Issue 48 changeagent.nelrc.org March 2019 THE CHANGE Adult Education for Social Justice: News, AGENT Issues, and Ideas Indigenous Peoples Giving and Compassion: 3 Teachings of the Buffalo Hunt: 4 Why Call them “Indians”?: 7 My First Encounter: 8 Since 1492: A History of Atrocities and Struggle: 9 Laughing for the First Time: 10 A Promise to the Creator: 12 I Am Indigenous to Puerto Rico: 13 Acknowledge the Land: 14 Creating a Healthy Yaqui Community: 16 Love Lessons in a Time of Settler Colonialism: 18 Native Women Talk about Sexual Abuse in a Northern Plains Tribe: 19 Separating Children from Families: 20 The Three Sisters: 22 Indigenous Math: 24 Through the Eyes of an Indian Looking In: 26 Standing Rock is Everywhere: 28 UnLearning My Bias: 32 “Cowboys and Indians”: 34 Indigenous Peoples Day: 35 Thanksgiving: How Much is Myth?: 36 The Myth of Discovery: 38 The Seminole Wars: 40 Indigenous Women and Mother Earth: 42 Incan Relay Runners: 44 In Navajo culture, a baby’s first laugh is an important spiritual and emotional moment. The Incas Worshipped Nature: 45 Read more about it in an article by Hannabah Blue on pp. 10-11. Indigenous People in Brazil: 46 Fierce Fighters, Resilient People: My Tribe is Ashanti: 48 ENGAGING, EMPOWERING, AND READY-TO-USE. Ainu People: Indigenous People of Student-generated, relevant content in print & audio at various levels of Japan: 50 complexity—designed to teach basic skills & transform & inspire adult learners. La Guelaguetza: 52 Once You Were Children: 54 A MAGAZINE & WEBSITE: CHANGEAGENT.NELRC.ORG The Change Agent is the bi- A Note from the Editor: annual publication of The New England Literacy Resource What shines through in the stories and essays we share here is the strength Center. Each issue of the paper and resiliency, the teachings, the connection to land and culture, the com- helps teachers incorporate social justice content into their curricu- mitment to reciprocity, and the creative and insistent approaches to main- lum. The paper is designed for taining traditions, despite intense losses and challenges. Stories that pair intermediate-level ESOL, ABE, loss and trauma with survival and healing will resonate with all our read- GED, and adult diploma classes. Each issue focuses on a different ers, no matter what their background. topic that is relevant to learners’ As I developed this issue, I searched for activities, developed ideas for lives. research, and scoured the internet for videos that would support learning. In New England, online access Here’s one that I couldn’t find a place for in the magazine:
Giving and Compassion Our Family’s Heritage Renee Chaco-Aragon
BEFORE YOU READ: Have you received teach- ings from your parents or grandparents that have helped you through hard times? What are they?
My name is Renee Chaco-Aragon, and I am a member of the Navajo (Diné) Nation. I live in Tohajiilee (Drawing Water), New Mexico, which is part of the Navajo Nation. I belong to the Zia People Clan (Tlogi) born for the Red Running into the Water People Clan (Tachiinii). My parents are Eddie and Angie Chaco. They have been married for almost 50 years now. I have learned many teachings from my parents. My family comes from a long line of struggles; however, the teachings of Renee Chaco-Aragon (left) with her parents. my parents and grandparents have sustained us out wanting anything in return. Use your money through our hard times. to help the elders and orphans. You can never give My mom became an orphan when she was more than God gave us. He gave us air, water, fire, very young. Her dad, in a drunken rage, killed her and everything we need to survive, so use what mom and took his He gave us to give to others.” own life. Despite My mom would say, My dad would say, “Be careful what you get this loss, my mom yourself involved in.” He would say, “Not every- “Money will not return had her grandpar- one will watch out for you. You have to watch out and say how much it ents to raise her for yourself.” My dad took care of my mother by with all the love loves you.” taking over where her grandparents left off, trying and care a little his best to give her what she wanted. He took in girl could hope her four children as his own and provided for us for. My dad came from a broken home with no all. Through this, my dad has shown me what true father to guide him. Through God’s love, he pro- compassion and sacrifice is. vided for twelve children, four being stepchildren. I am grateful for these teachings, I try my best Talk about compassion! Through these struggles, to pass these teachings on to my children. As a my mom became a giver and my dad became com- mother of two biological, two adopted, and three passionate but also cautious. step-children, I often resort to these teachings to The teaching my mom passed on to me is: giv- get through life. I look and see my parents get- ing is such a blessing. There are so many hidden ting older. However, what they taught me will be treasures in it. My mom would say, “Money will passed on for generations to come. not return and say how much it loves you. Money
will not return and respect you. And money will Renee Chaco-Aragon is an online student at Grand Canyon Uni- not be around forever. So, use your money to give versity. She is using the Tohajiilee, NM, FACE program and Adult to others, to give life, to lend a helping hand with- Education to help her obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Counseling.
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Teachings of the Buffalo Hunt Tatanka Wanasapi Ta Wounspe A Sacred Time for a Young Man Oitancan Mani Zephier
I am Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota, and so are my children. We are Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota first before we are American. We are the first people of this land. In fact, it is our land. When you have destroyed it and killed it, we will be here to see it replenish itself. Boys, Men, and Warriors Before Europeans came to North America, we practiced our old customs. We raised boys to be good people, having balanced emotions and ener- gies, including that of the man and the woman. The women of our people raised boys until they were about 7 or 8 years old. From their mothers, boys learned compassion, love, and affection. Then the boys went to their dads and uncles where they learned things such as hunting, patience, serving the people, and placing the people first. These teachings are the foundation of being a warrior. This was the dream of all young boys. They wanted to be like their dads and uncles. They wanted to be warriors. It was the warrior’s The ceremony before the buffalo hunt. job to take fear away from the village by protect- ing it. The warrior societies would send out scouts to look for the enemy. Knowing the scouts were watching for the enemy, the people could sleep and live peacefully until the enemy approached. Usually, an elder male would choose a young boy for grooming into a warrior society. The elder male would look for a young boy who showed initiative and put forth effort to learn and achieve more in life. If the boy was lazy and didn’t care about his status in the society, then he would not make a successful warrior. He would easily give On the Trail, Buffalo Hunt, circa 1910. Library of up when things became difficult. No one wanted Congress, Prints & Photographs Division. someone like this in their warrior society.
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The buffalo Buffalo are our hunt was danger- relatives. They are us. ous. The warrior We are them. We have would choose the fastest and longest the same spirits. We winded horse to are the Pte Oyate, the be able to run with Buffalo People. the buffalo. The buffalo could eas- ily take a horse off its feet. It was the men’s duty to give boys knowl- edge on how to avoid being hurt. This is how it was done long ago. Today’s Buffalo Hunt Today, things are a bit different. Today, the buffa- lo are mostly in a large pasture. Sometimes there is enough room for them to run and hide in ravines, and sometimes there is not. Today, we use trucks. The ranch owners are hesitant to let us use horses because of liability. It’s dangerous. We also use rifles. The kill shot is behind the Young men in front of the teepee they have set up for the ear or in the forehead. Heart shots will leave the week of the buffalo hunt. buffalo wounded to run from you for another hour. I have seen a buffalo run wounded for a long buffalo will walk away from the herd as if to give time. Hit it behind the ear or in the forehead, and itself to you. I have seen this several times. When it will drop immediately. the buffalo is killed and falls to the ground, the remaining buffalo in the herd will approach the Lessons from the Hunt wounded relative to say their goodbyes. I have I have been on several hunts with my sons and my seen buffalo try to stand the wounded one back nephews. Each one is different, but in each one, we up. I have also seen them “sandwich” the wound- learn important lessons. ed buffalo and try to keep it standing. They are For example, through the buffalo we can very intelligent and strong animals. learn compassion. The buffalo choose which one When you shoot a buffalo, you should let it of the herd members will die. When it is time, this die naturally. Do not put any more bullets in it.
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It needs time to say its prayers and good- byes. You disrespect it when you put multiple bullets into it after it is down on the ground. We also learn about the gifts that the buffalo offers us. When a young male gets his first kill, he will drink the blood and eat a The author’s son, Wacinksa- piece of the heart. The baya Ounye Zephier, at the blood is medicine. The buffalo hunt. blood tastes salty and thick. It’s really not that bad. When the buffalo graze and eat off the land, they choose the medicines from the land. That medicine becomes a part of them, so their blood becomes medicine. One time during a school hunt, I had the majority of a high school football team drink the blood of the buffalo one day prior to their next game. The next day they won 50 to 0, and the game was over at half time due to the mercy rule. After the hunt: processing the meat and the skin of the I attribute that effort and energy to the medicine buffalo. they drank the day before. This is certainly not all there is to know about the buffalo hunt, but you will learn more Write About It as you endure the hunt. We never use the buffalo as a commodity to profit from. Buffalo are our Share stories about traditions and cer- relatives. They are us. We are them. We have the emonies that you have for your sons and same spirits. We are the Pte Oyate, the Buffalo daughters, or that your elders had for you. People. First write a narrative about the tradi- Oitancan Mani Zephier (Walk- tion. Tell the story of what happened. ing Leader) is from the Lako- ta, Dakota, Nakota, Southern Then write an expository essay about Cheyenne, and Arapaho the role of traditional practices and cer- nations. He is a father of 10, husband, and Operation emonies in society. Why do they matter? Enduring Freedom Army Draw from your own experience and other Combat Medic Veteran. He is sources, including this essay by Oitancan an entrepreneur and aspiring motivational speaker. Find Mani Zephier and others in the magazine him on Instagram at (eg., pp. 10-11 and 12). @OZinspires and Facebook. com/OZinspires.
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Why Call Them “Indians”? Safa Elhanafi
BEFORE YOU READ: Why do you think Native name “America” comes Americans are sometimes called “Indians”? from another explorer who figured out it Before Europeans arrived in North America, there wasn’t the Indies. If were millions of Indigenous people. They lived you call Indigenous in more than 600 tribes, and they had diverse lan- people “Indi- guages and cultures.1 So why did people call them ans” or “Native all “Indians”? This is a sensitive subject that raises Americans,” both political and cultural questions. names come from The whole story started when Christopher outsiders. This is Columbus “discovered” America. He thought he upsetting for some was going to an area people. Columbus We should call Indig- in Asia known as the and Vespucci are “Indies.” When he not just outsiders, they are people who started the enous people by the landed in the Carib- genocide of Indigenous people. Even the U.S. gov- name of their tribe. bean, he insisted he ernment uses the term “American Indian.” This was in the Indies. term puts all the Indigenous people in one group That’s why he named and doesn’t reflect their cultures and traditions. the people he met “Indians.” One of the reasons “naming” matters is that it Another Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, can have the effect of collapsing all these diverse proved that Columbus was wrong. He did not groups into one general group, which means we land in the Indies. That is why the Americas—the lose a lot of their diversity in the process. continents of North and South America—are We should call Indigenous people by the named after Amerigo Vespucci.2 name of their tribe. We should study the Indige- So the name “Indian” comes from one ex- nous traditions and history. They are very diverse, plorer who thought he was in the Indies. And the and they are interesting and valuable for every- one. We could learn a lot from them.
