Day Cinco (5)

1) This was my favorite artifact from the Pomona College Museum. It is a medicine mans jacket. It was my favorite because I want to become a doctor someday, so I have a special connecting with anything with some sort of connection to any form of “medicine”, rather it be something indigenous, western, or simply anything that heals someone physically, psychologically, or spiritually. But seeing all these “artifacts” made me sad. Because in reality these aren’t artifacts. They’re the belongings of people, people who are alive and thriving to keep their culture, and still all these pieces of clothing, baskets, satchels, and other items are sitting in the basement of a college where few individuals know they are there. Sadly, the people working there didn’t know much about the artifacts themselves. If we didn’t have our elders there, we probably wouldn’t have learned much of anything because they were the ones to tell us the stories.

2) Native culture and college education can go alongside each other just fine. This can be done just fine as long as the cultural protocol is prioritized significantly. This is because I believe that much of the education in this country is very western, which can have many conflicts with the way that native culture is taught. The education system of many colleges must first be decolonized before it is ready for full blown education along side native culture.

3) Anyways, about today. Today was the first day that I awoke and felt that I actually got a good nights rest. Theatre today was mostly about vocalization, the practice of which helps with self-confidence significantly. The highlight of the day was of course the museum. That brought up so much to talk about, which I mentioned already. Besides that the lasagna today was great, and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.