Like Marsha, I don't know if I would through out anything from the course, because everything was relevant in some way. I enjoyed both the topics that connected us with the past and the current conditions of the Cherokee Nation.
I think that rather than removing any of the activities, I would only change them to allow for more free time, or other activities. I would have really enjoyed more time either in the evenings or afternoons, to have free time to spend with one another or with our NSU hosts. I really enjoyed spending time with everyone and I would have liked to have more time. There were a few instances when I could not spend time with anyone because I was too busy trying to keep up with our schedule. I would have also liked to have a second afternoon of half day to have to ourselves, without having the option of a day trip like floating on the river. I thought the river trip was really fun, but I would have liked to have a day where I didn't have to chose between sleeping in and doing something else.
The one thing that I enjoyed the most, as I think other people did too, was learning Cherokee. I feel like the Cherokee language lessons were the glue that brought the entire course together. Learning the language I had no idea that Cherokee was such a difficult language, and that for someone to become a fluent speaker, they needed something like 3,000 hours of training and classes. I had no idea that Cherokee was on the same level as languages like Japanese and Arabic. I would have liked to have a bit more time time spent learning more of the language. I really loved going to the immersion school as practice for the language, and it really helped me to feel connected with all the work the Cherokees are doing to maintain the small remainder of fluent speakers.
One of my other favorite activities was the Native American film festival day we had. I really began to understand some of the norms and traditions of current Cherokee and Indian communities. I thought that as well as visiting as the Cherokee Nation Hospital, and the Indian Child Welfare Services, helped us to gain a better idea of the contemporary Cherokee Nation, and I would have enjoyed more activities like these.
As far as the Cherokee Nation history course goes, I really felt like this was an effective way for us to learn about the history we needed to learn so that we could connect the past to the present. Without this course, I do not know if we would have been able to be so well informed when meeting the Keetoowahs and the Freedmen, which I think both of those meetings were imperative to the course and our learning. I also thought that meeting the Principal Cheif Chad Smith was a great way for us to become more apart of hte Cherokee Nation. After hearing him talk about what was in store for the Cherokee Nation and what they want to achieve in the future, I feel that I as a non member, can now educate my friends and family on the things that can make the most difference and cause the greatest changes needed there.
As a Native American Studies minor, I have taken plenty of courses, all with excellent professors on the histories of many tribes, but never have I taken one like this before. A full immersion program like this one gave me a chance to get a great deal of information in a short time. I got more information than I could ever deal with, and the best study of a tribe I could have had. With all of the information I gained at the Study Abroad in the Cherokee Nation, and with all the help I've gotten from all the people we've met I think I have a great opportunity to make a difference not only in our native communities, but also the native communities around the United States.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
United Keetoowah Band
When I was thinking about whom to write my post on for this particular entry, I took a lot of things into consideration. I enjoyed meeting with both the Keetoowahs and the Freedmen, but both in very different ways. I thought that the Freedmen had an amazing story to tell, and that they gave us so much to look at, it was almost too much to take in. The Keetoowahs, I thought were a very different experience Not only from the Freedmen, but also from the Cherokees. While the Keetoowahs and the Cherokees are in a very basic sense the same tribe, they both tell very different stories, and the way in which the Keetoowahs told theirs was incredibly bothersome to me.
For starters, when people repeat things over and over, it has a tenancy of convincing me of the exact opposite. That was one of the things that really bothered me about the Keetoowahs, they continued to allude to the fact that they had documentation to prove their case. However, unlike the Freedmen and the Cherokees, they never provided us with any of this documentation. I am not suggesting that such documentation does not exist, merely that it would be much more convincing if they would have provided copies of it. There were many other things that they continued to repeat, and most of them are not worth repeating in the first place.
When I first when into the meeting with the Keetoowahs, I really tried to keep an open mind. However, the more and more I listened the more and more I became unconvinced of their story and claims. It wasn't that I didn't believe what they were saying, its just the way that they were telling their story made them sound very immature. They continued to refer to the Cherokees as "that other group," or "those people down the road." I realized soon after that whenever the Cherokees referred to the Keetoowahs, while they did disagree with them, they never referred to them in such an immature way. I thought that the way the Keetoowahs talked about the Cherokees was very discrediting to their story.
While I did think that our meeting with the Keetoowahs was interesting, it was not as eye opening as I had hoped. Hopefully next year they can have their documentation ready and waiting.
