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today i was effected by Katherine and the writing excises that we did. She had made us listen to a song and write what we feel or write what we think the story behind the song is. In the first song i wasn’t that much effected i just wrote a story about a mysterious man stealing and getting caught, because the music was almost like a pink panther song. The next song we did had effected me more than the first because, i wrote about a man and a women dancing at their wedding and all the feelings they had going on inside of them. The second one had more emotional feeling and had more metaphors to it that makes the story better and more interesting. The third one effected me the most because, i wrote about a band that was homeless and supported each other and worked together to make a better life for themselves. The part that effected me the most was that there was a part in the song that sounded depressing and thats when i wrote about a member of the band dyeing and the band is effected. Afterwards the band worked together to complete a promise that they made to the dead member which was, all of them will have a home, food, and will continue to perform on the streets. Thats what i felt like the song vibe was. Overall i just wish we had more time to express the story more with better detail, so that i can show the true meaning instead of rushing.

~ Marissa Aranda ( Dancing Butterfly)

By: TyVon Greyeyes

Today we have two speakers today both of which taught us a lot of valuable information such as a brief talk about history about Native American land and how to write in a more creative way.  The talk about our history even though is was short is had so much information that has affected me in way that wants me to to tell people about the true history of America. When we were writing in a creative way it expanded the way that I have though about words which will come in handy when I am writing any type of essay or assignment.

Joshua Hathaway is so amazing, I would go to Sherman High School just to attend his Native studies class. I loved how he taught in a decolonized way and really lifts up his students. He is another role model added to the books, because I want to receive my education and educate other Native people when I am older. Thank you so much Josh, stay teaching.

Katherine Watkins, first of all, we have the same name and that’s also fricken amazing but I also had a good time free writing and getting a feel of different writing strategies. Writing has recently became a spark in my life, and I am so excited to excel with my writing because there are so many people that have these skills and degrees that will help me grow as a writer. Thank you so much Katherine, our names are spelled the right way!

Hysh’qe

Panamea

Thank you,

Katherine Jefferson (Kat)

Today was a pretty interesting day to start off we didn’t have to be up early so that started my day off pretty good. For one of our classes we had the honor of Joshua Hathaway speak to us. He spoke to us about colonization and how our culture is very important to keep going. We also got to talk with Katherin Watkins and she was so hyped for our class, which made all of us energized. I really enjoyed writing with her because she made it fun and easy to understand what we were doing.

Today was a blur until we had Joshua Hathaway’s lecture. It was so powerful and medicinal to hear. His views on colonialism and euro-centrism and religion got to me on such a high level. I really needed someone to help me decolonize my mind a little bit more. It was so needed. Some people had very different views on it and took the talk a little too personally but no matter what they think, I completely agree with Joshua’s views. 100%. We had writing with Katherine Watkins and we had these exercises where we would listen to a certain song and write according to how the song made us feel emotionally. A lot of the songs I knew and brought me back to some childhood memories, the ones that scarred me for life. But it was medicinal to reflect on my past and see where i am today. I’m proud.

-Aolani

07/22/17

I slept peacefully this morning knowing there were no indigenous games this morning. I felt well rested, refreshed after a well needed sleep in. The class with Katherine Watkins was inspiring and mindful. I felt like my brain was full by the end of the class. I enjoyed listening to everyone speak their minds about what they thought about the songs we were listening to. Hearing these songs made me feel meditated and reflective. The well spoken words of all the musicians spun through my head as my pen hit the paper. Writing like I never have before, I felt more descriptive and like I became one with the pen. My thoughts poured out of my mind and sole onto the paper. I felt relieved and relaxed about my writing. I have never done an descriptive writing exercise like this and all I can say is how much more heart-felt my writing was. How easy the words came from my mind and were flowing on my paper like water down a river. This made me think more about my words and how to elaborate on a single moment in time. I deeply appreciate how far Katherine has come to share her knowledge with us. I really enjoyed this class and felt energized the entire time.