Safa Elhanafi is from Egypt. She is the mother of two kids, and she is an adult education student at ERACE in Branford, CT. Mohammed Elweheshy helped her write this article.
Sources: 1.
AFTER YOU READ: According to the author, why does naming matter? Look at this map of the world. Why did Columbus think he could go west What do you think about it? from Europe and land in the Indies?
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My First Encounter Tyson Flute
BEFORE YOU READ: What is an origin story? What is your origin story?
We, Dakota People, come from the mouth of the Minnesota River. Our origin story begins there. Our sacred pipe is the color red. Here is the story of how the stone became red: When the Earth was new to people, the Dakota people were listening to the bad spirits in four directions. Our Creator flooded the Earth to cleanse the bad spirits from our souls. Our ancestors’ blood stained the pipe- stone red. We, Dakota People, prepare the sacred pipe by placing tobacco in it and praying to the four directions. A hoka wicasa (holy person) sings the Canupa Odowa while packing the pipe. The first time I came across the river at the age of 12, I was driving to a powwow at Prairie Dancer at the Prairie Island Powwow. Photo: Lorie Shaull. Island. I remember the road was red, and I was on my way to bettering myself. At powwows, there pure water. Alas, I was leaving the river, and my is dancing, drumming, and singing. The grass was heart felt I was leaving thousands of relatives that bright green and smelled like fought for me to be here today. it was just mowed yesterday. My eyes focused on the color Tyson Flute is a Dakota from South Dakota. He is a single dad of the water; it was a copper with two great kids, and he participates in the Family And Child color. Education (FACE) program at Enemy Swim Day School in Lake My hands cupped the Traverse Reservation, SD. He was involved in the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. water, and to my surprise, it was clearest water I had ever AFTER YOU READ: What does Flute mean when he seen in my life. My mouth be- says, thousands of relatives “fought for me to be gan to slurp this clear water. here today”? Read the article on p. 9 to learn more My soul was refreshed by the about Native Americans’ struggle to survive.
Anonymous Person Buys Sacred Pipe at Auction for $40,000 and Returns It to the Dakota People Look up the story of this sacred pipe. Who made the pipe? What happened to him? What happened to the pipe? What should happen to sacred objects that belong to Native American people but may be in museums now or in private collections? Read more here:
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Since 1492: A History of Atrocities and Struggle Cynthia Peters
BEFORE YOU READ: What happened in 1492? What does “atrocity” mean? What could help you prepare to read this article? Historians believe that before 1492, there were more than 10 million Indigenous people living north of Mexico. By 1900, most of them had been killed; less than 300,000 Indigenous people were still alive.1 White European invaders killed Indig- enous people in various ways: • They spread diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza. • They had advanced weapons (like guns), and Photo from Day of Mourning in Plymouth, Massachusetts. they used them to attack Native people. • They forced tribes to move away from their • They continue to displace Native people from land and on to reservations. Many Native their lands, and pollute their lands with nucle- people died from starvation or from the cold.2 ar waste and oil pipelines.6 (See pp. 28-31.) • They made it hard for Native people to follow their traditions. For example, they built rail- Despite these atrocities, Native people persist. road tracks through their land, and they killed They are setting up schools to teach Native lan- all the buffalo for sport.3 guages and traditions. They are fighting to protect their lands and water. They are using income from During the 20th century, the U.S. government casinos to support their tribes.7 They are setting continued committing atrocities against Indig- up truth and reconciliation processes (see p. 55), enous people. On reservations, Indigenous people so that there can be some healing from the crimes were extremely poor. They had poor health care committed against them. Today, there are 5 million and education. They had high death rates and Native Americans.8 high infant mortality rates. Apparently, it wasn’t enough that so many Native people died. People AFTER YOU READ: In Indigenous culture, it is representing the U.S. government attacked Native common to show gratitude to the ancestors. By culture, languages, and family connections: reading this article, what have you learned about • They sterilized Native women against their will.4 North American Indigenous people’s ancestors? • They kidnapped children from fami- lies and forced them to live in board- Cynthia Peters is the editor of The Change Agent. ing schools, where they were not Sources: 1.
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Laughing for the First Time How a Navajo Baby Becomes Fully Part of the Human World Hannabah Blue
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine… Recalling my Dad’s favorite song makes me smile and laugh—a Navajo laugh that is sacred. The echo of the vibrations, which bounce off my lungs, swing past my heart, and escape out my throat, awaken the ancestors. They smile that their child is well. They give praise that our practices are alive. Many Native communities value humor. For Navajos, laughter is holy, particularly for our ba- bies. Our babies bloom as beams of precious light. They are our sons and daughters. Our suns. When Navajo babies are born, they have just emerged from the Spirit World. But they are thought to still be split between there and this world, the human world. They are holy beings still, and we circle them with love and care. Navajo babies are not fully in the human world until they have laughed for the first time. Then, they are fully among us, and they are developing their When Navajo babies personalities. are born, they have The person just emerged from the who makes a baby laugh for The author, Hannabah Blue, with her niece, Annalie Spirit World. the first time, (above), and with her niece, Sialey (next page). shares their char- acter with him or her. Their light shines on the baby, and the baby Ceremony is the person who made the baby laugh. absorbs the rays that help him or her to grow. The This person invites family members and friends baby will now have traits that they share with the to the ceremony. He or she, alone, must prepare person who made him or her laugh first. My Dad a meal for all of the guests. During the ceremony, was the first to make me laugh, and I received there are prayers. Also, the person who made the marks of his personality: gregariousness, goofi- baby laugh takes the baby around and gives each ness, a buttoned-up stubborn side, and a love for guest gifts and rock salt. The rock salt symbolizes old school country music. the earth, as well as the developing of the baby’s You make me happy when skies are grey…. personality. A baby’s first laugh is a time of celebration And finally, that person and the baby are and ceremony. The host of the baby’s First Laugh linked for life. The person becomes something of
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a godparent to the baby—helping them develop their personality as they grow. It is a lifetime com- mitment that starts with one laugh—a seemingly simple act with roots that run A baby’s first laugh is deep. a time of celebration There is a and ceremony. joke among Na- vajos, when you meet a baby for the first time. You immediately want to hold and play with the baby. But then you ask the parents, “Has this baby laughed yet?” If they say no, unless you want that responsibility, you say, “Someone else hold this baby!” You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you… Many people want the commitment! I have Traditional Practices four nieces and three nephews. I have tried to and Wellness make most of them laugh. I have labored to try to get just one little laugh. I have given my best for As a public health advocate, I realize that just one giggle. I have sacrificed for just one smile. the First Laugh ritual has another benefit And nothing. I have not been able to make any one to our wellness. Studies have shown that of my nieces or nephews utter their first laugh. positive interactions with a baby can help One time, I played with my niece all day. I them grow and have healthy development. made faces and noises, sang songs, and danced for her. I did this all day with not one hint of a That connection between babies and their smile. As soon as my sister, her mom, came home, parents and family members is a blessing and picked her up, the faintest chortle arose from that can decrease infant mortality and her lips, and she glowed as the ancestors passed limit neglect. By cultivating this practice, through her, pleased. we celebrate Navajo babies’ wellness. They must want me to wait for another time, This is just as the ancestors planned. Their another baby. They have a plan in mind that I radiance shines through, with each spark must trust. lit by tiny bellows of laughter. The smiling, But did I make you laugh? You’re welcome! happy faces of healthy newborns sustain So please don’t take my sunshine away. our culture, our people, and our ancestors. Read about other traditional practices, Hannabah Blue is Diné (Navajo), originally from Kirtland, New including the buffalo hunt on pp. 4-6 and Mexico. She is a consultant with JSI, and lives in Denver, CO, with her partner, Jolene, and their two cats. She enjoys visit- praying to the Creator on p. 12. How might ing her sisters and nieces and nephew on the weekends, and these practices contribute to wellness? going back down to her and her partner’s homelands in New Mexico and Arizona. For her work, Hannabah is committed to What traditions do you have in your life? addressing health and racial justice issues, particularly those affecting Native and Indigenous communities, LGBTQ+ popula- And how do they contribute to wellness? tions, and youth.
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A Promise to the Creator Lauren Abeita
Every morning, my children and I get up at the break of dawn, go outside with our white corn, and pray. We use white corn because it is sacred. It is our way of showing appreciation for everything in life. It is our way of giving thanks. We thank our Creator for all of our blessings in life. We are very fortunate to have one another and everything else. I get emotional every time we pray, because I’m so blessed to have my children in my life. I remember when I was pregnant with my first child, I had a deep intuition that something was wrong. I asked my sister to take me to the hos- pital, and a doctor examined me and told me that I would have to go out of state to see a specialist. They put me in a helicopter right away. I did not have any time to pack anything. The only thing on my mind was my child. I have never gotten to a destination so quick- ly! The specialists said my body was not strong enough to carry my baby. They said that my child of our Creator, he survived. I never gave up on my would only have a child. Today, he is the light of my life. He is a very From birth, he faced 10% chance of sur- healthy, smart, and fun-loving miracle. I made a obstacles. Today, he vival. I felt my whole promise to my Creator when my son was born that world was crashing I would take care of him to the best of my abilities is the light of my life. down on me. I never and raise him to be a great man. He has a dream felt this kind of emo- of being a doctor, and I will be there to help him tional pain before. I was always the strong one in achieve it. my family, but here I was falling apart. I learned how to pray from my mother and The doctor informed me that it would be best grandfather. They taught me to always appreci- for me to abort my pregnancy, since the odds were ate and celebrate life. Everything we do is about not in my favor. I felt that she was pressuring me living in harmony with Mother Earth. My children to make this decision. She did not understand me are the reason I continue to pray and believe in at all. I am Navajo and Navajos frown on abortion. miracles. We go out every morning with our white I remember telling the doctor, “If there is a slim corn and pray. chance of survival for my child, I will take it.” A month later, I had a baby boy. He was born Lauren Abeita is Navajo and Isleta Pueblo. She is currently three months early. From birth, he faced obstacles. enrolled in the adult education program at her children’s school, He had to get surgery to close a heart valve. Bread Springs Day School in Gallup, New Mexico. Her youngest child is enrolled in the FACE (Family and Child Education) And he was dependent on oxygen for about four Program. She plans to go back to get her degree once her months after leaving the hospital. But by the grace youngest child starts kindergarten.
