WEEK 10! This week we are talking about American Indian Heritage Month. Have an idea? Have something interesting to share with the academic community? Want me to highlight something you think is important? Let me know at malmbergsm@sunybroome.edu or you can email Professional Development at professionaldevelopment@sunybroome.edu!
Land Acknowledgement Statements
I have noticed recently that several of my professional colleagues have email signatures and/or syllabus statements that indicate and honor the Indigenous land that we occupy. I also attended a community event last week that began with a lengthy land acknowledgement that was very moving and humbling. One of my colleague’s has the following line in their email signature:
“Located on the unceded land and water of the Unundagaonoga (Onondaga) People”
Another’s reads:
“My home resides on Haudenosaunee land (Oneida & Onondaga Nations)”
I decided to do some research on land acknowledgement statements. What I found is that they are often given at the beginning of institutionally organized events, celebrations and activities, or published in printed materials distributed to attendees. A shortened land acknowledgement can also be used for email signatures, the purpose of which is to recognize, respect and affirm the ongoing relationship between Indigenous people and the land. Land acknowledgements also raise awareness about Indigenous histories, perspectives and experiences that are often suppressed, forgotten, or reimagined altogether. Something that struck me when engaging with some of the research I found was that although land acknowledgements are powerful statements, Indigenous scholar Dr. Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) indicates that they are only meaningful when they are coupled with authentic and sustained relationships with Indigenous communities and community-informed actions and practices. I will be looking at Dr. Keene’s research in the upcoming weeks in order to glean recommendations for how to move beyond the token or symbolic in order to foster a deeper, sustainable change. More to come!
Snapshot: Tribal Colleges and Universities
There are 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities with more than 75 sites in the United States. On a previous project I worked on, I was fortunate to meet with and learn from representatives from tribal colleges and universities. Much like any college, they have many of the same challenges as many colleges do, including increasing Indigenous student retention and completion; this is amplified by the realities of systemic poverty and limited economic opportunities in remote, rural reservation communities. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College, a tribal college in Wisconsin, are working on finding a better way to provide mental health services through teletherapy, providing expanded access to their students and employees in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the emotional toll it has taken. Interested in learning more about tribal colleges and universities? The Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, which has news articles, student stories, and scholarship. Something that I discovered (and was completely enamored with) was the TCJ Tribal College student art, writing, and expression area of the website; this article, Displaced Native, talks about the experience of the pandemic on a Native student’s education, their experiences of online learning, and a desire to return to in-person instruction to experience what the author calls an invaluable opportunity to learn from Indigenous scientists. More to come about Tribal Colleges and Universities; watch this space in the upcoming weeks!
Reservation Dogs on F/X
Like many of you, I have little time. Long days become long weeks, and when I do have time for television, I usually choose to spend my time watching my one true love Paul Hollywood (and, by extension, baked goods) on Netflix’s The Great British Baking Show. However, some students in one of my courses indicated their love for a new show they were watching on Hulu called “Reservation Dogs,” the premise of which is “a half-hour comedy that follows four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma as they steal, rob and save to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.” As I giggled at the Tarantino reference of the title, I sought out what has proven to be the best television show I have seen in a long time. The show’s description only begins to scratch the surface of the complexities of the relationships between the main characters and their elders, ancestors, spirituality, and the life on the reservation. Nearly all of the actors, writers, and showrunners are Indigenous and many of the episodes will make you laugh as hard as you weep, all at around 23 minutes a piece. If you have time and Hulu (or regular cable), I strongly urge you to check it out!
Submitted by: Deena Price
Tags: Professional Development