-Sylena

On July 21, 2017, I had the opportunity to enter a Gross Anatomy Lab for the fourth time, while others have barely entered for the first time. I had the opportunity to share some of the knowledge with my peers from what I have learned from the times I have visited the Gross Anatomy Lab. In the lab we touched cadavers and identified the different parts of the heart, but also saw how our body is built from the inside. I also learned why some of the peers felt weird on feeling the human beings, they said “it feels like we are disrespecting them, even though they were donated to educate us to have healers in our world. it feels weird to feel someone that has gone through many experiences that we can not even think of”, that automatically changed my mindset of being in the lab with a lot of cadavers. We even saw how one of the cadavers have passed away from cancer and it made me think that I need to take care of myself more to not end of in a situation between life and death. I am glad we have people in themis world who are dedicated to learn about human bodies and learn how to heal us because personally I am not capable of that. So shoutout to all those healers in the world who are making a difference for us to continue to live a long healthy life. 

always happy, Johanna Osuna

At midday we arrived at Western University. Before entering the grisly “holloways” of this ghastly place Vincente, our erudite elder, cleansed our souls and gifted us with ruda (an aromatic little herb) fragments to shield us from a lingering soul or two. I did this not out of morbid curiosity, but out of necessity to eliminate the fears of scenes of the macabre. My people were somewhat normalized to death, for it was a part of their life; I wanted to understand their mindsets. So when we finally entered the room of cadavers a malodorous miasma struck our noses; however this was not the smell of decay but of the delaying of it. At the same time of smelling it, the reality finally came to fruition and I was perturbed. I pulled down the latex gloves and composed myself though. We touched the hearts. I weighed them in my hands and unraveled them to an extent. I was more aloof in this experience compared to those more fanatical of the organs. We came to the bodies last. Here I especially pondered what the emotions of my ancestors would have been; whom once in their lives might of been standing over a corpse, which was perhaps a product of themselves, in war or some other tragedy. If a product of battle, was there a reaction of pride? jubilation? remorse? or all at the same time? I was only disturbed. We eventually finished and I scrubbed my hands so scrupulously in the sink, it was as if my hands were afflicted with an uncleanable mold. Later I left the building and was cleansed once again by Vincente. This was an unforgettable experience.

OK, BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT WAS OBVIOUSLY THE HUMAN ANATOMICAL DISSECTION!  I learned a lot about the visual and textural differences between healthy hearts and lungs and abnormal ones. Real hearts i mean healthy hearts are roughly about the size of my fist and we examined and carried some hearts and we saw sone abnormal hearts where they were like twice the size of the normal ones. Some of these hearts were so large due to the buildup of calcium within the heart valves and the heart tries to unclog the calcium by pumping blood harder and what that does is the heart partially builds more muscle and also some of the blood gets congested and stuck in the right atrium, the chamber in your heart in which blood gets pumped away,  your heart expands and it eventually fails. We also saw a heart with a substitute aortic semilunar valve, the flap of tissue responsible for not letting blood reverse its flow on the way out. Its so blood only flows one way. Another highlight was having a conversation with social justice professors who have been questioned about their identities as tri-racial people who happened to be black, white and native by their own professors in school. They asked people what are their fears of being in college and i brought up the fact that most professors are kind of like one way people so when you tell them your native, they will question your authenticity and cultural affiliations as a native person because they were taught that all natives went extinct when really they are more of us than they picture. So i asked them about how i can speak for myself or on behalf of my people when they assume we gone or that i am not what i said i am and they helped me a lot in terms of what i will say and identifying in what way they will target me like antagonizing me or belittling me because of stereotypes they may have grown with. but yea, i thank everyone  for making my day possible, especially my little brother!

today we went to western university its a fairly sized university very humbly placed it was only two roles of buildings it reminded me of the community it cowboy movies. we learned how native medical students cope with there spiritual and medical lives. in most native american community its not ok or not preferred to do surgery. so it kind of go agents there tribal beliefs but they go through special ceremony so they can stay safe. we came back to Pitzer and went to aztec math class it was very productive he clarified many doubts about dividing equations and place vale. about an hour after that class we attended a very intreating class called Vertigo in the Diaspora. from my understanding the class was very well based around civil rights activism in a collage setting/community. i found i very interesting the topic on injustices on a collage campus and any talk on civil rights and activism