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Nooooo – Alyssa

Its my second to last day of blogging. I first want to Thank You to our wonderful and wise professors. Vicente and Shelva they were both the best at their jobs. I really enjoyed the Aztec math with Vicente it was something o really enjoyed and i was really into learning about. I learned how to divide, add, subtract, find square roots, and work on fractions. With Shelva i learned how to express more in my writing and use stronger vocabulary. I loved this class because soon I will be applying to college and will have to use all I  learned about writing and the common app.  I really also enjoyed all the guest speakers we had that educated us on useful things. I made some great connections through them and will be using my resources when I need help.

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Ticked Off – ALYSSA

Today we had a class with Joshua Hathaway. I would first of all just want to say thank you to our speaker that we had today. I also want to speak up to what i believe. I am Alyssa Flores I am Tohono O’ oldham, and Pima. I also identify myself as being christian. I did feel a bid triggered and sad about the words and things that he has make today in our class. He stated that I or any others are not considered Native if we are religious. He also stated THE GUY “JESUS” did’t die on the cross for us our ancestors did. I do also strongly believe in this because our people went through struggles for us too. I have an issue with this because I was both raised in my native culture and raised as a christian I believe this doesn’t make me any less native than other natives that aren’t religious. I know that this just makes me have a bigger heart and bigger mind set. I was given a calling from my lord and savior Jesus Christ that i would be called into working with youth. As a youth born into the 7th generation I know that my calling is to work for my native people on the rez. I kinda don’ t really have a lot to say because i was just so hurt and mad about what was said and i blacked out about what the rest of the conversation was about. I am NATIVE AMERICAN NO MATTER WHAT.

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The insides -Alyssa

Today we went to the Gross Anatomy lab. This was my second time participating in going in. Its a really cool experience its something where in moment your questioning yourself. But if you don’t do it you’ll regret it. I learned so much today, going to the anatomy lab has made me double take on what i want to be when i grow up. Actually no i still want to be a juvenile probation officer  but the medical field does sometimes interest me very much. We went able to take any pictures in the lab today sorry mom. Most people will be disgusted about this but how many people can say at my age. That they’ve gotten the chance to take apart the human body and replace everything back together. I would say that was the best part of today. I got a better understanding other than in books of the human body and it was super interesting.

alyssasaige 2017, Native Youth, Wishtoyo Village

The 7th Generation will change – Alyssa

As I’ve been advertising to many of my peers. Our generation is the 7 Generation. As said by sitting bull we are the ones to bring back our traditions. To bring back the language, food, teachings, and stories. I truly believe that we are and will live up to the expectations. I will take back the songs of the many different nations that I’ve learned over these 2 weeks. I hope to see in the future that we will stay true to all the things that our elders are teaching us about other earth. That mother earth is our protector she is the one keeping us alive she is our everything. I hope to see that all us young adults will teach others on how to treat the earth on what and not what to do. We did research at the Chumash Village. We learned that global warming is happening and it’s making the sea level rise quick. I remember being at Wishtoyo a year before this. There was a decent size beach and walk way . Than when we went the other day i noticed there was very little room to walk and hardly any beach space. It’s awesome to be the generation that is watching it happen. We can also be the ones to slow down or change things that we were are doing now to increase the speed of it rising. Our group talked about things we can do as a community to help. One is the eat less red meat to decrease the about of pollution in the air. We also thought that if we would to keep our cities clean and to use less plastic. Lastly we thought to plant more greens and plants.  To decrease the amount of green house gases. I would say a role model to me here. would be my lovely friend Aleyah she has been apart of my life since she was 6 and I was 9. Some people say its weird or would never look up to somebody who is younger but to me its perfectly fine. Adults still as they older learn from the younger generation. I have seen her from being a little girl always asking questions and being annoying lol. To becoming a great, mature and power young role model to many. I hope to continue watching her grow up to be one who leads our people.

 

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alyssasaige 2017, applications, Native Culture, Pima, pipeline program, Tohono O'Odham

Back at Pitzer

Today i woke up very tired. After I had indigenous games I was very much pumped up and ready for the day. Today was a very chill and relaxed day. The rising senior ME went to Pomona college and we where with the people from the admissions office. They talked about the common app and gave me very valuable information and hope to contacting them soon to help me build my common app. We ended our day well besides this with a drumming circle. Held by Josie Montes it was a memory to remember. We learned so many songs and learned about there meanings. The best part was when we sang the humming bird song and just s few seconds later a hummingbird was buzzing around us. Such a wonderful day we had now its time to end because i’m really tired.

alyssasaige 2017, Wishtoyo Village

My Time at Wishtoyo

Every time I get the privilege of going to the Wishtoyo Chumash Village I feel blessed to be there. It’s always a powerful experience when there is native people on native land. Each and every time I come back i’m learning new song new words and new teachings. I love the fact that this place always seem to be the place where every one tends to connect more with each other. This year I learned and experienced something powerful. I was taught about a women’s moon cycle. I learned how powerful a women is when she son the cycle. The words of Luhui ” If the moon above can move the waves so can a women when shes on her moon”. I was one of the young women that was on the moon cycle and we were treated with great respect from every single person there. We weren’t able to serve food nor prepare food nor walk into the kitchen or circle. It was pretty difficult adapting to these ways. I hope my mother is reading this so that when i’m on my moon I wont have to go into the kitchen. Meaning I wont have to wash dishes nor help cook yayyy.

