Blog

Today we  learned how to solve big problems by uniting together for a cause an example such as protesting and just to be persistent until your common goal is accomplished. Another thing we did today was when we participated in Flower Wars which is basically a very sacred game which you have to touch the crown of the head and you have to defend or attack in Quecha martial arts this game taught us discipline, unity, and how to work together these attributes can also help with solving big problems. But on the other hand today was a great day in the beginning of the day we wrote about environmental issues that are close to our communities or even in other indigenous communities all around the world. Mayan math today was pretty good because our instructor taught us how to write the date in the Mayan way which was pretty interesting.

Dream pillow with Julia Bogany: last year I remember we made soap stone necklaces, clapper sticks and baskets. But this year we did something completely different, we were given a little bag which Julia said was called a dream pillow and we didn’t make it but we awew able to color them and decorate them anyway we chose. What I did was I put in the aztec numeral 13 on each four corners of the bag and what that was suppose to represent is that when you multiply 13 by 4, you get 52 and the number 52 is a sacred number in my culture because it is associated with year cycles and correlated with growth and the gestation period of humans. And just for decoration i put in the aztec glyph for Turquoise which is a highly valued stone in my tribes culture along with jade and obsidian. I colored it red because red is a sacred color and is associated with blood (Eztli) and we blood is a very profound and sacred thing and is also representative of the sunset.

DR.Val Thomas: We were sitting in circle and we were talking about some of her history and background as a person of mixed ethnicity and heritage which to be honest was very interesting. She also talked about what she does and teaches in her classes which includes Afro-futurism, decolonization and general history. She also got into genetics and mental fallacies where she started talking about Intergenerational trauma and imposter syndrome which i found to be really cool.

Indigenous games with Hector: It was really cool to be able to re-experience Qechua / Aztec martial arts and discipline and it was really cool to experience the Unison of movement he was talking about. We learned how to do upper, lower, outer and inner blocks and how to shift attackers energy and weight distribution to defend yourself. We also learned how to count in Qechua which was really cool.

Blogging: It was chill, im blogging right now…

My first steps onto the Pitzer campus this morning, were filled with nervousness and fear. I was consumed with worry because of the fact that I didn’t know anyone attending. I was immediately comforted as I was checking in and recognized some familiar faces. Upon meeting more friends I gained a surge of strength. Everyones’ openness and friendly attitudes made me feel welcomed and even more comfortable. Today’s activities made today pass by very quickly. Every hour we were learning and trying something new. I am extremely appreciative of the speakers we had today and was able to connect with them. One of my favorite activities today occurred after lunch when we had indigenous games. We were taught how to protect ourselves which I find important in this day and age. I felt extremely empowered as a woman knowing I can defend myself. After this activity, we had a circle talk with elder Julia about the rocks we have in our lives. This topic made me think deeply and realize the importance of appreciating those people we have in our lives that prove to be our rocks. I will forever know my rocks as my mother, father, and brother.

Hey everyone my name is Marissa and I am Gablieno Tongva from the LA Basin. I am from San Bernardino and can speak a bit of my language. Today was a great way to start off this experience. All the students and their parents were gathered and checking into their rooms and settling in while I was meeting new people and getting to know my piers. Around 10:30 we all met up for the opening ceremony and introduced our selfs as we embraced each others presence. Two common tribes that were there were the Navajo and the Gablieno Tongvas. We had wrapped up the ceremony and everyone said all of their fare wells to their families. About an hour later we had Val as a speaker, and she talked about her back round and i was really touched by how she was able to speak about all the trauma that had happened in her life. Soon after we all gathered to make dream pillows which was ran by my great grandmother, Julia Bogany. Noon came by and we all gathered in the cafeteria to eat lunch, which is where I met my roomie and my friends from last year. We all laughed and had a good time. With our filled stomachs we headed back to the room above the cafeteria which is where we did Indigenous games. As we did the Indigenous games I learned many things. One being that having the ability to do self defense and use it in emergencies is a huge benefit. Before blogging time we did the circle with my great grandmother, Julia Bogany. As we were speaking in the circle it felt very powerful because I got to listen to who was important in everyones life and even got to listen to some back round stories of my piers. I was touched because there had been so many different age groups that were important to people whether they were younger siblings or great great grandparents. Over all I would like to thank everyone who did workshops today and took the time to teach us all and show us their ways.