12/7/2018 2 Comments Native VoicesNative American culture and heritage is a critical piece of our school’s identity. During November’s Native American Heritage Month, Mrs. Sauter sent out a request to 1st generation Native American descendants or enrolled members of a Native American Tribe at HFHS. She asked those students to respond to the following questions:
The following letter was one student’s response. It is a must-read and an exceptionally brave truth. Dear Teachers: Teachers that have indigenous students should know that we are just like other students, we have aspirations and dreams that we want to fulfill in our lifetime, but because of how our culture and people have been affected in the past, we aren't always able to reach those goals. We've lost our sense of self and often have internal battles of whether or not we matter to the world around us, if we're important to those we love, and what it means to be an indigenous people. We struggle with our identity as native americans, and sometimes feel as if we're dirty or disgusting for simply having our traits that make us Native American. This is something that's been ingrained into our heads through the generations. We as a people are still struggling, recovering, and healing from all the painful intergenerational trauma, alcoholism, drug abuse, mistreatment and malpractice, etc. This still rings true to even our newest of generations. Those young boys and girls who will go through their own hardships when they reach my age. We need help and support, maybe more so than other students, because the amount of native american students that graduate is low, and then even those that continue to college is very low. Even in my family, my oldest sister is the first person on my father's side of the family, (which is primarily from the Red Lake and White Earth Reservations), to graduate college with a bachelor's degree. She is also one of the first few of my father's family to even make it through high school, aside from my dad and his sister, my aunt Lisa. I'm from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and I've been enrolled since I was born, every year I attend (and used to dance) in powwows and ceremonial dances, visit the museum, do beadwork, tree tapping, and take of/visit family in District 1. My culture is very important to me, now that I have worked through those internal battles, and made peace with myself and my identity as an indigenous student/person. But I think that teachers should know this from the perspective of someone who has been through this whole high school experience as a native student. From my perspective, and what I would like to see, is that our native students for future generations get more support and encouragement, they need to reminded of their worth and their potential. We also need to stress the importance of native american students learning more of their culture in school, not just European culture and history, but also native american history. It would be a dream to have a class from the years K-12 to be dedicated to our language, which is slowly dying throughout the generations. I know that sometimes us native students can come off as a little savvy, or we tend to have problems in classes, or with our education, and finding proper motivation. But we're working through our own battles, and we all have a duty to take care of our families. Family is something that is very important in our culture. This doesn't mean we need to be coddled or given excessive leeway with our schoolwork, it just means that we need teachers to understand and be open minded to our problems, and the responsibilities we have to our families and jobs. Another last piece of advice, would be to not shame or guilt native americans from wealthier/better off reservations for getting percap or stimulus checks from their government/band. Not only is it none of anyone's but the recipients business, but we already know full well how lucky we are to get payments. Not every reservation is as lucky or wealthy as MLB, like Red Lake, for example. Even then, MLB may not even be as well off as other reservations. We get that we sometimes get benefits other non-native students may not get. But this doesn't negate my point, we know very well how lucky we are, we get things that others do not, but is it really that bad, with everything that has happened to our people, that we get some support? This isn't meant to antagonize anyone, I say this because that is often an argument I've faced through my years in this school, by primarily non-native students. They argue that I shouldn't get any more support than them, since I get 'paid by the band, simply for living'. This often made me feel bad, it hurt to be told that, just because I have the privilege of being an enrolled native, I get antagonized for it, and was often told I was undeserving of the privileges my blood and heritage granted me. Lastly, I don't want this to come off as me playing the victim. I fought tooth and nail to get to where I am today: A strong indigenous woman who can fight for what's right, and also for my dreams and aspirations. I simply want to inform everyone of the struggles our next generation of native students will likely face, so that they can get the help that I never did. I want every native student to know that they matter, they are important, they are visible, and they can do anything they set their minds to, we have the blood of our predecessors running through our veins. We're survivors, and we're warriors in our own right. We can fight for our beliefs and for what's right. We have the strength, and we will always be a strong people. Hold family close, and know that someday, we'll be preparing our next generation for the battles we've faced, or that we'll be facing. Sincerely, Tou
2 Comments
Deb Jensen
12/7/2018 08:58:59 am
Thought provoking. Well written. Thank you for sharing.
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Mom
12/18/2018 08:48:00 pm
Beautifully written Ogichidahkwe! I love you!
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