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I Am Indigenous to Puerto Rico Zorayeli Rodriguez
I am Indigenous to Puerto Rico. My ancestors were Taíno. That is the name of the Indigenous people who lived there before Spanish invaders came to the island. Puerto Rico is a beautiful island. We call it La Isla Bonita. The Taíno people called it Borikén. I grew up in a house with two floors. My abuelo and abuela lived on the first floor, and my aunt and I lived on the second floor. Every morning, Abuela had fresh bread with butter and coffee. It smelled so good, and we all sat on the porch together for breakfast. For dinner, Abuela made all types of food. My favorite was Mofongo. Mofongo comes from a West African dish, called Fufu, a mash of boiled yam. Mofongo is mashed plátanos. You can also add chicken, pork, or chicharrón. Delicious! And we would dance! We danced when we were happy or sad. We still do. It has been a tradition for many thousands of years. We get that Zorayeli Rodriguez is a student at ALC-Lehman College, CUNY, tradition from our indigenous Taíno roots. We say, in New York City. She is a mother of three kids: twin girls let’s just dance and sing, whatever our life circum- and one boy. She is a student and a worker. She was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and when she was nine, she moved to stances are. So many things we can’t change. But El Barrio, also known as East Harlem, in New York City. She we should make the best of our lives. currently lives in the Bronx.
Taíno History: “We Are Still Here!” This 18-minute video
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Acknowledge the Land Michelle Hughes
This map shows territo- ries of Indigenous people in North America. Visit
BEFORE YOU READ: What does it mean to ac- was a foreign concept to us. We were never the knowledge something? What are some examples “owners” of the land, so how could we sell it? of acknowledgments you make in your life? Because of wars, false treaties, and disease, Native people were killed or forced to relocate. The Land is Our Mother European settlers developed the land. They altered In Native communities, we live and breathe the the land, the air, and the water. They controlled land all the time. The land is our Mother and is a the land in a way that was different from our cul- gift, just like life is a gift. At all of our gatherings— tural practices. When you acknowledge the land, our powwows, our spiritual events, our meetings make sure to include the fact that, as we lost our —we show gratitude for the land, air, and water. land, we lost our people and our culture. When We see ourselves as being in relationship with the non-Native people acknowledge the land, they are land. We are part of it. We protect it. acknowledging all this suffering that tribal citizens have gone through since colonizers came. Acknowledging the Loss of Our Land Honorable and Maybe Also Hurtful Recently, non-Native people have started opening their events or meetings by acknowledging that If you are non-Native, you should be aware that it they are on land that was stolen from Indigenous is a very emotional thing to acknowledge the land. people. For thou- For Native people, it’s a double-edged sword to The land was stolen sands of years before witness your land acknowledgment. On the one European settlers hand, you are honoring Native people and seeing from Native people. came, Indigenous the struggles we have been through. On the other people took care of hand, you are talking about the loss of our land, this land. We lived in right relationship with the and we have limited tools to get our land back. land. But the land was stolen from Native people. You are talking about something that we are still We were forced to sign treaties, so those treaties struggling with. Be sensitive to how you are awak- are illegitimate. Also, the idea of “selling” land ening an important predicament.
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If you are planning to do a land acknowledg- ment, you might think you are doing something Land Acknowledgment honorable, but it might be hurtful. If there are by Michelle Hughes Native people at your meeting, you should ask permission to do the land acknowledgment. Also, As a Mashpee Wampa- you should let Native members of the community noag woman, I ac- know that you’re doing this. knowledge that we are Awareness Is Not Enough on a great land, the land of our ancestors. If you are non-Native and you are thinking about Our ancestors taught doing land acknowledgments, that means you are us to show gratitude increasing your awareness of Native issues. But awareness by itself has never done us any good. for the land. However, There’s always an opportunity to do more. Take we have lost so much responsibility. Reflect on the historical abandon- of it. The Wampanoag people used to have ment of Native people and see what you can do 69 tribes in Massachusetts and Rhode about it today. Acknowledgments should be more Island. Now there are only three surviving than words. We are one people with one Mother Wampanoag tribes, and we have less than Earth. 1% of our original territory. In addition to Native people have a saying, “Our existence losing our land, we have been hurt as a is our resistance.” As limited as a Land Acknowl- people. The trauma from so much dam- edgment might be, it can remind everyone of our age travels through the generations. existence. It can be a rightful and respectful act. Colonizing now happens in the form of Michelle Hughes is a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag. State and Federal agencies that still AFTER YOU READ: control our land. Indigenous people still 1. Explain in your own words what it means to have to fight for our existence on Mother acknowledge the land. Earth. Recently our tribe, the Mashpee Wampanoag, have had to fight back as 2. If you are not Native American, what should you be aware of and what should you do before the U.S. government tries to take away our you Acknowledge the Land? right to sovereignty on our reservation. We seek land for clean water, food, wood, and 3. Visit
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Creating a Healthy Yaqui Community Sarah Janelle Phillips Drug and Alcohol Addiction members can ap- preciate. They hold Throughout my life on the Pascua Yaqui reser- groups each day vation in Tucson, Arizona, I’ve witnessed many and extend services hardships. One problem is that many people in all areas you struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Ac- might need if you cording to the National Institutes of Health, Native are dealing with a American youth have the highest rates of alcohol mental health diag- use disorders compared to other races. For illegal nosis. drug use, the National Survey on Drug Use and The people Health shows that in 2013, 12.3 percent of Native here really care. Americans used drugs, the highest of all races in If they don’t hear the United States. from you, they’ll A Program that Cares call you and even show up at your I go to the New Beginnings Clinic, a medication house to make sure assisted treatment (MAT) clinic located on the you’re doing well. Pascua Yaqui reservation. I receive treatment for They make sure to a drug problem. The program is fully staffed with get the family involved because family is really doctors specifically trained in addiction and men- important in Yaqui culture. tal health. They approach each situation in a way Native Traditions at the Center Also, the program values Native traditions. For example, you are allowed to be excused if you have to go to a ceremony. The program brings in speakers from the Yaqui community to teach about natural and traditional healing methods. Native healers from Mexico do one-on-one ses- sions. The program provides sweat lodges, which involve a traditional Native American purification ceremony. Many clients, myself included, like the holistic approach to addiction treatment. I notice that many people who go to New Beginnings are over the age of 35. It strikes me that if we, as a tribe, could have done something for these people at a younger age, then maybe they wouldn’t be where they are today. However, one thing I know about our people and culture is that The Pascua Yaqui tribe of the United States is descended there is nothing we cannot overcome together. from the Yaqui people of Mexico. Our tribe is extremely committed to provid-
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ing assistance to us when we need it. Tribal pro- grams provide ongoing support for us to reach our A Problem in our Community goals, and for many of us, that includes sobriety. We have programs that are culturally sensitive, Alicia Ellingson and that alone provides a lot of comfort. We have a Men’s Path program, which is an all-male re- covery home. We are also developing a Women’s Path program for women and mothers who need support obtaining One thing I know and maintaining sobriety. about our people and Outside of the culture is that there reservation, we do is nothing we cannot not get that same treatment, as non- overcome together. Natives may not understand why we think or act a certain way. The healing practic- es put a strong emphasis on Pascua Yaqui culture. I can say with utmost pride that I am proud and honored to be a part of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. We stand with dignity and compassion. The care and the concern we have for our community is never ending. I constantly hear of new programs and Alicia Ellingson is from Old Agency, one services focused on us growing together. We like to say, “I heal, we heal, the community heals.” For of the communities in the Lake Traverse me, every day is a great day to be Indigenous. Reservation (pictured above) in South Dakota. She created this image of her Sources:
Getting Well According to the author, what works well about the treatment program that she attends? Infer what the author means when she says, “If we, as a tribe, could have done something for these people at a younger age, then maybe they wouldn’t be here today.” In your experience, what works well for people who are trying to recover from addiction?
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Love Lessons in a Time of Settler Colonialism Tanaya Winder
I am not murdered, and I am not missing, but parts of me have been disappeared. — Leanne Simpson
They too know all too well that some cracks were built just for us to fall through. We live in a world that tries to steal spirits each day; they steal ours by taking us away.
From Industrial Schools to forced assimilation, genocide means removal of those who birth nations — our living threatens. Colonization has been choking us for generations. I tell my girls they are vessels of spirit, air to lungs expanding; this world cannot breathe without us. There are days I wish
I didn’t have to teach these lessons, but as an Indigenous womxn silence is deadening. There is danger in being seen, our bodies are targets marked for violence. We carry the Earth’s me too inside us, a howling wind, our mothers & their mothers swallowed these bullets long ago.
The voices ricochet I wish I were invisible I wish I were invisible I wish echoes in my ear- drums — we know what it’s like to live in fear. Colonialism’s bullet sits cocked, waiting behind a finger on trigger. We breathe and speak and sing for survival. We carve out in lines; we write — I know joy I know pain I know love
I know love I know — lessons we’ve carried throughout time. Should I go missing: don’t stop searching; drag every river until it turns red and the waters of our names stretch a flood so wide it catches everything. And we find each other whole and sacred, alive and breathing and breathing and breathing.
Tanaya Winder is a poet, writer, artist, and educator who was raised on the Southern Ute reservation in Ignacio, CO. An enrolled member of the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, her background includes Southern Ute, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Diné, and Black heritages. Tanaya travels Turtle Island teaching and speaking about the importance of “heartwork” and using your gifts to serve your passions and create your own definition of success.
