I visited Alcatraz for the indigenous peoples day ceremony. Here we were able to see a number of different cultures in what I would consider a sacred location. The entrance to the ceremony early in the morning on the boat was something I will always remember. Also, being able to see so many people unite for what they believe in was beautiful.

Xolotl Pilli Cruz-De Jesus

Jayden's Events - Kauanoe Batangan & First Nations Dinner

Kauanoe Batangan

 

📸PC: Alyssa Farrow

I really enjoyed Kauanoe’s Alumni Speaker presentation. We come from similar backgrounds. We both grew up in Hawaii and attended Kamehameha Schools. I think it is really cool that he was one of the students that helped to create the Hawaiian Language class on campus. 

First Nations Fellows Dinner

 

📸PC: OLP Photography

I attended the First Nations Fellow dinner at the NACC. The stew and frybread were very delicious. I really enjoyed when each group shared their songs and dances with us. I loved that they got everyone involved by teaching us the "Friendship song." I made me think of home when the Hawai'i group sang "Hawai'i Aloha."

Jayden's Final - THE QUEENʻS PROCLAMATION

"`O WAU, LILI`UOKALANI, ma ka lokomaika`i o ke Akua,

ma lalo o ke Kumukanawai o ke Aupuni Hawai`i,

MŌ`ĪWAHINE,

ma kēia ke hō`ike pa`a nei i Ko`u kū`ē

I kekahi hana a mau hana paha a pau i lawelawe `ia

e kū`ē ana ia`u iho a me ke Aupuni Kumukanawai o ke Aupuni Hawai`i

e kekahi po`e e koi ana ua kūkulu lākou he Aupuni Kuikawā no ka manawa

no kēia Aupuni.

Ke `ae wale nei nō Au ma muli o ka mana `oi ikaika o `Amerika Huipū`ia

nona ho`i ke Kuhina `Elele Nui, ka Meamahalo`ia John L. Stevens, ua

kauoha aku i nā koa o `Amerika Huipū`ia e ho`opae `ia mai ma Honolulu, a

ua kūkala a`e e kōkua nō `oia i ua Aupuni Kuikawā `ia no ka Manawa i

`ōlelo`ia.

No laila, i mea e kaupale aku ai i na ho`okū`ia `ana o nā puali i ho`olawa `ia

me nā lako kaua, a malia paha o ho`opō`ino `ia ke ola; no laila, malalo o

keia Kuahaua Kū`ē a i kauhola `ia ho`i e ua mana ikaika la, ke `ae wale nei

nō Au e pane`e aku i Ko`u Mana a hiki i ka manawa a ke Aupuni o `Amerika

Huipū`ia, ma muli o nā mea `oiai`o e waiho `ia aku ai i mua ona, e hoololi ai i

nā hana a kona Luna Aupuni a e ho`onoho hou ia`u ma luna o ka mana A`u

e koi nei ma ke `ano Ali`i`aimoku o ka Pae`āina Hawai`i."

Translation:

“I, Lili`uokalani, by the Grace of God and under the Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen, do hereby solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the Constitutional Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom by certain persons claiming to have established a Provisional Government of and for this Kingdom.

That I yield to the superior force of the United States of America whose Minister Plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L. Stevens, has caused United States troops to be landed at Honolulu and declared that he would support the Provisional Government.

Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.”

Queen Lili’uokalani would do anything to protect her people. She was a strong and loyal leader of the Hawaiian people. When a group of men planned to take away her power, as the Monarch of Hawaii, her biggest concern was the wellbeing of her people. I believe that Queen Liliʻuokalani wrote the Queen’s Proclamation to protect her people rather than creating a conflict that may have resulted in many deaths.

When the men tried to remove Queen Liliʻuokalani from the throne, they called in the army to help protect them. Queen Liliʻuokalani had no way to fight against the United States Army. She knew that any type of conflict would hurt too many people. Queen Liliʻuokalani did what she could to protect her people. I think she wrote the Queen Proclamation because it was the only way to ensure the safety of her people. She knew that the Provisional Government had no right to take her power away from her. She trusted that the United States government would help to get rid of the Provisional Government and reinstate her as the Monarch of Hawaiʻi.

Queen Liliʻuokalani trusted that the United States government would do what is right and help her by remove the Provisional Government that a group of men formed in Hawaiʻi. She wanted to protest the formation of the Provisional Government in the most peaceful but effective way possible. I think she made the best choice by choosing to let the United States government deal with the Provisional Government. Queen Liliʻuokalani did give up her power to the throne to the United States government, but she thought that the United States government would reinstate her to the throne after they removed the Provisional Government set up in Hawaiʻi.

