Author: issanda909

Today i was unable to participate in the western college event, which sucks because i was looking forward to the event. Even though i may be 12 i don’t act like it. It also fun to do the virtual reality, but i wish i could’ve seen the body and felt the heart, especially because i’m looking into the medical field. I learned a lot about the heart, and how it cooperates with the veins and arteries.

My great-grandmother inspires me so much hands down. Ever since I started picking tuli and learning about the culture she introduced me to, I have not lost interest and have not given up on bringing the culture back. I would probably be sitting at home and doing nothing to learn or inspire other people., if it was not for my Nana. I have gotten other people interested in the culture as well. I would not even be in this program right now, but i am and i’m thankful for that. Today i was blogging and i looked up and saw a poster that made me smile and be emotional in a happy way. I had saw i a poster that said “Tongva Women Have Never Left Their Land, They Just Became Invisible- This Book Is About Making Us Visible”~Julia Bogany. I am truly luck to have a women like her in my life.

~ Marissa Aranda (DancingButterfly)

The day started off by learning some indigeneous games by Hector and John. It was fun, because we got to do some running which makes me happy, because i like to run. Later on we were assigned to finish our three body paragraphs, which I admit was quiet hard because I had only just started to learn how to write essays and the end of the school year. Later on in the evening i got to learn more Aztec math and i had gotten really frustrated because i did not catch on as quickly as the older students, but Marisa helped me out and then i caught on. Each of the students got to take care of nipplewetzine ( sorry if i spelled it wrong), while we go to Wystoyo. My favorite part of the day was when i got to create a basket. I created a basket for my great gradmother ( Julia Bogany ) for her birthday tomorrow. I know how she likes my baskets so i made her a type of basket shape ive never made before.( that was one of my favorite parts of the day).  As i was making the baskets i felt a connection with how our culture used baskets for so many different things. The best part of my day when when i got to call my great gradfather ( I call him Honey) and tell him happy birthday, and that itself i am truly thankful for. Just getting to talk to him, and getting to make a basket for my Nana made my day the best it can be.

~Marissa Aranda

Over these 4 days I have learned more than i could possibly imagine. In each activity I can see many different ways and opportunities that I can express myself as a native american.  When I was little I used to dance for my tribe Gablieno Tongva, and I can barley remember how I danced or where i danced, but when I started to learn Aztec dancing I remembered and I felt in that moment how small I was and how important the culture is to me. I was also interested in the Aztec math, and how there was different connections to the way that the Aztecs shared with animals. I also, got to make a story out of a picture. As i was looking at the picture i saw happy faces from native americans that had many struggles and battles that they faced, but thier spirit was stronger. The story i created made me feel lucky to be here, and i appreciate all of the adults who came out to teach us youth. Recently i have been learning indigineous games, and how our people used marcial arts to defend themselves in many different ways. As i was doing the different exricises in the indigineous games i felt strong and i was not just recognized as a women who takes care of the house hold and kids, I thought to myself that I was very strong and independent. I also got to learn about what type of person i am communicacial wise. I was in beetween being independent and being a collectivist. Later on in the evening the youth students did a blanket exricise with Sylvia and Gary Scow from Canada. This blanket exricise impacted me the most out of these 4 days, because so many people got to share thier personal expierences either when they are younger or what they are going through curently.  I cant imagine how much guts it takes to share that with the 40+ people in the room. I am now more self conscious and aware of my surroundings. Each person in the room had a story to share that touched me one way or another. I was also touched when my Nana was sharing about my position in blanket exricise, and how i did not get to come home in my role. That on its own opened my eyes on reality. Also, there was quite a bit of blankets/land on the ground when we first started and as we went through the story more and more pieces of land got tokent away from the canadians, and thats also reality. The youth students are here to make that next generation better and more aware of natives, because we are here to make the reality back to how it started. Another thing that touched me when when i heard about how many children got damaged, and how few got to go to school, or even speak thier own languege. This was my second time doing the blanket exriscise, but each time someone does it they gain more knowlege about the anscestrial history for us, and things they went through. These past days have been such a great expierence for me. Ive gained more knowlege than i can possibly imagine, and i hope to keep learning in our remaining time.

• Marissa Aranda

Today was my first day attending the native youth to college program for the first time. I made a clapper stick, was in a talking circle, and met my roommate. I was very nervous at first, but when i started meeting a few people the more fun i had. It was very exciting and very scary, because i knew no one. I met new friends and learned a couple of new things about different types of cultures. I can’t wait for the rest of camp if today was as fun as it was.

-Marissa.A