Our Culture & College?~ Joye

While being in that museum, I felt our Nations’ artwork and history has been taken away.  It became unbalanced.  An abomination. They take our things and they’ve stored it within chores and shunned it to the public.  Have you seen the museums write articles on how native people can get their stuff back through an intensely long process?  How are we, native people, suppose to claim our ancestors’ beautiful headdresses, powwow dance wear, and their earned eagle feathers?  Joe told us the history behind everything; about every item and how people earned them.  There was never any words in the reservations spreading about how we can get those important stuff back.  It’s very aggravation how our people could use those things and how we need them to tell our later children the stories of each artifacts.  The historian didn’t know the story of each item and where it came from.  I feel cheated of our history because everything needs a history behind it.  You can’t just take these goods from tribes and nations just to put it up behind glass displays without our consent.  The only thing I interpret as “polite” from these doings is that they handle each and every thing with care.

Although a college education is immensely important to me, I take my culture with stronger seriousness. In my understanding, our native culture may be able to be accepted in few colleges such as Pitzer College, but how many are there in each state?  Sure our people can go to regular and more “white” colleges, yet, we wouldn’t be fully accepted.  Of course there are going to be those people who will see our culture and rituals as weird and strange.  There is going to be those racist statements made within those colleges but that’s what makes us strong.  If we survive these few obstacles, then what could stop us?  We have the courage and bravery to do these things; we just have to find it.  We will always be the opposing ones which people may consider us as strange, however, that is what makes us unique.  Our people and families are one of a kind. We are independent and we don’t need things to shape us into whatever people want us to see.

Today, I had a talk with David Zachary, one of our teachers.  He lead me to a better understanding into what type of career I may most be likely able to do veterinarian work but I should still keep an open mind.  About a year ago, my father introduced Nikola Tesla into my mind.  Tesla once said, “Let the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments.  The present is theirs, the future, for which I really worked, is mine.” The way I reflect on this quote, it reminds me that I have that future to look forward to.  If I really worked hard to get that positive reinforcement, I can accomplish countless things.  Signing Out~ Joye