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Native Women Talk about Sexual Abuse in a Northern Plains Tribe Anonymous
My two close friends and I are sitting at classroom “He touched me down there.” tables with an assortment of coffee drinks. We are “I know what happened to her when she was discussing a coming-of-age experience that most younger.” young women experience: losing our virginity. “I don’t leave my kids It’s just us three in the room. Our lighted-hearted alone with so-and-so.” This abuse has giggles turn sour when I say, “Well, I choose to “I don’t trust people become a silent count the time I became a woman as the first time I around here with my kids.” killer in our We are Native Ameri- chose to have sex.” My two friends look at me and community. nod their heads. There is an unspoken agreement can women. Our coming- between us. All of us had our virginity, our inno- of-age story should not be cence, stolen away by a about the abuse we expe- We thought it was male perpetrator. rienced in our homes. This abuse has become a We do not need to silent killer in our community. Our shared experi- just a game we hear each story. We do ence bonds us closer together. We should not be played like hide- not need to know the ex- silent any longer. and-go-seek. act abuse that happened. We know without hearing Anonymous is an adult education student in the Northern Plains. She prefers not to identify herself or her tribe. the words. It happened to each of us before we even understood what sex AFTER YOU READ: Using the context, define “eu- was. We thought it was just a game we played like phemism.” Read about Tillie Black Bear below and hide-and-go-seek. It’s a story I have heard from so access more resources by visiting Mending the Sa- many women, but we tell it in euphemisms: cred Hoop
Indigenous Women Organize against Violence and Abuse Tillie Black Bear (Sicangu Lakota) helped organize a national move- ment against violence against women. She worked to change laws and policies to protect women from domestic and sexual violence. She also used tribal traditions and stories to address violence in Na- tive communities, and she founded the National Indigenous Wom- en’s Resource Center
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Separating Children from Families Cynthia Peters
BEFORE YOU READ: Share what you know about what happens when children are separated from their families. 1a When immigrants cross the border into the U.S. from Mexico, they are looking for a safe place to live. How- ever, the U.S. government often separates children from their parents. Often the parents do not know where the children are. In 2018, two children died in detention. Native people remember when the U.S. govern- ment took their children away. From the 1860s to the 1960s, the U.S. government forced Native children to Immigrant child in custody in Texas. Photo by Eddie Perez. go to boarding schools far away from their homes. Sometimes the children did not see their parents for many years. At the boarding schools, teachers did not allow children to speak their Native language. They could not wear Native clothes or practice Native customs. The leader of one school said his goal was to “kill the Indian and save the man.” When the children finally came home from boarding school, life was hard. They could not speak the same language as 2a their parents and grandparents. They forgot how to do Native dances and prayers. Now, Native people are fighting to reclaim their language and their cul- ture. Many people are also asking the U.S. government to stop taking chil- dren away from their parents at the border. They don’t want these families to be hurt. Three Lakota boys before and after they were admitted to Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, which was thousands of miles away from their families. Cynthia Peters is the editor of The Change Agent.
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Protest 1b Family Separation In this picture, people protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce- ment’s (ICE) policy of separating children and families at the U.S.-Mexico border, June 2018. Photo from
Reclaim 2b Tribal Heritage Claudia and Manny Iron Hawk are a father-daughter team who are working to save the Lakota language. Listen to their story here:
Look at the pair of photos: 1a and 1b. Read the captions. What What is happening in each photo? Tell a story that connects the photos. Do You Now do the same process for photos 2a and 2b. Think? Read the poem on p. 54, especially the refrain, “Once you were children, Then you were victims...” Connect the poem with 2a & b.
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The Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash The Old Farmer’s Almanac
BEFORE YOU READ: 1. Share what you know about gardening. For ex- ample, what plants go best together in the garden. And why do they go well together? 2. What natural fertilizers do you use? Do you re- member your parents using them? 3. Read the title of this article and look at the im- ages. What do you think this article will be about?
Corn, beans, and squash are called the “three sis- ters.” Native Americans always inter-planted this trio because they thrive together, much like three inseparable sisters. By the time European settlers arrived in America in the early 1600s, the Iroquois had been growing the “three sisters” for over three centuries. The vegetable trio sustained the Na- tive Americans both physically and spiritually. In legend, the plants were a gift from the gods, always to be grown together, eaten together, and celebrated together. Each of the sisters contributes something to the planting. Together, the sisters provide a bal- anced diet from a single planting. Image from
Try Growing the Three Sisters In the spring, prepare the soil by adding fish scraps or wood ash to increase fertility. Make a mound of soil about 1 foot high and 4 feet wide. When the danger of frost has passed, plant the corn in the mound. Sow six kernels of corn 1 inch deep and about 10 inches apart in a circle that is 2 feet in diameter. When the corn is about 5 inches tall, plant 4 bean seeds, evenly spaced, around each stalk. A week later, plant 6 squash seeds, evenly spaced, around the mound.
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As older sisters often do, the corn offers the beans needed support. The Fourth Sister The beans, the giving sister, pull nitrogen from the air and bring it to the soil for the benefit of all three. As the beans grow through the tangle of squash vines and wind their way up the corn- stalks into the sunlight, they hold the sisters close together. The large leaves of the sprawling squash protect the threesome by creating living mulch that shades the soil, keeping it cool and moist and preventing weeds. The prickly squash leaves also keep away raccoons, which don’t like to step on them. But wait. How did these three sisters find Together, the three sisters provide both each other? Who noticed the ways that sustainable soil fertility as well as a heathly diet. the “Three Sisters” help each other grow? Perfection! Robin Wall Kimmerer, who is a scientist, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been published since 1792. Their writer, and member of the Potawatomi “main endeavour is to be useful, but with a pleasant degree of Nation, says there is a fourth sister. This humor.” This article is reprinted with permission from The Old Farmer’s Almanac
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Indigenous Math Judy Dow
BEFORE YOU READ: Learn or share what you al- ready know about these words: archaic, winnow- ing basket, makuk, braiding. Many Ways to Measure I’ve been making baskets for over 50 years. Every time I teach a basket class, students ask why I nev- er measure anything. However, I do measure. It’s just that they don’t notice. My thumb, knuckles, fingers, hands, and arm span are always measur- ing something. I’m often confused as to why they do not see it. Perhaps they are expecting a ruler, yardstick, or tape measure, and they think my method of measuring is archaic. But it works for me and most Indigenous basket makers. When harvesting birch bark, for instance, I want the piece of bark I harvest to be big enough to hold a traditional one-piece container pattern, maybe even something large enough to make a Judy Dow with some of her baskets. winnowing basket or large makuk. To do this, I wrap my arms around the tree. If my fingers don’t Symmetry and Patterns touch, I know I can get a piece big enough for the I look at symmetry to make sure my pattern tells winnowing basket or makuk pattern to fit nicely. just the right story of finding balance in life. Even This is a form of traditional measuring and has and odd tells yet another story by forming col- been used forever. You don’t need a ruler or a umns in a twined basket. In a plaited basket, over- yard stick. What you need is something to mea- two/under-two forms a step-up pattern, which sure with. In this case, it’s my arms. then brings diagonals into the bigger picture. Tra- When I make ditional mathematics can be found all throughout the holes in this bas- Indigenous art and games. Just look at pottery, ket to sew on a rim, beading, and weavings. Intricate patterns can I use the width of show the extent of mathematical functions such as my thumb to mea- addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. sure equal distance Using shapes shows an understanding of quadri- between each hole. laterals, circles, and other shapes. This way, I have Beaded strands in necklaces, bracelets, and a constant width belts tell the story of patterns on the land, events between stitches in history, and treaties. Many of our traditional and a pattern can stories speak of patterns in nature that show up be formed with the in baskets and beaded pieces. Beaded designs not A basket made from ash and sweetgrass. stitches. only represent geometric patterns on the land,
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symmetry, transformations, and other concepts, the colors also reflect local environments. For instance, many yellows, greens, oranges, and reds show up in eastern beaded designs—representing the fall colors found in leaves. Pinks, blues, and purples often appear in bead work from the plains as symbols of the beautiful sunsets they witness. Braiding Knowledges Together Mathematics is a huge part of Indigenous life. The first thing teachers need to understand is that it exists in the Indigenous world, and it is steeped in our culture. The second thing teachers need to learn is that they should start at the point of inter- section between western and Indigenous ways of From a project Judy Dow did with school children: a basket modeled on the layers of the ocean. learning. At the point of intersection, the teacher should braid the two ways of learning mathemat- golden thread, and plants to be harvested for bas- ics together, always being consistent to include ket making, along with food plants like staghorn both forms of knowing. sumac, berries, and butternuts. All the while, we Explore the Outdoors, Make Art were working on key concepts, such as, over, un- der, on top of, what comes next, in a row, first, last, Going outside is a great way to explore geometry. and so much more. The maps were simple draw- When my children were young, we would spend ings at first but then became more complex. We hours on the beach sorting rocks by different attri- burned the maps into leather, and we cut plants butes—first by color, then by size, then by shape. out of felt and sewed them onto the trail map in We would take hours looking for different rocks to order and for each season. fill all the attributes we could think of. We would Today, I teach math to children who are learn- look for every perfect shape we could find—tri- ing English as a second language. I also want my angles, circles, hearts, squares, and rectangles. students to develop the necessary language that They were all there; we just had to look. When we allows them to take Algebra and Geometry as they got home, we took the rock shapes and used them prepare for high school and college. In the process, to create art projects. These beautiful rocks gave us I’m helping students to understand that my ances- many hours of learning. tors were not simplistic crafts people from the past My children and I would also take long walks but true scientists, mathematicians, and historians. through the forest looking for fallen trees that formed perfect triangles, pairs of plants and trees, Judy Dow is a nationally known activist, basket weaver, and and circles and ovals from the birds that chipped teacher of traditional Abenaki culture and native practices. She holes in the trees and the animal holes along the teaches ethnobotany from kindergarten to college level. She has trail. Our daily walks became a lesson to identify been widely recognized as an expert on Indian education and an influential guardian of Abenaki history and culture. She has lived plants, and then we worked on one-to-one cor- all her life on Abenaki land in Vermont. respondence as we learned to count the plants in both English and French. As the kids got older, AFTER YOU READ: According to the author, what we created maps showing what part of the forest are Indigenous ways of learning compared to contained medicinal plants like elderberries and western ways of learning?