For starters, when people repeat things over and over, it has a tenancy of convincing me of the exact opposite. That was one of the things that really bothered me about the Keetoowahs, they continued to allude to the fact that they had documentation to prove their case. However, unlike the Freedmen and the Cherokees, they never provided us with any of this documentation. I am not suggesting that such documentation does not exist, merely that it would be much more convincing if they would have provided copies of it. There were many other things that they continued to repeat, and most of them are not worth repeating in the first place.
When I first when into the meeting with the Keetoowahs, I really tried to keep an open mind. However, the more and more I listened the more and more I became unconvinced of their story and claims. It wasn't that I didn't believe what they were saying, its just the way that they were telling their story made them sound very immature. They continued to refer to the Cherokees as "that other group," or "those people down the road." I realized soon after that whenever the Cherokees referred to the Keetoowahs, while they did disagree with them, they never referred to them in such an immature way. I thought that the way the Keetoowahs talked about the Cherokees was very discrediting to their story.
While I did think that our meeting with the Keetoowahs was interesting, it was not as eye opening as I had hoped. Hopefully next year they can have their documentation ready and waiting.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Study Abroad in the Cherokee Nation in review
Thinking back on this study abroad, it is difficult to say what I would have thrown out from the itinerary. Everything we did was in some way culturally relevant to the Cherokee Nation. The most important facets of our learning experience involved lessons in language, history, contemporary issues, and everyday life.
Though impossible to learn over a three week span of time, coming away from this trip having learned just a little bit of Cherokee is an accomplishment. A language so difficult it takes years to master, we tasted a mere morsel of what it is like to converse in Cherokee during these few weeks. We learned barely enough to understand what was going on in the three-year-old class at the Immersion school, but we went away with enough resources (notes, language packets, interactive CDs) to continue to practice the language and study a bit further. I wish we had had a greater amount of time for language instruction. We can come back home, however, and convey to others the importance of preserving the Cherokee language and share some of the efforts Cherokee Nation is making toward that preservation.
The Cherokee Nation history course we took with Dr. Coates was the skeleton holding the rest of the study together. Without knowing Cherokee Nation's history, it is near impossible to understand its culture or how it operates as a sovereign entity. For example, we learned about the Supreme Court case, Samuel Worcester v. Georgia, where the question was raised whether the state of Georgia had the jurisdiction to assert its power in the Cherokee Nation. Georgia attempted to gain control over missionaries by requiring by law any American citizen working for Cherokee Nation to get a license from the state that swears that citizen's allegiance to Georgia. Another one of these laws, known as the Georgia Harrassment Laws, included a nullification of Cherokee law and basically forbidding people from essentially being Cherokee. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Samuel Worcester, and by extension the Cherokee Nation, stating that tribal nations "hold a status higher than states" and hold the same authority as the Federal Government. So the ruling gives way to tribal sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation, which is upheld to this day.
What I would like to have had more time on the schedule for would have been a greater focus on contemporary issues facing the Cherokee Nation and other surrounding tribal nations. We touched on a few like the issues with the Freedmen, the United Keetoowah Band, Indian Child Welfare (I wish we had much more time there.), Tar Creek and the Superfund site in Picher, and other political and economic issues. It would have been great to have had time for a service project to do throughout our stay. I feel that an equal amount of time should have been devoted to contemporary issues as well as the Nation's history.
I also would have liked more time to spend with our NSU hosts. We did not really get to hang out with the NSU students except during our blocks of unscheduled time, which were few and far between. I think being able to interact with people on a personal level is important to truly learning what a culture is about. Not only that, it is nice just to be able to relax, make friends and have fun. The time we got to spend with Kinsey, Chris, Dedi, Asa, Eric, Travis, Chelsie, Sedelta, et al, I believe, was just as important as any classroom instruction. I am happy many of them chose to join us on our field trips, which made it slightly easier to accept that we had little free time.
All in all, I am happy to have gone to study abroad in the Cherokee Nation. It was an exhausting, challenging three weeks and a wonderful experience. We may have complained about being overworked/scheduled, but I am glad we were so busy. It was definitely preferable to being confined to a room or library with required reading. I hope those who choose to study abroad in the Cherokee Nation in the coming years have as great or even better experience than we did.
Though impossible to learn over a three week span of time, coming away from this trip having learned just a little bit of Cherokee is an accomplishment. A language so difficult it takes years to master, we tasted a mere morsel of what it is like to converse in Cherokee during these few weeks. We learned barely enough to understand what was going on in the three-year-old class at the Immersion school, but we went away with enough resources (notes, language packets, interactive CDs) to continue to practice the language and study a bit further. I wish we had had a greater amount of time for language instruction. We can come back home, however, and convey to others the importance of preserving the Cherokee language and share some of the efforts Cherokee Nation is making toward that preservation.