Event Number 2 - Kaylee B

I went to a talk by three members of Native American Women in Computer Science. The talk was a panel discussion about the various ways these Native Women have used their technology skills and their passion about their culture to create interesting and useful projects. It was very empowering to hear about this talk and to see Native Women taking the stage at the largest conference for women in computing. Through at the entire talk, I was continuously reminded of the resilience and strength of Natives.

First Nations Dinner

This dinner was hosted at the NACC for the First Nations Fellows who were here visiting from Alaska, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. I enjoyed hearing the different languages and introductions they all shared with us, especially the different dialects within their same indigenous groups. It was also a really cool experience to see and listen to the chants and songs they shared with the rest of us. I always enjoy going to this dinner every year, and glad that I can learn more about their cultures through this event. 

(I lost my picture ):  ). 

Alcatraz Sunrise Ceremony

This was a very interesting and informative trip for me. I learned a lot in the process about the reclamation of indigenous rights and the birth of a movement in this act of resistance. I felt that it was powerful that a celebration of history, culture, and revolution were brought back every year. It gave me a more depth into my own engrained notion as to how I imagine acts of resistance by native people. It is not only the wars fought for land, the protest in the streets and Alcatraz, but the act of being, unapologetically, that directly opposes the colonizer. To exist holistically, against all odds, is the most terrifying thing someone can do in a system that doesn't want them to exist. 

I also appreciated the palpable sense of excitement and buy-in of everyone on the trip. Even though we had risen at an unfortunate hour, we came together for something that, for everyone involved, was of significance. That energy is powerful, especially considering I feel it is hard to get excited about anything at Stanford, where even our hopes are settled into steps as part of our "plan." I really appreciated the time and intentionality to just spend and be there with everyone else. I feel like that is something that is so fleeting, that spending time for communion of any sort is incredibly healing. Even these small moments, so precious, can be acts of resistance. I think this is embodied in the format of the event itself. 

For example, many acts were done in communion. Before anything started, we learned or remembered about the occupation of Alcatraz, and then we walked up to the top together, before listening to the prayers offered. It was a single morning, but the light there was something I hope to find in more moments in my life. 

On The Blood Quantum as Historical Racism and Future Implications

The blood quantum was an unjust and racist extension of settler colonialism, with lasting implications to this day. The institution of the blood quantum is apparent today in tribal governance, but changing landscapes of native autonomy may be changing the traditional narrative of the blood quantum. Only through Native autonomy will it be discovered if settler colonial tools can be repurposed for indigenous rights, or, if they must be done away with altogether. In this essay, I will explore the historical use of the blood quantum, the shifting of this traditionally colonial tool, and through this, make the case for native sovereignty.

Blood has its own connotations depending on cultural context. It can span the bridge of both the metaphysical and physiological. European colonial concepts of blood, rely on their notions of race, and are purely physiological. In turn, in their violent quest to colonize America, they tried to force this notion onto the indigenous people of the continent. There prescription of race was based on the idea that your physical heritage defined you. That you could break down an identity into something quantifiable. This was institutionalized first as a way to strip native people of their independence as tribal nations, and then in the ethnocide via the assimilationist panderings of Pratt and his ilk under his devastating “Indian Boarding Schools.”

Though these institutions are devastating to indigenous populations in the U.S., the current use of the blood quantum is in some ways disrupting this. On the topic of enrollment in a tribe, some tribes choose to institute a blood quantum, while others do not, choosing instead to opt for the use of lineal descent, often tracing back records under the Dawes Act of 1887. Of course, there are several instances in which this choice is restricted by the US government, but still the act of reclaiming the blood quantum, makes it apparent that only through native sovereignty can equitable coexistence between native nations and the US Government begin to take shape.

Two arguments, popular amongst native activist in increasing Tribal Sovereignty for Native Americans is the Case for Reparations, and the Case for Restorations. Reparations suggest that the US Government use its economic power to put money directly into the pockets of indigenous populations, whom it has disenfranchise since before its conception. However, since indigenous identity is often intertwined with land, monetary compensation alone is likely not enough. Instead, a more holistic approach can be found in the case for restoration, which suggests that full tribal sovereignty be given over original tribal lands. This may be idealistic as it would require the dismantling of the U.S., but this is the path to justice.

Final: Chickasaw Original Art-MiMi Tarter

This is a crawfish, which are very important to the Chickasaw tribe. They can't live in polluted waters. I painted and drew this in response to our discussion of urban natives, and what it really means to live in polluted cities as opposed to living with our tribes.

Event #2: Urban Native Era Talk

I found Joey Montoya's story to be really interesting and appreciate that he came to talk to us. I really admire that he is using his platform to advance Native issues and to retell Native stories to a wider audience. The project he is currently working on--to tell the stories of American national parks through the eyes of the tribes that once inhabited those areas--seems particularly incredible to me.

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!!!!