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Through the Eyes of an Indian Looking In Barbara Little Whiteman
BEFORE YOU READ: 1. Consider the following vocabulary words and phrases: corruption, nepotism, “in-crowd,” and “goes out the window.” 2. Share what you know or have experienced regarding corrupt politicians. What can we do to fight corruption in government? Introduction Growing up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, I can say that our lives are as hard as any of the poorest communities in America. My name is Barbara Little Whiteman, and I am a strong Lakota woman. I am Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota Sioux. As a young girl, I enjoyed the teachings of “the old ways” passed down by my grandmother. She taught me the traditional danc- es. She guided me into womanhood. I especially loved the stories of how our tribes lived before we were forced to be “civilized.” There is not much difference between Hunkpapa and Oglala, just the dialect. We have similar prayers and teachings. But today we are at risk of losing our traditions be- cause the politicians who govern how we use our Illustration by Dwayne Wilcox, Oglala Lakota. Reprinted resources are not protecting our Native ways. with permission from
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(Seven Campfires) involved. Our people would gather dur- were once a proud, ing the summer. strong, and indepen- The chiefs of each dent people. Here in tribe would meet our community we until they agreed have a few men and about what would women who are step- benefit the tribes ping into the role of as a whole. For ex- “elder” and working ample, they would towards making a decide when to change. More young conduct one large people are participat- buffalo hunt, which ing in our traditions. would provide food With more community Red Cloud, Chief of the Oglala for all seven tribes. involvement, we can Sioux from 1869-1909. No one was ever fight the corruption in our political system, and we left out. There was plenty for everyone. can make our society better. Another sacred tradition was the Sundance. We used it to offer sacrifices of body, mind, and Barbara Little Whiteman grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Res- soul. Only men participated in the Sundance. They ervation in South Dakota. She is 32 years old with one daughter danced until they literally fell down. Then the and one on the way. She has been happily married for six years. She is in the Adult Education program at American Horse School women would come and bring juice from berries in Allen, South Dakota, and is currently getting her GED at the and buffalo meat for every man that was danc- Oglala Lakota College. ing. According to our tradition, there was a spirit on the other side, dancing along with him. The Sundance gave us a sacred way to maintain the Take It Further connection between the living and the dead. Prayer was a central part of every day. We Describe what is going on in the illus- prayed and gave thanks for the buffalo, whose tration on the previous page. (Note: OST meat gave us food and whose skin gave us cloth- stands for Oglala Sioux Tribe.) ing. We prayed to Mother Earth for the plant life, which offered food and medicine, and for trees, According to the author, what is a key which gave wood so we could build our homes. way to fight corruption in the political sys- The sweat is how we prayed daily and gave body tem? And what “old ways” are examples sacrifice, soTunkasila* could hear what the soul of this? speaks. Through these traditions, the Oceti Sakowin grew stronger. Make a connection to your life. How would increased community involvement Bringing Back Traditions make a difference in your life? I grew up in a home where we spoke Lakota. We prayed, and we learned the teachings of Sundanc- Look up Chief Red Cloud. Share his es and sweats. Back then, everyone wanted to be story and some of his quotes. What do you learn about U.S. history from the perspec- * Tunkasila (also known as Wakan Tanka) is the Creator tive of Chief Red Cloud? or the Great Spirit or the Great Mystery Spirit.
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Standing Rock Is Everywhere A call for continued efforts to protect our water and our Earth Chief Arvol Looking Horse
Note from the editor: The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is a 1200-mile pipline that transports oil across four states. It runs close to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on land that the Sioux nation says was tak- en from them illegally by the U.S. government in 1868. The Standing Rock Sioux claim that construction of the pipeline will destroy some of their sacred sites and could pollute their only water source, the Missouri River. In 2016, thousands of people went to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation to protest the pipeline (#NoDAPL). They lived in camps and participated in direct action against construction of the pipeline. In early 2017, President Trump signed an executive order allowing the pipeline to be built. Today, the pipeline transports 470,000 gallons of crude oil per day. The Standing Rock Sioux continue to fight for protection from the dangers associated with oil leaks. The following is an excerpt of Chief Arvol Wilfred Looking Horse, Lakota Sioux. an article that was published in
Water is Life first medicine—would be affected if we did not stop this oncoming disaster. [...] Water of Life [is] a [...] Our collective water has been assaulted for living spirit: it can heal when you pray with it and many generations to the possible point of no re- die if you do not respect it. We wanted the world turn. Our Elders foretold of a Black Snake and to know there have been warnings in our prophe- how the Water of Life—Mni Woc’oni, which is our cies and, as we see it, those warnings are now tak- ing place. It was said water would be like gold. It was said that our spirit of water would begin to leave us. We are at the crossroads. Taking Action Against the Pipeline In April 2016, after receiving concerns about the construction of an oil pipeline, I was invited to Sa- cred Stone Camp at the northeastern border of the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota to as- sist with a water ceremony. At that time, not many were there, but it was enough to create a prayer to wake up the people.
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Later that month, our Indigenous youth set peacefully, purposefully, and tirelessly for the out on foot to run from the Standing Rock Reser- protection of water along all areas of poisonous oil vation to Washington, DC, in an attempt to bring pipelines and across all of Mother Earth. attention to the poisonous bitumen oil pipeline Water is a source of life, not a resource. coming through our treaty territory. For our In our tradition, we pray for everything we young people, it was important to explain to U.S. eat and drink so our minds can be good. When the government leaders that this was unacceptable. environment that we live in is sick and suffering, [On December 4, 2016, we created a circle of so too are the minds and decisions of our leaders. prayer.] Our traditional Elders asked all nations to We must continue to work together for the join us and stand in prayer. Thousands, including health and well-being of our water and our Earth. many religious representatives, joined in prayer In a Sacred Hoop of Life, there is no ending on that very cold day. and no beginning. Hec’ed Onipikte (that we shall live). Continue to Work Together Chief Arvol Wilfred Looking Horse, Lakota Sioux, is the 19th What happened at Standing Rock has awakened Generation Keeper of the Sacred Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle. This many of my own people and people across the article is reprinted according to:
Rally in San Francisco: Stand with Standing Rock, November 2016. This photo and the photo on the previous page (lower) are by Pax Ahimsa Gethen from
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One Way to Make Change: Being a Good Direct Action! Ancestor
During the protests against the Dakota When Chief Looking Horse says, “Stand- Access Pipeline, many people “stood with” ing Rock is Everywhere” (pp. 28-29), he Standing Rock. What do you think this means that Indigenous people are strug- means? Look at the photo below and the gling to protect the water all over the U.S. photos on the previous pages. Write a defi- and the world. nition of non-violent direct action. Energy Transfer Partners, the company Have you ever participated in direct action, that owns the Dakota Access Pipeline is such as a strike, a boycott, or a protest? If building an extension of it in Louisiana— so, tell the story of what happened. the Bayou Bridge Pipeline. This pipeline is 160 miles long. It passes through Indig- What are other examples of direct action enous territory and 700 bodies of water. that you have heard of? Describe them. Cheryl Foytlin from the No Bayou Bridge What happened as a result of the direct Pipeline
The #NoDAPL water protectors took non-violent What do you see in this sign? Does the sign-maker direct action to try to stop the pipeline. In this photo, effectively communicate his or her message? Why or Happy American Horse from the Sicangu Nation, why not? Discuss Foytlin’s point that she wants to be locked himself to construction equipment. Photo from a good ancestor. What does that mean in this context?
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World Water Day Is March 22, 2019 A Message from Chief Arvol Looking Horse
“We as caretakers of Turtle Island have al- ways understood Great Spirit has blessed us with the water of life, Mni Wic’oni. We always knew it is the lifeline to main- tain health and well- being. For a few decades “Turtle Island” is the In- now, we have been told digenous name for North through our ceremonies America. Illustration by Mark Wagner. that man has gone too far, disrupting many cy- cles of life. Through our passed down knowledge that still carry traditions of respect for the world in order to maintain balance and harmony, we still carry our ways to honor the four seasons upon Mother Earth. On March 21st, many People will welcome the Thunders in ceremonies throughout Turtle Island. We also acknowledge another honoring Chief Arvol Looking Horse is the 19th Generation Keeper of the for water around Mother Earth to unite and offer Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe for the Great Sioux Nation. He speaks from the heart with a deep responsibility to the ancestors prayers on March 22nd, known as World Water and love for the future generations. This message is reprinted Day. from:
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UnLearning My Bias A Teacher Learns from Her Students Courtney Nilson
BEFORE YOU READ: What is bias? How would you define it? Share a time you felt a bias. Have you overcome your bias? If so, how? A Bias Begins I am not Native American, but I grew up close to a reservation in North Dakota. My high school was in the same league as the tribal school. We did not like playing Four Winds High School because we were always told, “Indians are good, fast ball players, but they are also scrappy and mean, and they cheat. Your tires will be slashed if you beat them.” Later, when I went to college, I had a room- mate who also grew up near a reservation. She The author, Courtney Nilson (right), with her students. She is a told me she had to leave for her hometown by a teacher at the FACE Enemy Swim Day School in Waubay, SD. certain time, because it was too dangerous to drive She grew up on a farm in northeastern North Dakota, an hour and a half east of the Spirit Lake Reservation. She went to through the “rez” at dark. “And no matter what,” college at North Dakota State University and has been working she added, “I never stop there for anything.” We at Enemy Swim Day School for a year and a half. non-Native Americans families in rural America by working in a job that [She said] it was too dan- were told all provided services—like childcare or other kinds of gerous to drive throught sorts of things, assistance. I was a new, naive graduate, and I had the “rez” at night. and we be- grand ideas about what I could do. lieved them without ever Bias Turns Upside Down getting the perspective of someone from the reser- After all my fears about living on or near a res- vation who knew what it was really like. This pat- ervation, I moved to be closer to my boyfriend, tern created a bias in me. and it brought me right next to the Lake Traverse Later, when I was in college, I applied for a Reservation where I got hired to teach adult edu- summer job. I could choose an urban or rural loca- cation. One year later, I am still teaching, and my tion, or a reservation. I remember the interviewer bias has turned upside down and rolled straight asking me where I would prefer to go, and I said, out the door! “Probably rural or a city. I grew up by a ‘rez,’ and In the class- Punctuation Tip: I do not think I should go there.” My bias—still room, I got to know Study in detail how the totally unfounded—was fully evident. my students, and I author uses double and Fast forward through my college years, and grew to love them. single quotation marks. I fell in love with family sciences and human de- They are mostly velopment. My goal was that I just wanted to help from the Oceti Describe what you see.
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Sakowin nation (also known as the Great Sioux Na- tion). I began to respect their culture, which is so Examine Your alive in this part of North and South Dakota. My students accepted me. I wasn’t just another white Unconscious Bias person to them, and they weren’t just “Indians” to me. We were a family. Most days, I am the student as I learn about Dakota culture. For example, the Dakota people feel a strong pull to protect and care for each one of their mitakuyapi (family/rela- tives). And I am learning some of their words, such as koda (friend.) Ironically, this is the same world that I was scared of when I was young. And now here I am, embedded in this world, and learning so much from the people and the culture. Funny how that works. Beyond Bias What is hard now is explaining my perspective to my friends and family who haven’t spent time Try this activity: “The Trusted 10.” with the people on the “rez.” Notice I say people be- Teachers, you can find the activity here: cause that is what a reservation consists of! It’s not
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“Cowboys and Indians” Sterlin Reaves
BEFORE YOU READ: What do know about “Cow- boys and Indians” from popular culture? Can you trust what you learn from Hollywood movies? Why or why not?