On the second day we went to Zuma beach were we boogie boarded and swam in the water. Later on that day we had sacred geometry with Joe Clues he was a great instructor. i learned about the golden number and how it relates into almost everything it was mid blowing what i learned from him. Than we had surfing class it so much fun as of now this is the best thing I did. It sure is really difficult to get up and ride a wave the first time, but i came very close to it. Most of all the best thing about going ti Wishtoyo is the food. OOO man the food is the best and made with love by Nana and Sergio. The food made me feel like I was at home. I had the best time being here and I hope that I’ll be back soon.

 

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Making baskets – Alyssa

Today makes day 5 in the program. We started the day off with indigenous games. I so far love learning the moves of the activity that’s being taught. It helps turn my face from muggy in the morning to sweaty and tried after. After breakfast we had our common app and creative writing class with Shelva. I was working on my common app essay and it was honestly the best part of my day. I love writing on things that’s happened in my life.We also had our Aztec math as well today with Vicente. I am really learning a lot this year. After our free time we were basket weaving in the talking circle. It was really fun for me because my tribe comes from an ancestry of women who weaved beautiful baskets. As others or myself say it’s in my blood to make them. I liked helping and watching those of my peers who’s was there first time making baskets.

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It’s day 4 – Alyssa

Yesterday was day 3 and it was a very powerful day. We started off by making soap stone necklaces with auntie Julia. It was very time consuming ( I just finished my bear during my free time today ). Actually we had 2 classes before we started the activity with auntie. Our first class was with Shelva working on creative writing and researching colleges that best suite me. During the creative writing I pushed myself to be as creative as I can and seen my after product of if i put my creativity to something how good my story would sound. The second half of the class we were on the college bound website. We had the choice of putting in certain qualities we want in a college. It added a couple more colleges to my options. Than we ended the day with the blanket exercise. This was my first time experiencing something so powerful. The instructors first layed out a few blankets to represent the land native people had in Canada. Through out the time my peers were reading cards given to us at the begging. Each card said had something written on it that greatly impacted our people. Which caused for the instructors to cut down the blanket space. At the end of the exercise there were about less than 75 percent of the blanket space left for us to stand on. It made me tear up to have a physical presentation of what happened to our people and our land. I explained during our discussion time that all of us here at this program and many more are part of the 7 generation. Which our ancestors said that this generation would be the ones to do great things. That we were going to lead our people and bring back our cultures, traditions and language. I hope that all of us live up to this expectation and make our ancestors and future people proud. Today day 4 was a very fun day as well. Today we had the great opportunity to work with one of our great elders Vicente. He taught us Aztec dances it was really cool to learn another indigenous dance other than pow wow dances. I also participated in making bracelets and coloring with auntie Julia. It was a very calming and relaxing part of my day.

 

 

alyssasaige 2017, Haudenosaunee, Native Culture, Telling Your Story

Spirit Game: Pride of A Nation – Alyssa

Currently its the end of day 2. It’s been an awesome day my highlight of today was watching the amazing movie Game Sprit Pride of a nation. Its the best thing seeing our people doing big things such as creating a movie to educate those who are not indigenous. I loved seeing in the movie how the native people Huadanesaunee were so much involved with keeping the tradition of lacrosse still in the game. The biggest part of the film that is going to stick with me as long as I remember. Is when the Chef of the tribe went to visit the Pope and the security made him take off his head gown because they looked at it as a weapon. It made me tear up that the majority of people are still not yet fully educated about our culture, and to also say to him that while he left it outside it would be taken care of. As they walked out and seen that his head gown was just sitting on a table un watched. This action is a great disrespect not just to him and his people but to all ingenious people. the film in a whole was a very great film and hope to go home and share and educate my people back home with the film. I  want to thank Gale Anne for introducing us to the wonderful film.

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Day 1 -ALYSSA

Hello,

My name is Alyssa Saige Flores. I am Tohono O Odham and pima. I am continuing on my 3rd time attending the program. I am most excited to go to Wishtoyo and  participating in surfing. I am looking forward to learning about the common app, and all things I can grasp about college as I will be a senior next year. My mentor is Neeka she is super cool and I’ve learned that she is always happy. My favorite part of today was meeting my cousin for the first time today and bounding together as we made out clapper sticks. today has started off good and ended amazing I hope the rest of the trip will be the same.

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