One more Outrage/Thought for the day...
Who Attended:
Jorge Tapia, (Mexico)Spanish and Latin American/Mexican Literatures, University of Idaho
Adriana Black, (Costa Rica) American Studies, WSU
Pasang ______,(Nepal) Inter-Cultural Anthropology, WSU
Kim-Trieu Nguyen Doan,(Vietnam) Inter-Cultural Anthropology, WSU
David Warner, (First Nations-Mexico) American Studies,WSU
Jessica Corey, Undergrad, WSU
Dr. Ron Pond, (Umatilla-Cayuse), NIGC Advisor, Music, Anthropology, Plateau Center
Ayano Ginoza, (Okinawa), American Studies, WSU
Prairie Flower Reuben, Undergraduate, WSU
Margo Tamez, (Lipan Apache and Jumano Apache), American Studies, WSU
Margo stated that no formal agenda items came to her, only personal emails with special requests or favors.
Margo requested that we come to some kind of structure about submitting agenda items if people want to do that, and if not, then today we are going to make the agenda now with everyone present. Structure is important. She started introductions to her left and we went around.
Everyone introduced and identified themselves in one form or another.
Margo introduced Dr. Pond to the group.
Dr Pond talked about importance of:
* for minorities to reach out from our perspectives both Native American and Indigenous
* Interdiscipline perspectives
* tremendous respect for what you are doing as graduate students
*achievements will come, whatever you endeavor to do
* feeling so gracious to be here at WSU and he also wants to give back to his people
* his dissertation process taught him enormous respect for the histories and strengths of the people of his communities
* so glad to be a part of the graduate research community
* how in the past IGC (now NIGC) had talked about revising the constitution and bylaws
* the compromise between the Native American and Indigenous perspectives
* Michelle had helped us to get a world perspective, i.e. "Indigenous"
* as the advisor, to remind you to come back to what you said you wanted to do, to become,
* to get tribal communities to help you out
* the Nov 7 Native Expo/Showcase, an opportunity to show your work to a community
* I'm very proud of what you're doing
* Patience is needed sometimes because you all have so much to give and to contribute
So.. . with that...I thank you.
Prairie Flower came a little after we started, and she introduced herself, and spoke directly to why she came to this group and meeting, which helped us to structure the next round of our introductions.
Here are some of the issues, concerns, causes, cares, motivations ... that came up in this next round of intros:
* to address policies at WSU that are causing more barriers and which prevent Native American and indigenous students from being here.
* to learn more from Native cultures and people here and to bridge to the international perspectives which are needed for more dialogue
* to have a safe space to process frustrations, challenges, and oppression at WSU
* to reduce feelings of isolation
* to connect to a group who value what I'm doing
* to learn what is important to other indigenous grad students and their struggles in the day to day work and to make deeper connections to those struggles.
* to connect those connections to 'right's and 'wrongs' and take up those struggles in advocacy which can utilize the tools of our professions
* to use my skills to bridge the daily struggles as a grad student with my colleagues to rights, tribal law, customary law, U.S. law, and international law systems
* Mexico and indigenous people, and racism against Indians motivates me to create awareness to educate society about what is right;
* Mexican appeal/protest movements taught me alot; when I moved to U.S.7 years ago, I was interested in "minority groups" and their activism in Boise where I lived.
* Started to see the bigger picture in terms of the indigenous migrant workers' struggles across the hemisphere
* Working with Zapatista, Fair Trade, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Solidarity Network gave alot of positive experiences to unite indigenous peoples and to create more awareness.
* Alot of respect for Native American communities as a person who is considered "an immigrant" in the U.S.
* found peace among Idaho Women of Color Alliance (WOCA) where many Native American women were organizing and also from experiences with N.A. women at Duck Valley very positive, so first thing when I got to WSU was to seek out solidarity among Native American community groups.
* Connections very important.
* good environment to be in and learn from the struggles of others
* Reason to be in this group is the importance of teaching--I've seen the impacts of elders on campus and to teach youth in the summer and to help in that process of developing leadership gave me a chance to be a part of that.
* biggest draw of this group is it gives me a space to hear peoples' stories which I need to be ok
* my best way to engage in struggles is to help a student with theirs
* what do you do is a common question I get from students who are just learning how to cope with the transition to WSU, so many circumstances with students...always had to remind myself to be humble.
* This group allows me to help others better in their struggles which helps me in mine.
* Reason to join is to share my experiences in my studies of indigenous people of Nepal.
* I hope to bridge my knowledge of how indigenous people in small groups all over the place, in large spread out places, they get marginalized and hard to get justice.
* this groups gives us a platform to come together and use our voice collectively
* I need a ccommunity that will support me, I have no support at all in my department, where anthropology is taught as a tool of colonization
* when I was 7 in 3rd grade I read history books of the story of Columbus, the myth of his heroism. I was like "wow!" in shock. This got me into curiosity and this led me to start de-colonizing from age 7. For some reason, I always wanted to be the savage, not the'hero'.
* I don't have a platform to speak my truths and my position on de-colonization.
* My father is Seneca Mohaw, but I am not 'Native", like here, I am Vietnamese. The Native Americans say 'wow, you look Native', and I say, 'no, I'm Vietnamese'. They think I'm native, and they say I "look Native", and that I "act Native". But, when I say I'm Vietnamese, then they don't want to talk to me anymore. So, this is an important difference between us in how they think about who is "Native". I insist then on 'being Vietnamese' in contrast to "Native" construct, because that is important in comprehending the colonization process happening.