When I was a kid, I watched many television shows and movies that depicted (mostly white) cowboys fighting “Indians.” I was young, so I wasn’t aware that these stories and images were shaping my perceptions about Indigenous people. I’d watch sporting events and see the Washington “Redskins” play football and the Cleveland “In- dians” play baseball. These names and Everything I thought the images that went I knew about Indig- with them normal- enous people came ized stereotypes of “Wild West Cowboys and Indians” plastic toys. How Native Americans. could toys like this reinforce stereotypes? from Hollywood Unfortunately, ev- movies or major erything I thought I natural resources. To own and control the natural league sports. knew about Indig- resources, the colonizers lied to the Indigenous enous people came people, tricked them, and murdered them. from Hollywood This history is sad enough. But it is even more movies or major league sports. I believed Indig- sad that our culture and our education system still enous people were “Indian givers.” I believed they don’t tell the truth about it. If you’re not deter- were savages who scalped their victims for fun. mined to find out the truth, you’ll be left learning In school, nothing I learned contradicted what your history from a “popular” culture that at best I saw on television. Then one day, I saw a docu- is inaccurate and at worst keeps telling lies and mentary about Geronimo, an insults about Native people. Apache leader and medicine Having accurate information and unbiased man. Learning about him start- perspectives matters because you can’t be sympa- ed the process of changing my thetic and understanding of other people’s situa- views. As I read more history tions when your beliefs about them are prejudiced. and watched less TV, I realized As a person of African descent who was born and that the true stories of Native raised in the U.S., I know what it feels like when Americans are much more people have biased views about me based on inac- See pp. 8-9 of the painful to hear. Indigenous curate information. “Talking About people treated the land as if Race” issue for more they were one with it. Europe- Sterlin Reaves is from Philadelphia. He takes correspondence on the use of racist an colonizers invaded the land courses in prison. He can be reached at DX-5999, 1189 Fryock sports mascots. and saw how it was rich with Rd., Indiana, PA 15701.
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Indigenous Peoples Day Katie Moody
I learned about Christopher Columbus in middle voices. We cannot school. I don’t remember exactly what I learned, heal from the past but I know that it was all positive. He was an Ital- without listen- ian explorer. The Spanish kingdom hired him to ing deeply to the sail to India and return with riches. Instead, he pain and suffer- landed in the Caribbean, which became known as ing endured by so the “New World.” That’s it! My teachers did not many. mention how Columbus brought genocide to the For decades, many Indigenous people have Native Americans who lived here before he “dis- been calling for an end to Columbus Day. They covered” it. say that instead we should have a holiday cele- It wasn’t just the history books that gave me brating Indigenous people. Re-naming the holiday a warped idea of Christopher Columbus. In the would be a first step toward changing how we United States, we have a federal holiday to cele- tell U.S. history. The first city to make the change brate him. In 1934, the U.S. Congress made the sec- was Berkeley, California. They started celebrating ond Monday of October a national holiday. This Indigenous Peoples Day in 1992—on the 500th just reinforced my anniversary of Columbus invading the Americas. limited understand- Since then, more than 100 cities and states have of- I wonder how my ing of Columbus; in ficially changed the second Monday of October to school years would his honor, I got a day Indigenous Peoples Day. have been different out of school! I wonder how my school years would have if we had Indigenous Over time, I been different if we had Indigenous Peoples Day slowly began to ques- instead of Columbus Day. Maybe I would have Peoples Day instead tion the real impact learned more about the survival, resilience, di- of Columbus Day. of Columbus’s arrival versity, and strength of Indigenous peoples in in the Americas. For the Americas. Hopefully, this shift to recognize example, I remember Indigenous peoples will continue to spread, and in 1976, a traveling history museum came to my future school kids will learn a more balanced and town. My class went to visit it. I remember walk- accurate history than I did! ing out of that museum and wondering why none of the exhibits mentioned the people and cultures Katie Moody is an interfaith minister and hospice chaplain living that thrived here before the U.S. was established. on the seacoast of New Hampshire. She served on the editorial Later, I learned that the Indigenous people of board of this issue. the northeast were protesting in Plymouth, Massa- AFTER YOU READ: chusetts, on Thanksgiving Day. They were telling 1. Find out whether your state or city officially cel- a very different story about Thanksgiving than ebrates Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day. the one I learned as a child. This new perspective Read more articles in this issue and consider writ- piqued my interest. I started making an effort to ing a letter to your city or state government and read books—both fiction and non-fiction—written say how you feel about the holiday. by Indigenous people. I got involved in efforts to 2. How did Katie Moody and Sterlin Reaves (p. 34) promote and share Indigenous perspectives and educate themselves about Indigenous peoples?
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Thanksgiving: How Much is Myth? Andy Nash
Every year on Thanksgiving, we celebrate the idea that English settlers and Native Americans sat down to enjoy a feast together. We give thanks that they supported each other. In schools, chil- dren dress up as “Pilgrims” and “Indians” and act out this story of friendship between the two peo- ples. But, in fact, this history is mostly myth. Here are some common myths about Thanksgiving:
Myth #1: The colonists who came on the May- flower were Pilgrims seeking freedom of religion. A “pilgrim” is a person who takes a long journey to a place for religious reasons. The Protestants National Day of Mourning, hosted by the United Ameri- who came to North America on the Mayflower can Indians of New England, is held in Plymouth, Mass., did take such a journey to break away from the every Thanksgiving. In this picture, people gather “In the Church of England. But they went to Holland, spirit of Metacom,” who was also known as King Philip. where they were free to practice their religion Research Metacom and the King Philip’s War to learn without persecution. They worried, though, that more. Image on the right: A statue of Chief Massasoit. Holland’s secular life was too tempting for their children.1 So they set out to establish a “Holy the land. They were a large and powerful nation, Kingdom” in the “New World” and, like earlier organized into 69 villages, but now they were settlers, to make money. Like other colonists, they weakened from disease.5 believed that they had the right to claim the land Arriving in winter, the Mayflower colonists of the “heathens” who already lived there.2 needed food. They scouted the land, and found hidden stores of corn, which they stole. They also Myth #2: The Wampanoag Indians welcomed stole items from Native burial sites.6 the Mayflower settlers. Within a few days of their arrival, the head “By the time the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth, Wampanoag sachem (chief), Massasoit, appeared Massachusetts, in December 1620, Europeans had at the Plymouth colony. He was concerned about been founding colonies on the North American the shifting balance of power among Native tribes 3 continent for well over a century.” During that because of the plague, and wanted to form an al- time, exposure to European diseases had led to liance with the colonists. They negotiated a for- pandemics among the Natives up and down the mal treaty, outlining a relationship of peace and coast from Florida to New England. In 1614, Eng- mutual protection.7 lish explorers returned to Europe with enslaved Native Americans, and left smallpox behind. By Myth #3: The colonists invited the Native 1620, entire nations of New England Natives were Americans to a special feast to thank them decimated from disease.4 for their aid. The Mayflower colonists landed on the ances- Harvest celebrations were common to both the tral land of the Wampanoag people. For centuries, Wampanoag and the English settlers. As Abenaki the Wampanoag grew corn and other crops on scholar, Judy Dow explains, “Long before the
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Europeans set foot on these shores, Native giving” in U.S. history. Some were held in the peoples gave thanks every day for all the colonies to celebrate victories over Native gifts of life.”8 Native American writers Rox- Americans (such as the 1637 raid on Mystic). anne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitak- In 1789, George Washington declared a “Na- er further describe how spiritual ceremoni- tional Day of Thanksgiving” to give thanks als of gratitude and reciprocity with nature to God.14 had always been a central part of their cul- The Thanksgiving that is currently tures. The Europeans also, for centuries, had on the calendar for the fourth Thursday days of thanksgiving to celebrate harvests.9 of every November didn’t become a The “first” Thanksgiving in 1621 federal holiday until 1863, when President was just a regular English harvest Lincoln officially declared a national day celebration, which is why there’s little of Thanksgiving during the Civil War. He historical record of the event and no wanted there to be a day for families to be evidence that any Native Americans were together, to mourn their dead and be grateful invited. When the Native people heard for the living, and to rouse northern patriotism the gunshots of the hunting colonists, they for a war that was not going well.15 alerted Massasoit, who showed up with 90 None of the declared holidays referred to men. They were asked to stay, but, since there the feast in 1621. wasn’t enough food to go around, they left and came back with five deer and many turkeys. Truth vs. Myth: Know the Difference! The visit was likely the first of a series of politi- There are many reasons that we should make cal meetings to discuss and secure a military an effort to know the truth about our history. If 10 alliance. we don’t know the truth, we may be support- ing stereotypes. We may be accepting a version Myth #4: The European colonists lived in of history that makes us feel better about our past. peace with the Native Americans. We may be shielding ourselves from the reality of Relations between the colonists and Native Ameri- how the United States got started. cans began to deteriorate quickly. Within a gen- eration, tensions over land theft by the European Endnotes: 1. Mika Doyle, 11/14/18,
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The Myth of Discovery Ebony Vandross
BEFORE YOU READ: Read the definition of the verb “to discover.” How has the word “discover” To discover (v): been used to describe an important moment in to make known or visible, U.S. history? Share what you know about it. to expose. To obtain sight or knowledge of for the Educators across the United States often use the word discover to describe the actions of Christo- first time. To find. pher Columbus. Ask U.S. school children: “What did Christopher Columbus do?” And many of Second, did Columbus’s “discovery” really them will answer: “He discovered America.” The make him a hero? Or was he a thief? The fact is specific details of the story may vary, but the basic that his arrival in the Americas meant the be- idea is that Columbus and his crew embarked on ginning of the systemic torture and genocide of a long voyage of “discovery” across the ocean. Native American people and the steady theft of They landed in the “New World,” planted a flag resources, which the colonizers sent back to im- on its shores, and claimed its riches. And for doing perialist countries—such as, Spain, Portugal, and all this, the history textbooks consider him to be England. “Because Columbus reported a plethora a hero. The federal government even made a Na- of Natives for slaves, rivers of gold and fertile tional Holiday in his name on the second Monday pastures to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, of every October! But there is a lot that is incorrect Columbus was given 17 ships and more than 1,200 and harmful about this perspective. men on his next expedition... In the next few years, First, Columbus did not discover America. Columbus was desperate to fulfill those prom- When he arrived in the Americas, there were mil- ises—hundreds of Native slaves died on their way lions of people already living in North and South to Spain... Columbus forced the Natives to work in America. Anthro- gold mines until exhaustion. Those who opposed “Most of my stu- pological evidence were beheaded or had their ears cut off… Those shows that the first who did not fulfill their obligation had their hands dents have trouble people to settle in cut off, which were tied around their necks while with the idea that a the Americas—to they bled to death—some 10,000 died handless.” book — especially a discover it—had Finally, the textbook telling of Columbus’s textbook — can lie.” done so more than invasion of the “New World” has a continu- 20,000 years ago, ing harmful effect: It encourages students to see well before Colum- history from the point of view of the European bus arrived. Reverend John Norwood, a leader invaders. “Most of my students have trouble with in the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation, explains the idea that a book—especially a textbook —can that to say Columbus discovered America is to lie,” says author and educator Bill Bigelow. “That’s “deny the humanity of the indigenous people. If why I start my U.S. history class by stealing a stu- you’re ‘discovered’ somewhere, that means that dent’s purse… I announce that the purse is mine, you didn’t uncover it to begin with. It only counts obviously, because look who has it.” Bigelow is when someone else comes and claims it and says making the point that just because he “discovered” ‘Oh, it’s there.’” the purse sitting on the floor, that does not make
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it his purse. Yet this is how so many U.S. school their home, we should correct the outdated narra- children learn history. Bigelow explains that the tives and tell a more accurate story. word “discovery” References:
Chicano students from the University of Wisconsin at Madison protest Columbus Day on October 12, 1992, the Columbus quincentennial. 500 years of resistance, UW-Madison Library Archives.