The Cherokee Nation history course we took with Dr. Coates was the skeleton holding the rest of the study together. Without knowing Cherokee Nation's history, it is near impossible to understand its culture or how it operates as a sovereign entity. For example, we learned about the Supreme Court case, Samuel Worcester v. Georgia, where the question was raised whether the state of Georgia had the jurisdiction to assert its power in the Cherokee Nation. Georgia attempted to gain control over missionaries by requiring by law any American citizen working for Cherokee Nation to get a license from the state that swears that citizen's allegiance to Georgia. Another one of these laws, known as the Georgia Harrassment Laws, included a nullification of Cherokee law and basically forbidding people from essentially being Cherokee. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Samuel Worcester, and by extension the Cherokee Nation, stating that tribal nations "hold a status higher than states" and hold the same authority as the Federal Government. So the ruling gives way to tribal sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation, which is upheld to this day.
What I would like to have had more time on the schedule for would have been a greater focus on contemporary issues facing the Cherokee Nation and other surrounding tribal nations. We touched on a few like the issues with the Freedmen, the United Keetoowah Band, Indian Child Welfare (I wish we had much more time there.), Tar Creek and the Superfund site in Picher, and other political and economic issues. It would have been great to have had time for a service project to do throughout our stay. I feel that an equal amount of time should have been devoted to contemporary issues as well as the Nation's history.
I also would have liked more time to spend with our NSU hosts. We did not really get to hang out with the NSU students except during our blocks of unscheduled time, which were few and far between. I think being able to interact with people on a personal level is important to truly learning what a culture is about. Not only that, it is nice just to be able to relax, make friends and have fun. The time we got to spend with Kinsey, Chris, Dedi, Asa, Eric, Travis, Chelsie, Sedelta, et al, I believe, was just as important as any classroom instruction. I am happy many of them chose to join us on our field trips, which made it slightly easier to accept that we had little free time.
All in all, I am happy to have gone to study abroad in the Cherokee Nation. It was an exhausting, challenging three weeks and a wonderful experience. We may have complained about being overworked/scheduled, but I am glad we were so busy. It was definitely preferable to being confined to a room or library with required reading. I hope those who choose to study abroad in the Cherokee Nation in the coming years have as great or even better experience than we did.
Dennis Sixkiller
We first met Dennis Sixkiller at the First Indian Baptist when he and other elders were having Bible study in Cherokee in Sunday School. I found this activity very moving, it was such an amazing example of how the Cherokees are trying to hold onto their culture by maintaining their language. The elders would read from the New Testament, and then they discussed it with us. I found the experience a very interesting look at the ways in which the Cherokees are holding onto their traditions and culture. And it was not the last time we would encounter Mr. Sixkiller.
I first learned about Cherokee Marbles in the book Ned Christie's War by Robert J. Conley, and when I read about it, it seemed easy. And then, of course, I got on the field, and people were passing me right and left, going on to hole after hole, and then coming back again. Even though I was not the most skilled Marbles (ask anyone else and they'll tell you that is a severe understatement!), I still had a great time playing. I thought that the game was really hard, but it was a great way to hang out and talk to Mr. Sixkiller, as well as everyone else. Even if I was the last person on my team to get done, and my team may or may not have lost because of me,I still had so much fun hanging out with my friends, and learning more about Cherokee culture through the game of Marbles.
I first learned about Cherokee Marbles in the book Ned Christie's War by Robert J. Conley, and when I read about it, it seemed easy. And then, of course, I got on the field, and people were passing me right and left, going on to hole after hole, and then coming back again. Even though I was not the most skilled Marbles (ask anyone else and they'll tell you that is a severe understatement!), I still had a great time playing. I thought that the game was really hard, but it was a great way to hang out and talk to Mr. Sixkiller, as well as everyone else. Even if I was the last person on my team to get done, and my team may or may not have lost because of me,I still had so much fun hanging out with my friends, and learning more about Cherokee culture through the game of Marbles.
Cherokee Nation Course
While I would change possibly the hours of it, I thought the Cherokee Nation History course was interesting, and I really enjoyed it. I thought that the layout of it was the most beneficial to the learning process and the material with which we were presented. Some courses don't always present the material in a chronological order (which I've never understood), and it's always confusing. I thought that the class was interesting, however, sometimes I felt that it was a bit one-sided and biased. I can understand how the material would be more favorable towards the Cherokee Nation, because the majority of students of the class will be or are employees of the Cherokee Nation, but I still think some of the material could have been covered more neutrally. But, when we went to see the Keetoowahs, they were much more one sided, but I'll talk about that later
Ned Christie's War
Admittedly, Ned Christie’s War was not my favorite book, but it was an interesting way to examine Cherokee history through a work of fiction.