* this group is like a family to me--I can blast and not get penalized.
*World Civ is an American colonization project, so with this group we can do something to say no, and to make it stop right now
* I came to this group/meeting because I am Vice Chair of the Native American Alliance, and I want to ask the graduate students to support our effort to put on a conference
WE LISTENED TO JESSICA'S PRESENTATION AND WE GAVE HER SOME FEEDBACK:
Jessica told us about the early stages of the undergrads' organizing the conference on March 19-22, and focused on these two concerns:
* Pow Wow Scheduling
* Inter-tribal relationships
And the connector of these two issues is:
* Poor communication between different groups putting on pow-wows in the region of
WA, OR, ID, Montana
She spoke of the undergrads sincere desire to reach out to:
* ELDERS
* Other university groups
* communities who are involved in supporting Native American higher ed
Grad students asked her questions regarding:
* Thematic outreach... what is the main message in their marketing this idea to affinity groups and what is the 'push' and 'pull'... what will compel the people to hook into the idea/issue/concern?
* The conference is scheduled for March 19-22. Is this do-able in such short period?
* Challenge for people to travel for those days, and have support from their institutions for lodging, food, travel for all those days.
* Institutional budgets which tribal people could tap into maybe drying up right now, what is backup plan to get folks here?
* Grad students could help apply their knowledge of communications, promotions and grant writing
* Could the concept be pared down to a symposia of maybe 1 or 2 days, with minimum overhead, and shrink the package down to the most locally invested groups who have a high stake in WSU getting their communication issues more structured in ways that WORK for students, communities, elders, and all key stakeholders in Native ways?
* this project addresses very important issues, that are key problems in WSU's immediate world... can this be addressing more micro issues about the way things are driven top-down here? how can we help to tease out those concerns and possible solutions?
* we are a resource to the undergrads
* we can help with bridging UofI to WSU
* undergrads need and want support and mentors and they need help with structures as well
* by inviting them to join our meetings and our community we can mentor them and by doing so, make progress on our own group goals of 'service', 'community building', increasing indigenous knowledge capacity, etc.
WRAP UP:
OCTOBER 6, 2008: Bolivian vendors with Fair Trade crafts
Adriana will send Margo the following:
* Flyer information to post to blog with images in JPG format
* Information about a possible pot-luck that NIGC can host at Adriana and Jorge's place to welcome the group to Pullman
OCTOBER 23, 2008: Plan Mexico Speakers
Adriana will send Margo flyer information to distribute to all Native and Indigenous list servs, and to distribute to our classes and allied campus groups.
* Adriana raised that the speakers need to be paid $400 for the WSU visit. She askd the group to help her brainstorm ideas for raising those funds at WSU. Margo requested that she start emailing heads of relevant departments: CES, AMST, WST, SOC, etc.
OCTOBER 24, 2008 (DEADLINE!: $100,000 POT OF CASH--COUGER PARENT GRANT FOUNDATION
This is an opportunity for NIGC to put forward a proposal for our own initiative, as well as support the initiative of the undergraduates.
* Essentially this is a chance to apply TWICE. To help the undergrads write theirs, and to write our own. Call for volunteers. This is almost a guarantee that we would receive at least $500-800 dollars, just for applying. I don't think the parents are going to turn many folks away.
MARCH 19-22 (COULD BE ALTERED): Native American Alliance proposed conference
DECISIONS WE MADE:
1. 100% VOTED TO SUPPORT THE UNDERGRADS INITIATIVE FOR A SYMPOSIA/CONFERENCE ON THESE Recommendations to Undergrad Organizers:
Undergrads alter/modify their plan, and seek further relationships with Grad Council to refine their plans
Undergrads return next week with modifications for further understandings
2. DAVID INITIATED TO WORK WITH UNDERGRADS ON THEIR GRANT APPLICATION AND PRESENTATION. MARGO INITIATED TO BE AVAILABLE TO PROOF READ AND TO SUPPORT IN PERSON THEIR PRESENTATION IF SHE GETS BACK FROM DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN TIME. ADRIANA INITIATED TO BE AVAILABLE TO UNDERGRADS TO MENTOR THEIR PROCESS IN GRANT PRESENTATION.
3. AYANO INITIATED AND 100% OF GROUP AGREED TO DEDICATE NEXT WEEKS MEETING (WITH EXCEPTION OF PRESENTATION BY UNDERGRADS) TO:
* Set out a year long plan, set goals and assignments--Get this Accomplished
* Alleviate each other of 'chairing meeting' responsibility; alleviate Margo of this role and rotate each week.
4. Next Meeting Chair: Adriana Black
5. Following Meeting Chair: Ayano Ginoza
6. Responsibilities of Meeting Chair:
* Send out weeks' reminders to NIGC listserv of Meeting time, place, date
* Send out all announcements or issues that come up that week to list serv or appropriate persons
* Type the agenda ahead of time if that is appropriate and if not, then initiate the agenda at the beginning of the meeting and call for topics.
* Take notes and type out notes either directly to the blog, or on a doc and request instructions how to use the blog.
* Be self-reliant.
* Ask for help when you need it.
* Learn to use the blog.
NEXT MEETING:
DATE: OCTOBER 8, 2008
TIME: 5:30-6:30
PLACE: COMPARATIVE ETHNIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT, LOUNGE
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