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The Seminole Wars Native Americans & African Americans Find Common Cause Sergio Hyland
In America, dominant culture shapes perception. to Florida and This is particularly true when one thinks of the mixed with Native contributions of Native Americans. The entertain- Americans, thus ment industry—Hollywood in particular—has merging cultures typically portrayed Native Americans in a nega- and creating an tive light. They’re savages, warlords, or alcohol- important alliance ics. In most cases, these characters are played by between people of white men, wearing heavy make-up and flashy Native American costumes. This illusion has resulted in the white- and African heri- washing of some of the greatest cultures in U.S. tage. history. Here, I’ll This alliance How amazing is that?! attempt to revive would be tested just one small part through the first The most powerful of the history of one half of the 19th cen- military on the planet, group—the Florida tury, by what his- taking a Native Ameri- Seminoles. tory has termed the Black Seminole leader, John can tribe to war, over When we “Seminole Wars.” talk about slavery In truth, these wars Horse. Engraving by N. Orr, 1858. Source:
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ed by sending Andrew Jackson—who had a fierce reputation as an “Indian killer.” What ensued was the Seminole Wars. How amazing is that?! The most powerful military on the planet, taking a Native American tribe to war, over that tribe’s assistance to—and defense of—escaped African slaves!! Unfortunately, the military onslaught was too much. Many Native and African Seminoles were forced to leave Florida altogether, which is why, in today’s society, one can find African and Native American Seminole descendants living far from Florida in places like Mexico and Okla- Armed with this homa. knowledge, I think But the struggle we can all agree that was far from over! Numerous slave This map, created for
To learn more, watch this Sergio Hyland is currently incarcerated at SCI Chester, in Pennsyl- 9-minute video, “Forgotten vania, where he is working on earning an Associate’s Degree in Rebellion: Black Seminoles General Studies. and the Largest Slave Revolt AFTER YOU READ: What do you find surprising in U.S. History”
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Indigenous Women and Mother Earth Verónica Guaján Sánchez
BEFORE YOU READ: and my commu- 1. Read the title and the headings; look at the pho- nity fight for our tos. What do you think this article will be about? Mother Earth. We fight for the 2. The article discusses violence against women. Is water and the there anything you might do to prepare yourselves land. The earth (as a class) for sharing this sensitive topic? is a source of life The Earth is a Source of Life for us. For Indig- As a young woman, I remember watching my enous people, grandmother cry because other people wanted there are three to take her land. It was a small plot of land, but things that are she cared for it and cultivated it. It was her main essential to our resource in life. She cried for her land. She felt lost survival: 1. The without it. The land for Indigenous people is very connection with important because it is our root, our memories, the land; 2. The our hearth. minka (work in I am a Kichwa woman. We are the Indigenous the community); people of the area that is now called Santa Bar- and 3. the ranti- bara’s Community. I am from Cotacachi where my ranti (reciprocity mother, my grandmother, my sisters, my family, with the earth and with other people). Without the care that we give to the land, we could not grow food and our lives would be in danger. When our land is taken, this is a form of violence against us. Sometimes the government of Ecuador takes control of our land and water. The government evicts the Indigenous populations in order to carry out mining and logging. These industries cause pollution and deforestation. Violence Against Women and the Land The Indigenous tradition is for men and women to be in harmony with each other and equal to each Indigenous leader Alicia Cawiya (center) at an Internation- other, but sometimes women face violence from al Women’s Day march in Ecuador. Photo: Mike Reich. To men. Domestic violence is connected with alcohol- learn more about the Indigenous struggle for land, watch a ism. Alcoholism was never part of our culture. 24-minute video, “Chevron vs. The Amazon”:
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An Indigenous woman and girl peel maize in El Panecillo, Ecuador. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is in the background. Photo by Diego Delso,
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Incan Relay Runners More Than Just Mail Delivery Gabriela La Torre
BEFORE YOU READ: pire did not use 1. Have you ever been in a relay race? Describe writing for their how it works. messages. In- 2. Describe a few types of communications sys- stead, they used tems that are common today. “quipus.” Quipus were pieces of strings Before the Spanish arrived, the Incan Empire tied in knots. The colors spread all along the Pacific coast of South Amer- of the strings and the ica. It included mountains, valleys, deserts, and knots contained infor- rainforests. Millions of people lived in the Incan mation. The Chasquis Empire, and they spoke more than 100 different knew how to translate the dialects. You might wonder: How did they keep information in the quipus. the empire going? How did they communicate Today, communications in Peru has changed. with each other? One answer is: They had runners The Chasquis don’t work as runners anymore, who could run long distances and communicate although their paths and some of their tambos still important messages. These runners were called exist! You can also find some of the famous Incan Chasquis. rope bridges, and you can still use them today. Chasquis had a lot of skills. They were very The Chasquis were highly skilled people. strong! They could run fast over difficult trails. They were intelligent, strong, and hard-working. They carried messages and food with them. They They passed their knowledge and traditions from stayed in small cabins called “tambos.” Tambos generation to generation. Today, the descendants gave them a place to rest and protected them from of the Chasquis support their communities by bad weather. Chas- doing different projects. They get help from the quis used a conch government to develop their communities. They shell (called a “pu- are good communicators. In Peru, we feel respect tutu”) to announce and pride for the Chasqui tradition! their arrival. When the next runner heard the Sources:
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The Incas Worshipped Nature Martin Cabrejo
BEFORE YOU READ: What does it mean to “wor- from Pachamama, ship” something? then Pachamama will be angry. I grew up on the Pacific coast of Peru. I used to go The fishermen surfing, and I always saw fishermen fishing from in Peru practice a small boats. The boats were made of reeds. People method of fishing in my country have been making boats like this passed down from for thousands of years. When they fish from these the Incas. They fish boats, they take only the fish they need. They don’t with nets, but they catch lots of other fish in their nets. They don’t also have another waste anything from the ocean. And they don’t method: They dive pollute the ocean. into the sea with a The Incas were Indigenous people living in bag and a bamboo Peru. Before the Spanish explorers arrived, they stick with a sharp worshipped nature. They had two main gods: point to catch the Wiracocha, the sun god, and Pachamama (Mother fish. They are skilled Earth). at catching fish, According to the Incas, Wiracocha created the A sculpture at the Pachamama but they also know Museum in Argentina. Photo: universe, the stars, the moon, and all the living how to preserve the Carlos Barrio
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Indigenous People in Brazil Fighting for Their Rights Adriana de Andrade da Costa Couto
BEFORE YOU READ: Look at a map of the Amazon rainforest. Share what you know about this region and the people who live there.
Today in Brazil, the Indigenous people represent less than 1% of the total population. Most of them live in the Amazon rainforest. Some tribes do not have contact with non-Indigenous people, but this is very rare. Unfortunately, my country, like many coun- tries, has a long history of killing and exploiting Indigenous people, and removing them from their culture and lands. Even today, we continue treating them in the wrong way. In the name of progress, government and big business take over Native lands and extract natural resources that An Indigenous woman prepares for a protest in the capital of Brasilia. This image and the one in the box be- the tribes once used and protected. In this way, low are screenshots from a PBS video about Indigenous the knowledge gathered by generations of people “Guardians of the Forest” fighting to keep their land. living on this land is lost and forgotten. For Na- tive people, they lose their way of life. And for everyone else in the world, we lose the opportu- nity to learn from Indigenous people about natural medicine, ways of organizing society, and caring for nature. Guardians of the Forest Only in 1988, with the last Constitution, did the Indigenous people win some rights and ac- knowledgment that they were the original people on these lands. The government officially recog- nized them as citizens with different identities, customs, languages, and beliefs. There are now some government representatives of Indigenous heritage who fight for the rights of the native Bra- zilians to maintain their traditions and be protect- Watch this 10-minute video:
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Sonia Boni Guajajara, an Indigenous environmental activist from Brazil, spoke to the Brazilian Senate during a special session April 19, 2016. At the same time, representatives from many of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples camped outside. They called for the rights of Indigenous people in the country. Photo: Waldemir Barreto
I think it is important for the Brazilian gov- ernment and for Brazilians of every background to Connect to Climate Change support Indigenous people. They are our history; The trees in the Amazon are a key part of we have a lot to learn from them. Our past cannot be lost. the eco-system of the planet. They absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Scientists call the Amazon “the lungs of Adriana is Brazilian. She came to the U.S. the planet.” According to the PBS video with her husband and (see previous page), “The amount of two daughters so her husband can do post- carbon dioxide absorbed doctoral work at Yale. by the Amazon is down In Brazil, she works as a personal trainer. 30% since the 1990s, She and her family are due to deforestation.” enjoying this opportu- nity to live in another Learn more about climate country, learn about change in Issue #27 of another culture, and improve their English. The Change Agent.