A theme during the days of Indian Territory that was central to Robert Conley’s novel is the relationship between Indians and the illegal settlers. Ned and the other Cherokees of Tahlequah who were running a totally functional community were constantly confronted with the fact that “they want to turn us into white men.” This was Federally-recognized Indian territory, a place where white settlers initially were not even allowed to live, yet these white men stepped in and assumed their own cultural dominance (as usual).
Isaac Parker assumed that Indians are “woefully incapable of making the great transition from dark savagery to enlightened civilization alone.” This is Conley’s sarcastic humor, adding in characters like Parker to point fun at the general incorrect assumptions about Indian during that time period. Sure, “lawlessness was rampant in the nations,” but that was most likely due to the presence of the white men. In reality, rather than serving as important law enforcement in the territory, the white men were the root of the problem.
As a consequence of the white settlers moving into Indian territory, there were “lots of mixed-blood citizens. Some of them are almost white.” According to Ned, “they think like whites” and were infiltrating and slowly changing the Cherokee government. Julia Coates’ class dealt with this issue of mixed-bloods in the government in her class by showing that although there have been mixed-blood chiefs throughout history; they all have uncles who were chiefs, giving them much legitimacy. In Cherokee matrilineal society, the maternal uncles are responsible for teaching the boys the ways of their clan, and therefore it makes sense that an uncle who is a chief might pass this duty onto his nephew. Nevertheless, what Ned Christie is more referring to is some mixed-bloods who were trying to change the Cherokee Nation, perhaps highly affected by white society. This is just one of the issues that the book deals with. Although the style of historical fiction was not my favorite, I could see how this book could engage people and teach them about the days of Indian Territory. I, however, preferred Robert Conley’s Cherokee Thought.
Watching Barking Waters, Four Sheets to the Wind, and Doe Boy as lenses into contemporary Indian subjects and culture was one of my favorite parts of the study abroad experience. The films were all entertaining and enriching, but mostly, they were the first of may experiences that put Indian art on the map for me.
Sterlin Harjo’s Barking Waters was a true piece of art. The plot moves along slowly, which allows the actors and landscapes to paint a picture of Frankie and Irene’s road trip. The filming Harjo did for this movie is just amazing, and some of the shots (think of the one with the peeling paint on the stop sign) really reveal the artistry behind filmmaking. The film deals with the themes of interrupted love and discovering what “home” really is. Irene has agreed to drive a sick Frankie home to see his grandbaby before he dies, even though their relationship ended long ago. Yet, they are brought back together by circumstance, which forces Irene to deal with their love which has never actually gone away. When Frankie dies in the car, just a day away from his daughters house and holding Irene’s hand (as requested), it is apparent that for him, this is where home is – with Irene. It is not about meeting his grandbaby; it’s about being with Irene and “introducing” her to his family. Though the film is sad, it is also hopeful and beautiful, and I would recommend it to many.
Four Sheets to the Wind, also by Harjo, is faster-paced and more similar to other contemporary feature-films. Though it is still clearly a work of art, this film is more plot-oriented and improved by better acting. Despite being a “better” movie, I do not necessarily prefer it over Barking Waters. Four Sheets to the Wind also deals with more stereotypical Indian problems, such as alcoholism and estrangement from family members in a constructive way. I was very entertained by the film. Although it was sad (like every film we watched), I did find it a bit more uplifting.
Doe Boy is a more “professional” movie that I think could be marketed to a large audience. It mainly deals with the Indian concept of blood. A topic of interest among American Indian communities is blood – what kind and how much Indian blood you have. What they are not referring to, however, is the blood running through our veins, but rather a concept of heritage. For Hunter, a hemophiliac, blood is what is keeping him back, preventing him from living up to his name and Indian heritage. Hunter’s character can be frustrating at times (it sometimes appears that he is creating his own misery), but his tragic story is eventually one of perseverance and creating one’s own destiny. His father’s death coincides with his discovery that he might have been infected with HIV, and out of these tragedies, Hunter is able to discover himself as an Indian and come to terms (kind of) with his disease. I can see why some of my classmates disliked the film – it is extremely sad and Hunter is not always likable. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the film, as well as the two others, and value these glances into modern Indian lives.
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