- Foster

For the final project, David and I made Wojapi, which is a berry pudding. Traditionally it is made from chokecherries, wild blueberries, buffalo berries, etc, this that are found in the plains region; but we made it out of normal blueberries which is more common today since it is more accessible.

Final Essay - Michael S.

Cedar

In class, I mentioned how I would be writing about my cedar, what I use it for, and what it signifies to me. First of all, for those that don’t know what cedar is, it’s a small, rough, grainy, dark green needle (from a cedar tree) that has a very potent smell. To me, the cedar itself smells good, but once it is burned, it smells even better. As mentioned earlier, the cedar itself comes from the cedar tree which is pretty common on the Navajo Nation, or at least in Kayenta. Most people don’t pick their own cedar because it would take a while to collect an abundance of it, so instead people buy it from the flea market in hand size bags.

Cedar can be used for various reasons in various settings, but the main purpose of it is to bring goodness. Most people, such as myself, use cedar to pray and again, the idea behind it is to bring goodness not only into your life, but also for your family and friends. Cedar can be burned on pretty much anything, but for me, I grew up watching my mom use a small skillet. I start by getting the skillet, placing it over a hot surface such as a stove, grabbing a pinch (or more) of cedar, and placing it on the skillet. The cedar will then make a crackling sound as it is burned, going from dark green to black, and smoke will arise during the process. As this is happening, I usually talk/pray towards the smoke and the idea behind this is that the smoke will carry your words and everything you prayed for up to/towards shídiyin (God). I was also told that smelling cedar will clear your head of all bad thoughts and fill it with good thoughts.

Regina's Final Essay

Contemporary Native American Identity Through Art

Natani Notah is an artist who uses her work to explore contemporary Native American identity, and in particular Diné womanhood. She emphasizes the importance of knowing where you come from and being grounded by your family—citing acts of decolonization, Indigenous feminism, and indigenous futurism as further sources of inspiration. Through her art, she examines the impacts of colonialism and uses materials in her pieces that have a history of contamination and exploitation. By bringing together items that may not fit together, such as the stereotypical portrayal of a Native American woman on a Land O’Lakes mug to a fine art gallery, Natani challenges the viewer to think deeply about the way that we are influenced by images. 

One work that had a significant impact on me was Natani’s film, “I Cut My Hair.” In the film, she wears a plain, white t-shirt and a dusty pink long skirt. She sits in front of a tan door and cuts her hair piece by piece while performing a monologue for missing and murdered indigenous people. I was very moved by how Natani chose to shed light on a critical and urgent issue through art. What art allows for is an unrestrained, fearless perspective on the world. What can’t be said in everyday conversation is given greater complexity through creative mediums.

Natani works across several mediums, from painting to film to poetry to sculpture and beyond. Another work I really enjoyed was her “Standing Rock Collages” in which she took photographs from the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and pasted them onto white paper. She then cut out tan speech bubbles but left them blank. What results are visually striking, powerful images that say so much without literally saying anything at all. 

Although Natani is an interdisciplinary artist, she is most of all a storyteller who uses her art to highlight Native narratives that are often overlooked by mainstream media. She seeks to confront the dominant patriarchal and colonial dialogues in the United States by inserting a female Native perspective. Dealing with topics such as intergenerational trauma, Natani facilitates collective healing and reconciliation through her artwork. 

I am immensely inspired by the thought and creativity Natani puts into her work, as well as her ambition to use her work to comment on issues of identity and culture. I think that people like Natani are doing such important work for our society today, and I’m so excited to see where else she takes her art to.   

Two Events- David Espi

Lakota Dinner 2/17 

Lakota dinner is a dinner that happens every quarter and consists of students in SpecLang 247, otherwise known as Lakota language. At Lakota dinner, we go over introducing our selves in Lakota to whomever our special guests are, showing off what we are learning. After that we eat a traditional-contemporary Lakota meal which is soup, wojapi, bread, and mint tea for a beverage. At this particular dinner the soup was buffalo chili with blueberry wojapi (pudding) and ceyaka (field mint tea). I seemed to gain a lot of energy from being in this space and eating the food. It was sort of a spiritual energizer for me. The chili was phenomenal, as well as the bread and wojapi. Anytime I drink ceyaka is a great time to me, so in return, this event was wholesome and was very powerful for me.

Mentor Dinner 2/28

The mentor dinner was a dinner to invite your personal mentors, people who have affected your life positively, to come enjoy a tasty "indian taco". Which is a contemporary staple that derives from government rations given during and through the establishment of reservations. The food was prayed for in two different languages as well as sang for in three others. There were awards that were handed out later throughout the night. I really enjoyed this event because the food was great as well as the SAIO members who gave speeches. In particular, Gabi Saiz had a really interesting speech that inspired me. All in all it was a great event with great people.

(No photos: Foster posted one from Lakota Dinner)

Two Events - Michael S.

Above are the two events I attended this quarter. The left picture was an event held by the Department of Art & Art History where Wes Studi (the guy by me) had a conversation with Alexander Nemerov (a Stanford professor). The conversation started with Wes Studi sort of talking about his character in Last of The Mohicans and how he went about acting for it. The conversation then shifted to Wes Studi’s personal life and he talked a little about his involvement in the American Indian Movement. Overall, I really liked this event and gained some insight on the American Indian Movement from Wes Studi.

The picture on the right was the Annual Native Student and Mentor Dinner held at the Clubhouse Ballroom. Not only was the food very delicious, but I also got the chance to meet new people/mentors. I liked how there was a diversity of people there in terms of undergrad students, graduate students, professors, and mentors. As a freshman, this event was very beneficial and overall I really enjoyed it.

Two Events - Riio

(No photos for the events, but Justin can vouch for my first one)

1: Katie Cromack
        I attended this event on February 4th, and listened to Katie talk about her experiences at Stanford as a student, as well as her life after leaving Stanford. It was reassuring to hear her talk about how even after she graduated, she didn't necessarily know what she was doing. She talked about how there is a lot of pressure on Stanford students to have these amazing accomplishment upon and after graduation, but that it is unrealistic. I think going to this talk was really refreshing and comforting because I was able to hear that my worries are legit. But, that I shouldn't really worry all that much about them.
       She talked a lot about her job and how she got to the career she is in now. It was nice to hear about her journey, and I was very interested by how she found what she loves (a career that has nothing to do with her undergrad degree). It was just a really nice, reassuring talk/event.

2: Petition
       As you guys know, I organized the petition to correct Prof. Kenneth Fields' class on Native American Myth, Legend and Lore. There were a lot of events and planning involved in this, and one of the meetings was open to the public. There, we discussed with the English Dept., NativeAM Dept., and Creative Writing Dept. how we could move forward after everything that went down. It was cool to talk to the heads of each department and have input on how we want to further Indigenize the campus. I really liked being able to organize and help bring voice to the students of the Native community here at Stanford. It was a good one.