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Fierce Fighters, Resilient People My Tribe is Ashanti Henrietta Appiah
BEFORE YOU READ: heritage and 1. Share what you know about people who are In- identity dear. digenous to Africa. Name some tribes or empires. The Name some of the Indigenous languages spoken Ashantis are a in Africa. unique people in many ways. 2. Do you speak more than one language or dia- In an Ashanti lect? What part of your heritage are you proudest community, of? Why? everyone lives The name of my tribe is Ashanti, also known as the together in Asante. We are indigenous to western Africa in a buildings country called Ghana. I am proud to be an Ashanti around the because of our rich culture and heritage. courtyard. I We have always been known as fierce fight- grew up this ers. The Ashanti tribe has a saying: “If I go for- way in the ward, I die. If I go backward, I die. It’s better to go Ashanti tribe, forward and die.” From this Ashanti heritage, I staying with carry with me strength, persistence, and resilience. my parents These qualities allow me to take care of my fam- until I got married. Traditionally, the head of the ily as we learn to live in U.S. society but hold our household is the oldest brother living in the clan. The elders pick him to lead the family. We call him the father or the housefather. The family is very important to the Ashanti tribe, especially the mother’s family. We believe that everyone in the family inherits the mother’s flesh and blood. The father provides the soul. There are doz- “If I go forward, I die. ens of languages If I go backward, I die. in Ghana, but most It’s better to go for- people speak Twi. Twi is one of the ward and die.” major dialects in Ghana. I speak Twi and English as native lan- guages. I can understand other dialects, like Ga, Kofi Annan (1938-2018) was the Secretary General of the which we learn in school, but it is difficult for me United Nations for ten years starting in 1997. He won the to speak them. Sometimes there are people from Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for his human rights work and rural areas who speak only their native dialect. for his focus on stopping the spread of HIV in Africa. Here in the U.S., if I see someone from Ghana, I
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fully with one another. In fact, one famous We Ashanti people Ashanti, Kofi Annan, still pass on our was a winner of the traditions and Nobel Peace Prize. languages from We Ashanti people still pass on our generation to traditions and lan- generation. guages from genera- tion to generation. We feel proud of who we are, and we carry this with us everywhere we go. The importance of family in our culture keeps us together and makes us strong, successful people.
Henrietta Appiah is a student at ERACE in Branford, CT. She studies writing and is working toward continuing her education in the nursing field. 0 1000 miles 0 1000 km AFTER YOU READ: 1. Summarize a few of the key things you learned Map of Africa. Find Ghana. Find the territory of the about the Ashanti people by reading this article. Ashanti Empire. What other territories and countries 2. Look at the map of the world on p. 7. Identify can you identify? Using the information on this map, estimate how long Africa is from North to South, and the seven continents. Skim this entire magazine, how wide it is from East to West. Explain how you noting which continents are represented in the ar- figured it out. Check your answer online. ticles. Which ones are missing? What can you find out about Indigenous Peoples from those conti- nents that are not represented in this issue? address them first in Twi. I think it is very im- portant for the Ghanaian tribes to maintain their native languages because it is part of our identity. It distinguishes us by our heritage and connection to our clan. One of the most important symbols of the Ashanti culture is the Golden Stool. We bring out the Golden Stool for grand occasions. We believe the Golden Stool represents the spirit of our ances- tors. While I have never seen the Golden Stool of my home community, it is still there and my father told me stories about it growing up. Historically, the Ashanti practiced slav- ery. If Ashanti people went to war and won, they brought the enemy home as slaves. They believed The Ashanti flag features a gold stripe at the top, a green that slaves would follow their masters into the stripe at the bottom, and a black stripe in the middle, with afterlife. Now, the Ghanaian tribes live peace- the golden stool in the center.
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Ainu People: Indigenous People of Japan Emi Yamaguchi
A group of Ainu people, 1904. Photo:
The Ainu people are Indigenous people living in the Ainu people got Japanese names and were Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. They were obliged to learn the Japanese language. The Japa- good hunters. They traded their products such as nese government took control of the Ainu people’s fish, meat, and fur with the Wajin (Japanese people properties and prohibited them from engaging from the main island). in their cultural activities, such as hunting and tattooing. Although this law says “protect the ab- Laws Did Not Protect Them origines,” it actually destroyed the Ainu culture, In the 1870s, many Wajin people moved to Hok- according to Michaud. It drove them into poverty kaido to cultivate and develop the island. In 1899, and encouraged discrimination against them. according to the scholar, Matthew Michaud, the Many Ainu people started to hide their identity Japanese government established the “Hokkaido to avoid the discrimination. The Ainu culture and Former Aborigines Protection Act.” By this law, language were almost completely destroyed.
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Prejudice Against Ainu People My mother told me that when she was younger, the Wajin were biased against the Ainu. She said that many people thought that the Ainu were descendants of savage people. She told me that people made fun of When they hunted anyone who looked or picked wild veg- Ainu, and it was an insult to say, “He/ etables, they always she must be Ainu.” made sure to get the This situation minimum amount changed as Indige- nous people fought they needed. for their rights all over the world. In Map showing Japan and the Island of Hokkaido, where 1997, the Japanese government established the the Ainu people are from. “Act for the Promotion of the Ainu Culture.” working to preserve their language and culture. A Respectable Culture I hope more people will get to learn Ainu culture When I was a student, I visited the Shiraoi Ainu and history. In our modern society, we consume so Culture Museum with my family. We learned much. We could learn a lot from the Ainu’s knowl- about how the Ainu lived in harmony with na- edge, and that can help us make better decisions. ture. According to the Ainu people’s religion, Sources: Matthew Michaud, “Settlement into Hokkaido and its Effect “gods” are in everything all around us. Accord- on the Environment and the Ainu People,”
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La Guelaguetza A Festival of Reciprocity Sergio Mendoza
BEFORE YOU READ: Define “reciprocity” (noun). Try using it in a sentence. Try using “reciprocate” (verb) and reciprocal (adjective) in sentences as well. Share examples of reciprocity in your life.
I am Zapotec. We are Indigenous people living in Oaxaca, Mexico. Every year in July, Indigenous people in Oaxaca have a big celebration. It is called La Guelaguetza. Guelaguetza is a Zapotec word that means “offering” or “present.” In our Indigenous culture, generosity and reci- procity are important values. In the fes- Indigenous people from Oaxaca participate in La Guelaguetza, 2005. Photo from
AFTER YOU READ: Explain how it is ironic that many Zapotecs can- not attend the festival. Read about “A People’s Guelaguetza” and Sergio Mendoza is a student at Plainville “cultural appropriation” on the next page. In your opinion, has the Adult Learning in Plainville, CT. state-run Guelaguetza been appropriated? Why or why not?
52 The Change Agent — March 2019 — changeagent.nelrc.org Indigenous Peoples
Consider Cultural Appropriation
Definition: “the unacknowledged or inap- propriate adoption of the customs, prac- tices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” — dictionary.com Based on the definition, which of these images below represents cultural appro- riation of Indigenous customs, practices, or ideas. Why or why not?
A People’s Guelaguetza Sergio Mendoza explains in his article that not too many local people can afford to attend La Guelaguetza. It is hosted by the state of Oaxaca, and the entrance fee is $50. But now there is an alternative Guelaguetza. It is called “The People’s Guelaguetza,” and it is hosted by the Oaxaca Teachers’ Union. The mascot for the Washing- A halloween “I think it’s necessary to rescue the ton, DC, football team. costume. real meaning behind the Guelaguetza,” said one teacher, Salvador Aquino. “The Guelaguetza isn’t about the commer- cialization and selling of the Indigenous person as a registered trademark.” For his part, Aquino explained, “I’m sharing what I do, my dance moves, my music. That’s what the real Guelaguetza is all about: coming together as brothers and sharing.”
Source: “The Oaxaca ‘people’s festival’ celebrates indigenous culture that’s not for sale,” Shannon Young, August 5, 2016
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Once You Were Children Sandy White Hawk
Once you were children Innocent with no thought that evil or harm existed Your hearts were pure and trusting You played without fear Until they came and took you Until……….. that first day of school When they took your clothes, your toys, and your hair, your name No talking, no laughing, no friends Only crying, thoughts of home, wondering when you get to leave Then they took your innocence, dignity and trust Then………………. you became victims Once you were children Then you became victims Victims who were at the mercy of those who only knew darkness and evil Victims of evil and harm that words cannot describe Some of you came home Some of you wandered for years before you found your way home Some are still wondering in pain, shame and confusion Some never made it past the school yard gate Left to lay in unmarked graves Those who made it home…… Their bodies carry the scars seen and unseen – spirits broken Their hearts walled up – not able to trust – show or receive love Lost in the swirl of alcohol and violence that repeated for generations in your families and communities – only because that is all you knew Carried these wounds and scars in shamed silence believing the lie that Indians are less than human. Then………..You spoke Told the stories of those prison schools You shared your pain – encouraged each other You found sobriety and peace You found friends and laughed again Then………….you found healing Then you became survivors Once you were children Then you were victims Then you were survivors
Photo: Edward S. Curtis,
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Survivors who walk the Red Road – with pride and dignity and with the strength of your ancestors Now you are warriors Taking back your language Healing in ceremonies Warriors who carry the battle scars of brutality Some scars invisible to the eye yet deep and permanent Warriors who bravely tell their stories to their grandchildren So they understand…………….. So they can have compassion to understand some of that pain they still see You tell our grandchildren so they know the legacy they come from A generation of warriors who Once were children Then were victims Then were survivors Who are now warriors Warriors who we honor today – their relatives can stand with pride of their strength A community who is here because these warriors gave them life Warriors who share their stories – breaking the silence – mending the sacred circle of life Once you were children Then you were victims Then you were survivors © July 2013 by TRC Commissioner Sandy Now you are warriors White Hawk. Reprinted here with permission.
Truth and Reconciliation for Native Communities Sandra White Hawk is Sicangu Lakota, an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and a U.S. Navy Veteran. She was adopted out of her tribe into a white missionary family when she was 18 months old. Read her story here:
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Write for The Change Agent CALL FOR ARTICLES YOU MUST: Include contact information in all articles and emails. Please cite sources. THEME: Play is an important part of every culture. We learn by playing. We connect with others, challenge ourselves, relax, and have fun. In this issue of The Change Agent, we invite students to write (playfully or seriously!) about a topic we are all familiar with. Writing prompts below. • Share a favorite game you played as a child. What was special about it? • What was your experience with play as you were growing up? • How is play different for your children compared to how it was for you as a child? • What do you observe about how children play these days in general? For example, are they mostly alone or with others? Also, consider the role of toys, video games, and other electronics. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the technological “advances” in toys? • What do you think about how toys are sometimes targeted for girls or boys? • Have you seen toys that promote stereotypes? If so, how do you talk to your children about it? • Children are exposed to a lot of pressures around play. For example, toy commercials pressure children to ask their parents to buy toys. School culture may pressure children to play sports. How do you talk to your children about pressures around play? • As an adult, do you spend time playing? If so, what do you play and why? If not, why not? • Have you ever felt “addicted” to a game? Or seen someone be addicted to a game? Explain. • Not everyone has equal access to play. For example, some schools might not have space for children to play while other schools have elaborate playgrounds. Or some families may spend a lot of hours working and not have time for play. What is your experience with access to play? Or write about what you think about this topic in general terms. Should a community or a society support play for all people? If so, how? • In your adult education classroom, does your teacher use play to help you learn? How? • Have you ever worked in a play-related industry, for example, a factory that made toys? Discuss. • Research toy imports. What is the environmental and human impact of cheap toy imports? DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: May 3, 2019. Make sure to include contact information. Send to: [email protected]. Learn more at:
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