Native American Themes Permeate Clarke Forum, Trout Gallery and Courses

Native+American+Themes+Permeate+Clarke+Forum%2C+Trout+Gallery+and+Courses

This semester, Dickinson College has shown an increase in the appearance of indigenous topics around many areas of campus, parallel to the centennial closing of the Carlisle Industrial Indian School (CIIS).

The Clarke Forum has chosen to focus on Indigeneity in the Americas as its theme for fall 2018. To kick off the semester, Professor Dan Longboat, Roronhiakewen (He Clears the Sky), spoke at an event sponsored by the Clarke Forum on Wednesday, Sept. 12 in Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium (ATS) in which he brought together the issues concerning the oppression of indigenous peoples and those concerning the environment. 

Also this semester, classes in the psychology, history and religion departments as well as two first-year seminars all focus on different areas of Native American studies. In addition to his talk, Longboat also spent two days visiting several classes around Dickinson. 

The Trout Gallery has also chosen to focus on the topic of indigenous oppression at the CIIS, through the exhibit, “Re-Riding History from the Southern Plains to the Matanzas Bay.” Museum Interpretation Assistant Abaigael Cottle ’20 worked on the production of this exhibition throughout the summer as a Dana Researcher. The story of the 72 Great Plains Native American warriors and chiefs, taken to a military fort in Florida, inspired the works of art in the current exhibition.

The work is “an incredibly powerful show that combines history with contemporary art,” Cottle stated. The Trout Gallery will be having public showings of the exhibition every Saturday at 2 p.m., until Oct. 20.

In his talk, Longboat explained that the solution to issues like over-population, starvation and sickness, pollution and loss of biodiversity, of which presents an unmatched level of “complexity,” is promoting and encouraging the sharing of indigenous knowledge to people of all cultural backgrounds. Longboat also detailed the importance of human’s relationship with nature through examples of indigenous stories.

Longboat is a Turtle Clan member of the Mohawk Nation and a citizen of the Rotinonshón:ni (Haudenosaunee – People of the Longhouse) community on the Grand River, Ontario. According to the Library and Archives of Canada, each clan, or extended family, has a symbol or crest that is important to them. He teaches and founded the Indigenous Environmental Science/Studies program (IESS) at Trent University in Peterbrough, Ontario. 

During his talk, Longboat connected current political topics with those faced by igneous people by opening with the statement that “the past 500 years for us have gone to hell” because of immigration. This movement of European and outside influence has led to the rapid removal of the indigenous footprint on the land, places where people have lived for millennia, exemplified by the widespread removal of indigenous names and refusal to accept indigenous knowledge.

“Dr. Dan Longboat’s talk resonated with me on a few levels,” said Nick Long ’19 “First, his focus on indigenous, place-based environmental sustainability was in line with my education and work.”

Long added that “However, the spiritual connection he talked about extended that place-based consciousness to a more holistic perspective, which I think is helpful in appreciating the value [of] local plant and animal life. I hope the scientific community can responsibly and productively collaborate with indigenous communities to help protect important ecosystems.” 

One indigenous perspective that Longboat referred to was the description of the Creator of life. Longboat said that, when the Creator came to make the human, he loved and cared for it so much that he put part of his own brain, heart and flesh into the human body, which lead to the separation of mankind from all other animals. As he finished this process, he left human beings with three tasks, first, to love, care and help one another, second, to learn how to live in the natural world as nature will then become a teacher and, finally, to be thankful for all things that come together to protect life. He trusted his creation of humans to a point where he accepted a bet against his brother, who represents all that is bad, and left half of the human brain for each brother. Then the creator put all four colors of man in a different corner of the world and said in years we will see which of you held true to your tasks that I have given you.

An example of indigenous people following the task of the creator was depicted through the description of the yearly strawberry festival. As Longboat explained, this festival of song and dance occurs through the desire of his people to show thanks to the interconnected systems that help promote human life. The fruit of strawberries, for example, help to provide a purpose for the soil and water as well as food and medicine for animals and humans.

Longboat’s talk also focused on the problem that he states everyone is facing; a threat of losing cultural knowledge, which is being overshadowed by western knowledge. As Longboat touched on, the CIIS is a prime example of this cultural genocide where people force their beliefs upon the children from other cultures. The CIIS created a model for cultural oppression, which was then carried on through other schools. Longboat explained that the oppression of values and culture, as exemplified by the CIIS, leads to most prevailing problems on seen reservations, including drug abuse and addiction. However, he offered a solution to these problems, stating that, accepting indigenous knowledge will help start reclamation and help indigenous people through their struggles and problems. 

Although Longboat’s talk focused on many negative problems that the world is currently facing, he provided the audience with a quote claiming that there has “never [been] a better time to be alive than right now as we are surrounded by an unmatched amount of knowledge,” stating that it is “important to have an open mind and an open heart.” 

Longboat went further to explain his feelings that the human spirit is what holds everything together and has control over physical systems. The actions of humans can have a positive or negative impact on the environment depending on what is practiced; if humans destroy and degrade the environment, it will only lead to sickness and pollution. However, Longboard claimed that sustaining the health of ecosystems will lead to a continuation of life in all forms.

Longboat concluded his talk by stating that our modern society fulfills a prophecy predicted by the Creator. Before humans were set off to the corners of the Earth, they were told that there will be a time when all four colors of the human race will come together and we as humans will have to decide if life will continue.